San Siro 2.0 - Monument for life transforms the stadium into a Memorial for COVID-19 victims
San Siro 2.0 - Monument for life transforms the stadium into a Memorial for COVID-19 victims

San Siro 2.0 - Monument for life transforms the stadium into a Memorial for COVID-19 victims

San Siro 2.0 - Monument for Life is a proposal to save the legendary San Siro stadium from demolition, by converting the entire structure into a memorial for the victims of COVID-19. Officially known as the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, it is one of the largest and most important stadiums in the world, with nearly 80,000 seats, and is located in the suburbs of Milan

Designed by architect Stacchini and construction started in 1926 in the neighborhood from which it takes its name, San Siro is the second most beautiful stadium in the world. Quoting a 2009 article from The Times "The first time you see the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, it's impossible not to be left open-mouthed. Illuminated, it looks like a spaceship that has just landed." Today, after several changes made over the years to expand its capacity, AC Milan and Inter Milan have proposed to demolish it to build a new 60,000-seat stadium

San Siro 2.0 - Monument for life transforms the stadium into a Memorial for COVID-19 victims

The City of Milan is divided over the decision and has asked for the opinion of the Italian heritage authorities; they recently released a report stating that the stadium does not have cultural interest and is exempt from protection provisions. Although no final decision has been made, the idea of San Siro 2.0 - Monument for Life has emerged to stop the demolition, which would transform the stadium into a memorial for the victims of COVID-19, who were most numerous in and around Milan in Italy

San Siro 2.0 - Monument for life transforms the stadium into a Memorial for COVID-19 victims

Renna Studio's proposal involves transforming the grandstand into green terraces and planting 35,000 cypress trees along the new retaining walls. The Cupressus Sempervirens is a common ornamental tree cultivated for millennia throughout the Mediterranean region, and its dark green vertical shape is associated with sacred places and cemeteries as a symbol of immortality and life after death. The intricate and thick crown of this tree provides habitat for many birds, dormice, squirrels, lizards, and many other animals

San Siro 2.0 - Monument for life transforms the stadium into a Memorial for COVID-19 victims

The project also proposes the complete demolition of the roof to allow light and precipitation to strike the ground, and new functions will be located under the grandstand: a museum, a research center, studios for students and researchers. A new concave shape of the field (wadi) will allow rainwater to be collected which will flow into underground reservoirs and be reused for irrigation and cleaning. In case of heavy rainfall, the wadi area will flood, supporting the biodiversity of various species of flora and fauna

San Siro 2.0 - Monument for life transforms the stadium into a Memorial for COVID-19 victims

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