New Milan arena set to be chef d’ oeuvre

Article posted by Coliseum, March 15^th, 2022

Image: CTS Eventim

The German company CTS EVENTIM, a leading international ticketing and live entertainment provider, has secured world-renowned British architect Sir David Chipperfield and his firm to design its new arena in Milan (Italy).

The ‘Markets Insider’ stated that the arena, which will be Italy’s largest and most cutting-edge multipurpose venue when it opens, promises to be an architectural showpiece commanding worldwide attention. The arena will add to CTS EVENTIM’s portfolio of leading international venues, which also includes the 18,000-capacity Lanxess Arena in Cologne (Germany) and the 3,341-capacity Eventim Apollo in London (UK).

CTS EVENTIM is one of the leading international providers of ticketing services and live entertainment. Before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, around 250 million tickets per annum were marketed using the company’s systems – be it through physical box offices, online, or from mobile terminals. Its online portals operate under brands such as eventim.de, oeticket.com, ticketcorner.ch, ticketone.it, and entradas.com. The EVENTIM Group also includes many concert, tour and festival promoter companies for events like Rock am Ring, Rock im Park, Hurricane, Southside, and Lucca Summer.

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The ‘Markets Insider’ further stated that scheduled for completion in Autumn 2025, the arena will accommodate up to 16,000 people and its piazza will provide more than 10,000m² of outdoor space for open-air events. Construction will begin in Autumn 2022 and the arena will open with the Winter Olympics in early 2026. Once the Olympics are over, CTS EVENTIM will take over the running of the arena.

The arena is being designed by David Chipperfield Architects in partnership with the international design firm Arup and is part of Milano Santa Giulia, an urban development project located just a few kilometers from the heart of Northern Italy’s financial center. Chipperfield’s recent major projects include the refurbishment of the Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery – museum in Berlin, Germany), completed in 2021, and the James-Simon-Galerie on Museum Island in Berlin.

The new Milan Arena is distinctive with its characteristic elliptical shape. It rises from an elevated base in the shape of three rings of different heights that appear to be floating above one another. During the day, aluminum tubes, and at night, illuminated LED strips forming large-scale media elements add to its distinctive appearance. The rings are linked with each other and to the floor by light, transparent glass bands. The rings project irregularly towards the piazza, giving the building its dynamic and unmistakable look.

Inside the arena, there are two tiers of seating above ground level plus a premium level with lounges and VIP boxes. All seats are reached via spacious concourses on all levels, along with food outlets and other amenities. In the base and in a multistory car park that emerges from the base and extends to the northern perimeter of the site, there are more than 2,750 car parking spaces. The sustainability concept includes measures to minimize carbon emissions and the use of resources, and also photovoltaic systems on the roof. The electricity they generate on site will cover most of the energy needs of the arena, which has been designed to be energy-efficient.

Architect Sir David Chipperfield said, “We are very pleased to have been invited to develop the design, along with our partners Arup, for the Arena in Santa Giulia. We believe that this will not only be an important venue for Milan but that the building and the new piazza will contribute to the physical quality of this important development. We look forward to seeing it become a new destination in the beautiful City of Milan.”

Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, CEO of CTS EVENTIM, stressed, “We love David Chipperfield’s plans. The arena will be absolutely unique with a silhouette that is instantly identifiable even from afar. Every visit to an event here will become a close encounter with world-class, cutting-edge architecture, which will further enhance the drawing power of the arena. We are also pleased that the project is fully on schedule. We are building this spectacular arena not just in Milan, but most importantly for Milan. And we don’t want the people of the City and the surrounding region to have to wait a moment longer than necessary.”

In terms of revenue, Italy is CTS EVENTIM’s second largest market after Germany. In 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, the company earned around EUR 271 million there in the ticketing and live entertainment segments.

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