Dan Meis wants Everton’s new stadium to retain the magic of Goodison Park.
Meis is the lead architect on the Blues’ plans to leave their spiritual home for a new waterfront site at the Bramley Moore Dock in time for the 2022/23 season.
Funding for the project has already been secured with Liverpool City Council set to provide a loan for two-thirds of costs, which have now risen to £500 million.
Meis helped design Roma’s new stadium but has kept plans of Everton’s blueprint closely guarded despite regularly visiting Goodison in the research process.
And the 61-year-old says retaining the magic of the Grand Old Lady is chief among his thoughts when tackling Everton’s vision for Bramley Moore.
He said: “We’ve seen a lot of new buildings become very large, bloated.
“Modern yes, exciting yes, spectacular yes, but losing the intimacy and power of the experience of sitting as close to the pitch as much on top of the players as you can get,” he said.
“That has been the vision for the ultimate building. That’s going to be unique when compared to any of the new buildings that we’ve seen in the league.
“The thing that we think about the most every day is not to lose that, the magic of Goodison.
“Everyone can complain about a column in front of the seats and it being an old building.
“But the history and the magic of experience over years is something we want to bring to the new building.
“Now we have this incredible site on the river and the opportunity to do something architecturally iconic and bring those two things together.
“I think we have the opportunity to do something that hasn’t been done in any of the new buildings in the Premier League and that’s a real incredible opportunity.”