Design excellence is achieved in stadia when structure, enclosure and finishes express at all scales from overall form right down to the small est detail a single concept which functions well, is rich and expressive, and avoids jarring conflicts. There are current examples of excellence, such as the Bari Stadium in Italy by the architect Renzo Piano, but complete success is rare: the first step towards higher architectural standards must be the identification of those particular problems which make it so difficult to achieve functional and beautiful stadium design nowadays.