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The new life of the Teatro alla Scala

Pier Giorgio Malerbaa
a
Department of Structural Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy

First published on: 09 April 2010

To cite this Article Malerba, Pier Giorgio(2010) 'The new life of the Teatro alla Scala', Structure and Infrastructure
Engineering,, First published on: 09 April 2010 (iFirst)
To link to this Article: DOI: 10.1080/15732471003588320
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15732471003588320

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 Structure and Infrastructure Engineering
2010, 1–14, iFirst article

The new life of the Teatro alla Scala

Pier Giorgio Malerba*
Department of Structural Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, P.za L. da Vinci, 32 – 20133, Milan, Italy
(Received 18 December 2008; final version received 16 December 2009)

‘The Scala is the first theatre in the world, because it is that which gives the maximum enjoyment’ (Stendhal 1816).
Unfortunately, after two centuries of glorious service, the historical-monumental part and the hall of the theatre
clearly needed restoration interventions, while the backstage, subjected to the wear of time, having undergone
haphazard additions and continual adaptations over the years, was no longer able to meet the request of a today’s
theatre. The project of the New Teatro alla Scala was hence composed of two distinctive parts: the project of the
refurbishment and of the restoration of the historical-monumental part and the project of the buildings for the new
scenic plant. This paper presents an overview of the design concepts and of the problems encountered during the
design phases and during the restoring and construction works.
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Keywords: Teatro alla Scala; refurbishment and restoration of historical buildings

1. Introduction
There are artefacts for which the end of a life cycle
coincides with the beginning of a new life. This was
the common destiny of the major lyrical theatres in
the two past centuries.
At the beginning of the 1800s, the first opera stages
used oil lamps and bi-dimensional scenes, made of
painted wings moving transversally along the stage.
Between artists and spectators there was no clear
separation. The following evolution of the scenic set
involved tri-dimensional setups, with solid architec-
tures, complex scenic machines and wide and rapid
scenic movements of the ballet and of the singers.
New hidden volumes were required under the stage
and the wings became a set of layers moving vertically
above the stage. All these transformations required a
deepening of the scenic pit and a remarkable increase
of the height of the scenic tower.
This continuous evolution was the same in all
theatres: the stalls and the galleries of the boxes were
maintained in their original form, while the changes
regarded the scenic plant, which gradually became
something completely separated behind the boccascena
(the proscenium) front.
The invention of the boccascena and the parting
between stage and spectators make the stage a magical
place: this disjunction fostered the invention of per-
spective illusions, of special effects machines and, with
the coming of electricity, of more and more complex
light effects.
‘In the fight between words and music, the winner
was the spectacle’ (La Nuova Scale 2004).
2. Some historical notes
When dealing with monumental buildings, one of
the major problems is represented by the necessity
of manipulating (through modification, destruction,
burial) material parts which belong to history.
In truth, the modification of the theatre was
continuous. Born as the ‘New Royal Ducal Theatre’,
it was designed by Giuseppe Piermarini, under the
auspices of the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and
with the financial support of the Milanese aristocracy,
who bore the costs in exchange for the ownership of
the boxes. The new hall was inaugurated on 3 August
1778, and took the name of Teatro alla Scala, as it
was built on the former location of the church of
Santa Maria alla Scala. It was characterised by a plain
neoclassic façade and by a sumptuous interior, with
five orders of boxes, a luxurious central imperial box
and eight proscenium boxes. The curtain was painted
by Domenico Riccardo and represented the Muses in
the Parnassus. The platea (main floor), destined for
the lower classes, had no chairs and the same space
was periodically used as a dance hall. The lighting was
originally provided by candles. In 1787 the lighting was
improved by 84 oil lamps with glass bulbs mounted
in front of the stage, and by 996 lamps hanging from
the roof. In 1807 the Theatre was closed, to allow

*Email: malerba@stru.polimi.it

ISSN 1573-2479 print/ISSN 1744-8980 online

Ó 2010 Taylor & Francis
DOI: 10.1080/15732471003588320
http://www.informaworld.com
 2 P.G. Malerba
important work on the decoration of the interior. In
1814 the depth of the stage was increased by architect
Pietro Canonica. In 1821, thanks to the director of
stage design, Alessandro Sanquirico, the candle light-
ing was replaced by the famous great chandelier, with
84 oil lamps, replaced by gas lamps in 1860.
In 1838 all the decoration was unified using a
crimson colour. In 1875, the square in front of the
theatre was modified and acquired its present appear-
ance. In 1883 electric power was installed.
Immediately after the First World War, the
theatre closed, due to economic difficulties, and
re-opened in 1921 under the management of the
Ente Autonomo Teatro alla Scala. In the same year,
the height of the scenic tower was increased, so that
the wings could be shifted vertically, instead of being
rolled up on large wooden drums and placed behind
the roof.
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In 1932, Luigi Lorenzo Secchi built the so-called
Scale degli Specchi (mirror stairs) which connect the
stalls to foyer. The foyer had a new settlement and a
new decoration in 1936. In 1937–38 a new stage hosted
movable bridges and walls, moved by hydraulic
devices. The central part of the stage became a wide
platform of 330 square metres and a complex sub-
division of the deck structures allowed a true tri-
dimensional management of the stage volume.
In the night between 15 and 16 August 1943, a
severe bombardment on Milan caused the collapse of
the roof, of part of the galleries, of the boxes, of the
stage and of all the service spaces.
In 1945 Andrea Greppi, the new Major of Milan,
designated Antonio Ghiringhelli as temporary com-
missary and started the works to rebuilt the theatre.
The inaugural concert, directed by Arturo Toscanini,
Figure 1. Frontal view of the historical front and of the new volumes of the Teatro alla Scala.
was given on 11 May 1946. Regular spectacles re-
started on 26 December 1946.
Following the work which took place in the 1930s,
it was clear that any further extension would be
impossible, because of the intrinsic limits of the
building box. Moreover, the obsolescence and wear
of the electrical wiring, the hydraulic plant, the fire-
extinguishing system and the heating, clearly required
new, wider and completely different spaces.
In January 2002 the theatre was closed and all the
activities were transferred to the Arcimboldi Theatre,
in order to allow the radical works for the new Teatro
alla Scala.
3. Design concepts for a new theatre
When we imagine the Teatro alla Scala, the pictures
that come to mind are those of its monumental front
(Figure 1), of its lounges and of its magnificent internal
hall.
A lot less is known, however, about its interior,
that is, what lies behind the boccascena, where the
scenic machine, the auxiliary systems and the labora-
tories which form this complex theatrical mechanism,
are to be found.
In 2001 the historical-monumental part and the
hall of the theatre clearly needed restoration, while the
backstage, having undergone continual adaptation
over the years, was no longer able to meet the requests
of a modern theatre.
The project for the new Teatro alla Scala was
composed of two distinct parts: the project of the
refurbishment and the restoration of the historical-
monumental part and the project of the buildings for
the new scenic plant.
 Structure and Infrastructure Engineering
These two different views of the theatre have
therefore been reflected in the two different objectives
given to the project: its first aim was to safeguard the
theatre’s historical value and to maintain its right to
remain an icon of Milan; the second was to create new
structures and spaces in order to supply a solid
platform to support a theatrical mechanism worthy
of the Teatro alla Scala.
As shown in Figure 2, the historical and the new
buildings are divided by the section line which, starting
from Via Verdi, moves along the boccascena, the south
east side of the Hall, and the rear part of the Scala
Museum, up to Via Filodrammatici.
Such new buildings have been erected in the volume
of the old scenic tower, which has been demolished,
and are composed of the new scenic tower, space for
the scenic supplies and new offices.
The main problems encountered during the design
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phases of the new structures were:
. the criteria for a selective demolition of the
original structures;
. the design of the foundations and of the sheet
piling perimeter which envelopes the structures
of the 56.5 metre high scenic tower;
Figure 2. General plant of the theatre at stage level.
3
. the design of the scenic tower, which involves
wide span deep beams, which cover the mouth of
the stage and which support the five levels of the
backstage in the rear;
. the design of the lateral sets, covered by wide
span and heavily loaded floors and including
the structure of the ‘ovoid’, which contributes
to characterise the new image of the theatre
(Figures 1 and 3);
. the hybrid interventions which involved both the
historical and the new spaces;
. the special problems of the organisation of a
complex construction site, confined into the
centre of Milan.
4. The demolition phase
In order to build we first had to demolish, being careful
not to destroy anything of interest.
Our first step, therefore, was to decide how to
demolish the scenic tower, which contained all its
former theatrical equipment, and then how to clean
out and gut all the basement volumes and re-model
them to create one large area suitable to house new
machinery and plant.
 4 P.G. Malerba
The greatest difficulties we faced in carrying this
out was caused by having to maintain the two façades,
one on Via Verdi and the other on Via Filodrammatici,
intact. These two façades have been re-adapted over
the years but have now become part of the city’s
landscape.
4.1. The demolition project
The first step in the demolition project was to erect
sturdy protection structures in order to support the
façades in Via Verdi and Via Filodrammatici once
the floors and the columns, which originally exerted
the stabilising action, were removed.
The scenic pit, which is just behind of the façade
along Via Verdi, had to be deepened to 18 metres
below street level. This deepening left at the interior
side an open front of about 42 metres from the bottom
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of the excavation to the top of the façade and a front of
24 metres at street side on the boccascena side. The free
prospect was over 50 metres.
We therefore had to erect support structures in
open areas in Via Verdi. The idea was to fix the wall to
metallic buttresses. These buttresses were shaped like a
portal with a relatively restricted encumbrance. Thus,
traffic could flow regularly along Via Verdi, even if
Figure 3. The Ovoid.
only along one lane, supplying at the same time a basic
structure for site facilities. Moreover, the area within
the portal was suitable to house deposits and set up the
cranes.
The portico and frontispiece support in Via
Filodrammatici set several complex problems. On
one hand, due to the fact that there were to be no
excavations behind the pre-existing structure, there
were minor static worries. On the other, the narrow
width of the street would not allow for any cumber-
some structure.
At first it was planned to build weighted scaffold-
ing. However, on a second viewing, during work
procedures it was decided to create a metallic truss
which would occupy the same volume as the existing
portico, reduce the encumbrance along the street and
at the same time support the weight of the stonework
structure to counterbalance accidental load forces.
All the support structures were built in such a way
as to resist totally against any type of accidental force
foreseen during work, especially forces caused by the
wind. Particular attention was paid to deformation
behaviour, making sure that the metallic structure
support deformation was compatible with the static of
the stonework to be garrisoned.
The attention was then focussed on the demolition
sequence. It was obviously impossible to demolish as in
an open area, by simply razing the building to the
ground. Starting from the top and working down, each
demolition phase was followed by a clearance phase.
The problem was solved by first demolishing the
roofing (Figure 4) so as to reach the scenic pit area,
Figure 4. The cutting of the roof truss beams.
 Structure and Infrastructure Engineering
where a sturdy crane was erected. The range of this
crane covered the whole work area enabling the cutting
and lowering of the main structures, such as the
reticular reinforced concrete beams of the tower roof,
and the moving of any medium- to large-sized
elements.
Thus, high level demolition principally concerned
secondary parts and linking elements. The larger
structures were simply taken apart and then crushed
or segmented on the ground. These complicated
manoeuvres were made possible, and carried out in
complete safety, thanks to advanced technologies and
by using remote control machinery in dangerous areas.
Great care was taken so as not to cause disruption to
the surrounding buildings (Figures 5 and 6).
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Figure 5. Internal view after demolition.
Figure 6. Building of the scenic tower.
5
4.2. Monitoring scheme
During the works, an integrated system which was
based on topographical surveys and instrumental
surveys was set up. The topographic net was set in
order to keep under control the façades of Via Verdi
and Via Filodrammatici and other meaningful points
on the adjacent buildings and all along the perimeter
of the new foundations. The electronic transducers
were put in places where structural analyses seemed
to detect the more relevant excavation settlings.
The automatic monitoring allowed us to control the
situation in real time, especially during the most
critical stages. The topographic surveys permitted us
to check the inclinometers results and therefore obtain
a report on the period of the structure’s first settling.
5. The project of the new building
The directions as to the architectural plans for the
scenic tower were clear and straightforward: deepen
the pit from 12 metres to 18.60 metres below street
level in order to seat the new structures of the mobile
stage, leaving vast unobstructed spaces around it.
From a structural point of view, this meant using
special types of foundations and frameworks able to
cover long spans and support great weights, having to
sustain overhead structures and scenic plant (Figures 7
to 10).
5.1. The scenic tower
At the exterior, the scenic tower appears as a unique
prismatic volume. Its interior is divided into two parts
(Figures 7 to 10): the volume containing the stage and,
behind, the area which hosts the backstage, the
laboratories and the training halls.
The main part of the scenic tower itself is a void
prism with a basis of 26.0 metres, in the direction of the
axis of the theatre, per 36.00 metres in the transversal
direction. The ground level, at the bottom of the slab
of the Scenic Pit, is 18.30 metres below the street level,
the roof is at the quote 38.00 metres, and the total
height is 57 metres.
As shown in Figure 2, the whole volume of the
scenic tower is separated into three parts:
. the part below stage level (the scenic pit), which
hosts the lower scenic plant and which is edged,
along its perimeter, by five different levels of
service balconies (711.64, 78.56, 75.16,
71.56, þ 1.08 metres ‘reference stage level’,
Figures 9 and 10). In this lower volume, a set
of seven vertically movable platforms make up
the main stage structures. These platforms can be
 6 P.G. Malerba
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Figure 7. Longitudinal section.

Figure 8. Transversal section in correspondence with the boccascena.

moved independently from each other, or can be lateral volume of scene (Figure 10), which will be
lowered simultaneously as a whole, making the described in the following section.
stage area completely free for a new stage. The . the volume of the stage itself, from level þ1.08 to
deck for a new stage is cantilevered from the level þ14.57 metres;
 Structure and Infrastructure Engineering
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Figure 9. Longitudinal section of the backstage.
. the part over the stage which hosts the set of the
vertically movable scenes and, over this, the
system of graticce (two wooden grillages), on
which lies the system of suspension and of
movement of the scenes.
5.1.1. The scenic pit
The scenic pit is 24 6 34 metres in plan, plus a short
prolongation along Via Verdi (Figure 2). At the basis,
the lower level of excavation was at 18.60 metres below
street level (Via Verdi). This involved a deepening of 6
metres of the previous basis level of the scenic pit at 12
metres.
The retaining of the lateral excavation fronts was
carried out by means of anchored sheet piles walls and
of sheet walls made of jet-grouting columns.
The retaining wall at the foot of the historical front
to be preserved along Via Verdi is of berlinese type,
made of 25 centimetres diameter micro-piles, internally
7
reinforced by means of injections inside the steel tube
and placed at a mutual distance of 35 centimetres. The
piles were made transversally collaborating through six
pairs of horizontal steel beams, anchored below Via
Verdi through six levels of nearly horizontal pre-stressed
tendons (Figure 11). A similar solution was adopted
along the section at the two sides of the boccascena. Due
to the higher vertical loads acting in this zone, the
retaining wall was made of two layers of piles at a
distance of 35 centimetres and with a relative shift of
17.5 centimetres. In the central part of the boccascena,
corresponding to the stage width and carrying lower
loads, the sheet wall is limited to a simple line of micro-
piles and five levels of pre-stressed tendons.
On the other two sides of the perimeter, those
parallel to Via Filodrammatici and along the ex San
Paolo Bank, the increase of loads were lower and sheet
walls made of jet grouting reinforced columns, 120
centimetres in diameter and spacing of 80 centimetres
(hence partially compenetrated) were adopted.
 8 P.G. Malerba
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Figure 10. Transversal section of the backstage. The lateral volume can also be seen.
Figure 11. Erection of a temporary platform.
In designing the scenic pit as a whole, the definition
of a reference ground water level was carefully
weighted. At present, the ground water level is 17.5
metres below street level and it is rising. For design
purposes the hypothesis of water level about 10 metres
below street level, 8 metres higher than the present one,
was assumed. This means that the structures must be
able to oppose the notable hydrostatic thrust of 8
metres of water, equivalent to a maximum pressure of
80 kN/m2. The bottom floor of the pit and the
boundary walls, placed behind the retaining walls,
are all structures which behave like an ‘inverse tank’,
loaded by an external hydraulic pressure and by a
strong counter thrust from the bottom.
Generally, in underground construction, structure
weight is distributed among the floors, which helps
oppose the water’s upward thrust. On the contrary, the
scenic pit, which is merely a container which houses the
theatrical mechanism, notwithstanding the imposing
mass formed by its walls, is actually a ‘light’ structure
when compared to its empty volume. As a consequence,
the foundation flooring would have to be well anchored
to the ground, in order to oppose the possible counter
thrust due to the raising of the water level.
The contrast is carried out by means of 60 high
strength thread bars, 21 metres long and with a 36
millimetre diameter, earth anchored for 10 metres
through cement injections. Each bar, covered by a
double protective sheath, was placed in such a way as
to remain in contact with the ground, even if the water
level were to rise. Thanks to special inspection niches,
which enable one to reach the anchor heads, each bar
can be re-tensioned when required (Figures 9 to 11).
5.1.2. The water proofing
The pit waterproofing adopted in the original design
was made of a double impermeable membrane. During
works, a special type of technology called ‘white basin’
 Structure and Infrastructure Engineering 9

was used. According to this technology, concrete is . the building of vast openings onto the boccasce-
assumed impermeable and waterproofing is entrusted na, on the sides and backstage, which would
only to the concrete walls. allow for quick and safe access for setting the
This waterproofing technique makes use of low scenes.
porosity concrete with a controlled shrinkage, cast in
segmented strips, separated by means of special ducts These requirements were met through wide edging
incorporated in the thickness of the walls. These little floors, cantilevered from 40–50 centimetres thick
ducts create weak wall sections, which have the effect perimeter walls, which form spacious galleries on
of shrinkage and therefore give way to pre-defined and different levels all along the perimeter of the pit
regular crack patterns. These cracks are then sealed by (Figures 6, 12 and 13). The voids opening onto the
injecting very low viscosity resin into the ducts, which, boccascena, the stage sides and backstage were covered
once hardened, makes the whole surface waterproof.
Such a system would also be employed to achieve
sealing in unexpected flaws or fissures resulting from
casting.
The concrete characteristics were decided after a
thorough study of mix and additives. When detailing
the reinforcement, a great deal of attention was paid to
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every single local detail which could be sensitive to the

effects of the hardening phase.
Choosing the ‘white basin’ technique meant the
building time was considerably reduced. In fact, by
avoiding the regularisation of the surfaces of the sheet
walls and by avoiding the laying of waterproofing
membranes, it was possible to carry out both
horizontal and elevation casting at the same time
without other work interruptions.

5.1.3. The tower

The scenic tower houses the facilities, plant, systems,
machinery and all other devices connected with scene Figure 12. Scaffolding at the rear part of the tower.
manoeuvres. Its internal volume has to allow for
complete availability of space in order to hold and
sustain all the mechanical scenic machines and plant.
Moreover, it should also use a series of arrangements
necessary for the performances.
In the case of the Teatro alla Scala, apart from
difficulties deriving from the structure complexity,
there was also the need to respect dimension and
structure limitations, due to the fact that the scenic
tower had to remain within the pre-existing space limit,
that is, between the historic façade in Via Verdi and the
Piermarini hall boccascena, acting both as a connection
and as a new support to the original structure.
The vertical mass of the tower is cast in place in
reinforced concrete. The roof is made of steel beams.
On planning the structures of the tower, several
requirements, connected to the running of the theatre,
had to be borne in mind:

. the co-ordination of the scenic machine with the

case made of the civil structures;
. the creation of service galleries, along with
vertical connections, such as lifts and stairways; Figure 13. An internal view of the scenic tower.
 10 P.G. Malerba
by means of three deep beams spanning on 25–30
metres, which support the upper section of the tower,
as far as the roof beams.
The roofing beams have two different purposes:
supporting the actual roof and, at the same time,
bracing the two wooden graticce from which, at two
different levels, the scenes are hung.
Having easy access to the work areas was of vital
importance in order to both manoeuvre machinery and
to permit staff to move about their jobs. It was
therefore decided to opt for a ‘Vierendeel’ beam type
that is a beam framework, having only horizontal and
vertical elements, but no diagonal ones, as these would
obstruct circulation (Figure 14).
The lower flanges of these ‘Vierendeel’ beams also
sustain the first floor of work of the first graticcia. The
second graticcia was hung from the main beams by
means of steel braces and stabilised horizontally by
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connecting it to the surrounding concrete structures.
Apart from the problems deriving from having to
co-ordinate the actual geometry of the roofing beams
to every other need connected to the installation of
theatrical equipment, other limits, such as methods
and time of construction, were set. One in particular
was the need to transport enormous metallic elements
through the centre of the city. A detailed study then
had to be carried out as to the size and weight of each
segmented beam, made of prefabricated elements, so as
to travel and be manoeuvred unhindered on the site.
In the end, the solution chosen allowed the
avoidance of welding in place and reduced bolted
joints to a minimum.
5.1.4. The backstage
Apart from the two basement floors, the backstage
had to have no intermediate structures whatsoever.
For this reason the volume between þ14.82 metres
Figure 14. Steel Vierendeel beams of the roof.
and þ36.77 metres was set up on five different levels,
made of wide span decks, which are borne by the
boundary structure alone, without any other support
(Figures 2, 7–9). In particular, in the area between the
backstage and the scenic pit, these decks weight on a 40
centimetres thick deep beam built in reinforced
concrete columns 80 centimetres thick and 4.00 metres
wide.
At the other opposite sides, these same decks bear
on the columns, erected on the vertical walls below. In
order to build these decks, it was first decided to employ
self carrying pre-cast elements. This choice was how-
ever discarded because of transportation and placing
difficulties and a more traditional cast in place structure
was chosen. The decks were thus built with beams of 17
metres span having section 75 centimetres 6 40 centi-
metres, and made collaborating through a 15 centi-
metres thick slab. For the deck at þ14.82 m, directly
above the stage area, the cross-section of the beams was
increased to 95 centimetres 6 40 centimetres, as this
area undergoes major live loads.
5.2. The lateral volume of the stage
For this part of the building, which is between the
offices along Via Filodrammatici and the scenic tower
(Figure 7), the design process had to deal with two
different types of restraints: functional and architecto-
nical ones.
On one side, there was the need to leave a large free
space on the left side of the stage in order to mobilise
the stage equipment by means of a bridge crane; on the
other, the need of covering this volume with six floors,
intended as service spaces for the theatre.
In the original project, two reinforced concrete
deep beam walls, having wide openings (Vierendeel
type beams) were meant to reach the roofing, starting
from þ14.60 metres of height, and were intended as
central support for the floors.
The architectonical update of the project has
highlighted the need of having, above the stage, two
large floors destined to technical services. The new
elliptical body, designed by architect Botta and having
four more floors would have emerged, starting from
18.06 metres high, as an independent volume from the
block below (Figures 1, 3, 15 and 16).
The floors above the area at the side of the stage are
supported by means of two steel beams, having a 20
metres long span and 7.50 metres height, avoiding the
subdivision of the large spaces needed with pillars.
These massive beams are supported by two walls,
reinforced by strong pilaster strips that, starting from
the foundations, go through the two technical floors
above the stage and sustain the four floors of the
elliptical body.
 Structure and Infrastructure Engineering
Figure 15. Inferior flange of the Ellipse supports.
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Figure 16. Front of the new Teatro alla Scala after
completion.
The ‘Vierendeel’ scheme, devoid of diagonal
elements, was chosen in order to make fully available
the two floors placed on the height of the beams. The
main beams are the structures which support the steel
skeleton of the elliptical body.
In order to avoid an excessive depth of the main
beams of the floors, and to allow an easy ramification
of the plans and systems, the cantilevered parts have
been hung to the roofing beams, which therefore bear,
together with their own weight, the loads of the floors
below and the weight of the stony façades along the
perimeter.
The bracing action is performed by staircases and
elevator compartments, which are in cast-in-place
reinforced concrete.
5.3. The body overlooking via Filodrammatici and the
inner body
The buildings overlooking via Filodrammatici and
those of the inner body have smaller dimensions with
11
respect to other parts of the theatre, and were meant
to become offices. Thus, they did not require any
complex solution, and traditional elements, such as
reinforced concrete beams, have been used. A part of
these structural elements have been cast against the
masonry and the via Filodrammatici portico, which
has maintained its original configuration.
The foundations of the historical part have been
reinforced by means of micro-piles connected by a
transversal beam. Particular care has been taken when
connecting the new part of the building to existing
structures, in order to increase the safety level of the
latter.
5.4. The structures of the monumental part
The site investigations ordered by the Milan Munici-
pality during the design stage, together with a new
geometric survey of the building, allowed us to
ascertain with good precision where the bearing
structures of the monumental body were located.
The bombardments in 1943 and the following
reconstruction and modifications carried out in the
1960s and 1970s, have considerably modified the
original layout designed by architect Piermarini, now
limited to the perimeter walls of the hall.
The project of the structural interventions on the
monumental part was preceded by an accurate analysis
of the existing structural elements and of the materials
they were made of, in order to evaluate their bearing
capacity and whether they could sustain the extra
loads required by the use of the theatre. As for the
floors, sustained by vaults or by wooden or steel
beams, the static tests have given, with few exceptions,
good results, thus limited reinforcing works has been
needed.
As for the wooden boxes that are placed along the
perimeter of the hall, it has been ascertained that they
had lack of stability in the horizontal direction and
weak connections between wooden pillars and border
beams. To obviate these problems, low impact inter-
ventions have been studied: they had, as far as it was
feasible, to involve technologies already used in the
original state, which had to be modified as little as
possible.
The global stability of the wooden structures is
assured by steel bracings, having such geometry that
they are hidden by the roofing panels. The connections
have been reinforced by light steel inserts and made
integral by means of modern riveting.
6. The construction site
Before starting the demolition phases, provisional steel
support structures were erected in order to sustain the
 12 P.G. Malerba
historical parts of the building which were intended to
be maintained.
6.1. Provisional support structures and demolitions
The masonry along via Verdi has been fixed, by means
of plates and rods, to new steel buttresses erected
outside the construction site.
In order to proceed in a rational way, the inter-
ventions were scheduled following a ‘geographical’
criterion which brought the division of the enormous
complex into four areas:
. Area one: The scenic tower and the backstage.
. Area two: The area overlooking the backstage.
. Area three: The so called Piccola Scala and
rooms nearby.
. Area four: All areas between area three and the
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monumental part of the building overlooking via
Filodrammatici.
The demolition phase started from above towards
the lower parts, following a precise schedule and
with the aid of a powerful crane that, after the
preliminary demolition of the roofing, was placed in
the middle of the scenic tower. Thanks to its placing,
the crane served the entire building site, allowing the
cutting and lowering of the most important struc-
tures, such as the tower roofing reinforced concrete
trusses, and the mobilisation of all elements of
medium and large dimensions that cannot be simply
left free to fall to the ground. All demolition has
been performed with the most advanced technologies
by highly qualified workers, who worked with
elevated safety standards, operating machineries
with remote controls and keeping everything under
control with camcorders and from distant points of
observations.
The intervention has produced more than 20,000
cubic metres of debris, the removal of which has been
specifically planned. The congested traffic in the
centre of Milan and the impossibility of certain
activities to be performed during daytime made it
necessary to remove the debris at night time only. In
order to unload the debris to the re-cycle stations
more than 1000 trips of 3- or 4-axle lorries have been
necessary.
During the demolition phases 500 tonnes of steel
had already been separated from wooden materials,
so that the latter did not mix up with concrete or
masonry. The only space available for the storing or
the building material outside the working area was
that obtained fencing in one of the lanes in via Verdi.
The other lane, with few exceptions, was always
passable.
6.2. Excavation and foundations
The excavation phase has been monitored by means of
instruments installed before the starting of the
demolition stage, and by topographic surveys.
At each stage, during the installing of the provi-
sional tension rods, data on the strain state of the
bulkhead and of the structures supported by it have
been collected. These data, summarised into tables and
diagrams, allowed an instant and effective acknowl-
edgment of possible anomalous strain processes or
settlements. Figure 17a shows the vertical displace-
ments along the perimeter at the top of the retaining
walls, measured at the end of the casting of the scenic
pit. Maximum vertical displacements were 7.6 milli-
metres at the topographic datum point (TDP) 8, along
Via Verdi, and 10.8 millimetres at the TDP 14, at the
left side of the boccascena.
Figure 17b shows the corresponding horizontal
displacements at different levels of the retaining walls
A (via Verdi) and B (boccascena). Maximum horizon-
tal displacements were 4.0 millimetres at the TDP 1,
along Via Verdi, and 8.0 millimetres at the TDP 22, at
the left side of the boccascena. These results satisfied
the imposed design provisions concerning the deform-
ability of earth retaining walls. The low values found
have exceeded even the most optimistic estimates
concerning the deformability of the earth sustaining
structure.
The excavation works to 718.60 metres below
ground level were carried out in complete safety and
with no consequence whatsoever for the surrounding
buildings.
An important feature is represented by the 1.20
metre thick concrete bed at the bottom of the pit. The
need for good waterproofing determined that the
casting was made in a limited number of phases, in
order to minimise the interfaces between concrete of
different ages.
6.3. Cast in place and pre-cast structures
Given the placing of the theatre in the centre of a
busy city, it has been necessary to deal with elements
of limited dimensions that could be assembled on
site. This has been the case of the bearing structures
of the elliptic body and of the roofing structures of
the pit.
The big bearing beam of the elliptic body was
assembled in only 12 days between the beginning and
the middle of January 2004. In June 2004, with the
same speed, the roofing of the scenic tower was
assembled.
Having five cranes (six, if we consider the one used
for the demolitions, then removed) made it possible to
 Structure and Infrastructure Engineering 13
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Figure 17. (a) Vertical displacements along the perimeter at the top of the retaining walls, measured at the end of the casting of
the scenic pit. (b) Horizontal displacements at different levels of the retaining walls A (Via Verdi) and B (boccascena).

minimise the downtimes. Additionally, a good deal of The large wall beams were erected with subsequent
attention has been required by the personnel operating castings by means of metallic formworks. This
the cranes. construction method required, in the first place, the
 14
building of very high scaffolding which would later
support the formworks.
Having at disposal a fixed concrete pump has
considerably increased the speed of casting of bigger
casts. For smaller volumes it has been chosen to
transport the concrete by means of cranes.
7. Duration and general data on the works
Beginning: May 2002
Works on monumental part: May 2002–October
2004
Demolition works: June 2002–November 2002
Special foundations: December 2002–May 2003
Scenic tower: June 2003–June 2004 (16.000 cubic
metres of concrete)
Roofing of scenic tower: June 2004 (1860 tonnes of
steel)
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Elliptical body: January 2004–April 2004 (140
tonnes of steel)
Lateral body along via Filodrammatici: March
2003–March 2004
Finishing works: September 2004–December 2004
Total labour: 98,700 hours
Technical Staff: 15 technician and administrators
Contractor Staff: 22 technician and administrators
Cost: 55 million euros
Opening: 7th December 2004 with the opera
Europa Ritrovata by Giovan Battista Salieri
Director: Riccardo Muti.
8. Design staff
The design staff for the new structure was composed as
follows:
Original architectural project: Giuliano Parmegiani.
Executive architectural project: Mario Botta.
Architecture and restoration of the monumental part:
Elisabetta Fabbri.
Scenic plant: Franco Malgrande.
Original structural project: Francesco Martinez y
Cabrera, Gabriele Salvatoni, Pier Giorgio Malerba.
Executive project of general structures: Aldo Bottini,
Nicola Malatesta, Sergio Sgambati of BMS Progetti
Srl, Milano, with Alberto Gentina, Alessandro Biondi,
Gabriele Weisz.
Executive project of the monumental part: Emanuela
Cristante, Carlo Kehrer, Roberto Uslenghi.
Special foundations problems: Paolo Marcellino.
P.G. Malerba
Field engineering: Stefano Tugnoli, Mauro Turrini.
The Contractor was the temporary association of
Consorzio Cooperative Costruzioni, F.lli Panzeri SpA,
DEC SpA.
8. Conclusions
After two centuries of glorious service, the Teatro alla
Scala, needed relevant restoration and refurbishment
interventions both in its historical-monumental part
and in the backstage which was no longer able to meet
the request of a modern theatre.
The project of the New Teatro alla Scala was
composed of two distinctive tasks, related to the two
different types of architectural and engineering pro-
blems: the project of the restoration and the project of
the new buildings.
In this paper, the general criteria at the basis of the
overall design and of the subdivision between the
restored parts and the completely new ones, the new
scenic machineries, have been presented, together with
the main technical and structural characteristics and
the volumetric distribution of the different buildings.
Special attention is paid to the works in the scenic
pit, whose structures had to be compatible with the
complex mechanics of the theatrical equipments.
Although the works for the new Teatro alla Scala
certainly had unique features and involved the resolu-
tion of problems of a special nature, some of the same
problems emerge whenever inevitable restoration
works are performed on buildings which have strong
artistic or historical values. Issues connected to the
preservation, structural safety, functional adjustments,
economic management show up not only for theatres,
but also for religious buildings, historic buildings
which host public offices, bridges and infrastructures
in general.
This paper is aimed to show how, operating with
care and exploiting different expertise, it is possible to
safeguard memory and maintain the original functions,
giving in this way a new life to buildings with a
glorious past.
Acknowledgements
With thanks to Mr Antonio Acerbo of the Milan Munici-
pality, Project Manager and Works Director.
Reference
La Nuova Scala: Il Cantiere, il Restauro e l’Architettura,
2004, Marsilio Editore, Venezia, December 2004,
www.marsilioeditori.it.