Piazza della Scala

This project sets out from the concept of an urban intervention in a piazza framed by monumental buildings. This space is currently static owing to a centripetal condition generated by the presence of an existing sculpture and a concealing frame of trees. The proposal inverts this system by opening up the central space of the square and views to the monument along two principal axes: the right side of the galleria connecting with Piazza Duomo and the diagonal axis linking up with Largo Ghiringhelli, at the edge of the Gallerie d’Italia. The encounter between these axes generates the convex lines that characterise the proposal and produce a new spatiality for Piazza della Scala.

The proposal approaches the surface of the square as a unique malleable front, plastically modelled by the elements that wrap it. These elements are offered a contemporary reinterpretation based on their recognised role in the city today. The project also identifies a base geometry (the canvas), born of the desire to dilate the space-square, presently confined by the dimensions of the demolished urban block. This rectangular canvas sits directly along the axis dictated by Palazzo Marino, which retraces the ancient fortified walls, recognisable in the square geometric system that distinguishes the project by Luca Beltrami.

The Cultural System - The proposal materialises the connection between the piazza, currently difficult to recognise, and Piazza Duomo, traced in the construction of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. This important ‘cultural axis’ links the Duomo with Piazza della Scala and, consequentially, the Museo del Novecento with the Gallerie d’Italia.

The Landscape System- The proposal frees the centre of the square and the monument from its green frame to open up all possible views by relocating the existing maple trees. A row along Via Manzoni marks the line of the old façade to frame the Scala using the same angles and views existing at the time of its construction. The remaining trees are placed in the adjacent Largo Ferrari and Largo Mattioli, where they form two green corners of the city freed of restrictions and restored to pedestrians.

The Mobility System - To make the area a ‘privileged pedestrian zone’ and conserve the passage of vehicles only in certain areas, all motorised vehicles are made to feel like ‘undesired guests’. This is achieved by paving the surfaces with materials typical of spaces reserved for pedestrians. A different approach was imagined for sustainable mobility, the cycle path and historical tram line: in the first case the project lays out a compact strip that leads from the new cycle path in Via Verdi to the Bike-Mi cycle station, while in the second case the existing tram line is marked by elements in Cuasso stone.

Materials- The central area offers a diverse reinterpretation of the materials that currently characterise the square. A leading role is given to Montorfano granite, utilised in two diverse colours, one darker and one lighter. This material lays out a strip of varying width (with smaller pavers in the lighter sections) along the various lines suggested by the context. The pattern is treated with materials typically found in the centre of Milan, with a square grid of slabs of white Beola stone interspersed with bands of smaller stones running the entire length and broken up where they approach elements of seating. The proposal also reduces the impact of red Cuasso granite, utilised to identify paths for cars, bicycles and the tram.