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L.M.J. van Tilborg

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Staging A New Relationship Between La Scala And The City

Master thesis (2026) - L.M.J. van Tilborg, B. Groothuijse, H. Smidihen, Martin Grech
This graduation project investigates how architectural flow can reconnect the opera house with the city. Situated on the site of Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the project understands opera not only as a performance, but as a civic and temporal journey. Historically, the opera house was a place of encounter, visibility and collective presence. Today, this role is often reduced to the evening performance, while opera and ballet receive less attention within contemporary everyday life.

The proposal reimagines the opera and ballet house as an active civic actor: a building that supports public life before, around and beyond the performance. This is necessary to place opera and ballet back within contemporary society, not by weakening their rituals, but by making them more visible, accessible and meaningful in daily urban life. Spaces for arrival, waiting, learning, observing and gathering extend the institution’s social role into the rhythm of the city.

Strongly situated in the Milanese context, the project translates the city’s restrained refinement, layered and rich interiors and palazzo-like sequences into a contemporary cultural building. Through curated flows through foyers, voids and dramaturgical public routes, the building gradually guides people from the city toward the performance moment. ...