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Santa-Maria Della Scala

Santa maria Della Scala is an exceptional architectural palimpsest, composed of multiple urban and architectural layers accumulated since the 9th century. Rather than a single structure, it constitutes a “city within the city”: a fragment of the urban fabric whose boundaries are difficult to define, except where they align with public streets. Seen from above, this condition is reinforced by a heterogeneous roofscape, composed of an accumulation of forms and heights. Over time, the complex has developed across 7 to 8 levels and represents approximately 14,000 m². For centuries, it welcomed pilgrims, the poor, the sick, and abandoned children, playing a crucial social and charitable role.

 

From the 20th century, it gradually ceased its medical function and was transformed into a museum and cultural complex.

 

Today, the city wishes to transform it into a place for the contemporary city and has entrusted us with the task of installing an auditorium for 500 people, as part of an event venue capable of accommodating up to 900 people.

Sienne

The intervention presents several challenges. The selected location, the former Rector Palace, is not a clearly defined architectural entity despite its name. Like the rest of the complex, it is composed of a succession of spaces resulting from multiple historical phases. Internal circulation is indirect, volumes vary considerably in size and height, and roof structures have been added or demolished according to functional needs without coherent articulation. The existing condition is therefore highly fragmented.

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Program

The project aims to transform this fragmented condition into a functional, legible, and accessible event venue, capable of welcoming the public and supporting contemporary uses.

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Auditorium

Inserting an auditorium of this scale within the existing structure requires accepting a deliberate spatial tension. It is akin to introducing a new body into a dense and fragile organism. Rather than erasing this tension, the project chooses to make the auditorium emerge above the surrounding roofscape, clearly expressing its insertion within the existing fabric. A new internal organization and structural clarity are established around this volume. This strategy necessitates selective demolition, spatial reconnections, and moderate level adjustments, while preserving the qualities and material character of the historic structures.

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Sketch of the volume

Materiality

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The auditorium is conceived as a self-supporting architectural object, structurallyautonomous yet anchored within the existing fabric. It rests upon the substantial wallsof the lower levels, which may be reinforced if necessary. The overall thickness of theauditorium envelope is estimated at approximately 50 cm, integrating structuralelements, acoustic insulation, and interior and exterior finishes.

 

Externally, the auditorium volume is enveloped in red zinc scales, extendingseamlessly across both interior and exterior surfaces. Internally, the walls are linedwith inclined MDF panels, finished with a lightly varnished blond veneer, reinforcingvisual concentration toward the stage.

 

Following the removal of later coatings, the original interior walls are intentionally leftexposed. Despite their material diversity and imperfect condition, this choice revealsthe historical stratification of the building, while surfaces are stabilized and preserved.

 

All new wall openings are marked by oblique sheets of bluish annealed steel, insertedon both sides of each passage and extending to their full height, subtly signalingmoments of transition within the historic fabric.

An initial phase of analysis was conducted using existing plans, sections, and video surveys in order to identify non -structural partitions and potential areas for intervention. Based on this analysis, new 2D and 3D documentation was produced to define the project’s volumetry. The auditorium volume was then inserted and its spatial, structural, and urban impacts evaluated.

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The design of the auditorium was developed in close collaboration with scenography and acoustic consultants specialized in mixed -use performance spaces. Accommodating chamber music as well as cinema and conference functions represents a significant acoustic and spatial challenge. Chamber music requires Controlled reflections to preserve harmonic richness and sound balance, while cinema performance is primarily governed by screen dimensions and high sound absorption to prevent unwanted reverberation.

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Scale cladding

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Steel blue

Wooden acoustic pannels

Both programs demand substantial volume, height, and tiered seating, exceeding the existing heights of the large halls on level 6 of the Rector Palace.

 

As a result, the auditorium is designed to rise above the existing roofs. This choice is particularly sensitive due to the proximity of the Duomo and its campanile, from which the upper volume of the auditorium will be directly visible. Consequently, the form and proportions of the emerging volume are conceived with clarity and restraint, ensuring a strong architectural presence without visual excess thanks to its materiality of red zinc scales.

 

The auditorium is positioned neither symmetrically nor orthogonally within the space formed by the merging of the three large halls of the Rector Palace on level 6. This orientation results from a dual consideration: the diagonal viewpoint from the campanile defines the primary axis of the hall, while the desire to leave views toward the Tuscan landscape by the bays along the west and south façades establishes a strong relationship between the auditorium and its wider territorial context.

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PROJECT JOURNEY STORY BOARD

Level 4 – Access and Control

Level 4 is directly connected to the city through an independent access. From this entrance, visitors and users pass through a ticketing and control zone, where they are guided according to the program they will follow. This control zone is required to manage independent events—public or private—that take place outside the building’s general program and standard opening hours.

 

Despite the limited surface area of this level, a waiting room, cloakroom, and toilets are provided. To accommodate these functions and improve visitor flow, several walls have been removed or widely opened.

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Level 4 – Access and Control

From this level, visitors begin their spatial journey. A ramp leads to the courtyard, from which a marble staircase and two lifts provide access to the upper floors. One lift uses an existing shaft located in the small tower at the end of the courtyard, while the second lift is fully transparent and installed in a glass shaft, offering a vertical promenade through the building. A narrow glass roof runs along the back wall to protect visitors moving toward the lifts.

Level 5 – Multipurpose Space

Level 5 is entirely dedicated to multipurpose activities. Visitors arrive via the lifts into a welcome room, where documentation related to the ongoing event can be displayed on a long desk. Adjacent spaces include a catering room and a room for restrooms and changing facilities for external staff involved in event organization.

 

As on the lower levels, several walls have been removed or widely opened to avoid obstacles and ensure smooth circulation during events. Public restrooms are located near the main staircase and are repeated in the same position on each level.

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Level 6 — Auditorium and Continuity of Spaces

Level 6 is organized into two distinct yet complementary zones. The first, located above Level 5, extends the multipurpose spaces. At the extremity of the floor, near the church, a stakeholders’ room with integrated storage is installed. This space can easily be transformed into a conference room accommodating approximately 120 seats.

Level 6 – Auditorium

The second zone reunifies the former main halls of the Rector’s Palace to host the auditorium volume. To achieve the necessary surface area, the floor of the second main hall has been reconstructed. The first main hall on this level functions as a lower lobby, providing access to the lower seating area of the auditorium through a system of steps carved into the separating wall, complemented by two ramps ensuring accessibility for people with reduced mobility.

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Level 6 – Auditorium

Access to the lower auditorium follows the west façade, offering a long perspective toward the Tuscan countryside. On the opposite side, circulation runs alongside the musical instrument storage areas and artists’ changing rooms.

 

Within the auditorium, the walls are clad with inclined wooden panels in a natural dark blond tone. Their orientation subtly intensifies the perception of focus toward the stage while contributing to the acoustic quality of the space.

Level 7 – Upper Lobby and Outlook

A vertical wooden partition, employing the same inclined panel language, conceals the access to public restrooms and rises upward to the balcony at Level 7. Above, the vertical generosity of the space beneath the folded roof structure reveals the red zinc - scaled surface enveloping the auditorium as a singular architectural volume.

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Level 7 – Upper Lobby and Outlook

At level 7, a second lobby provides access to the upper seating areas of the auditorium through offset entrances located on either side of the central projection and translation rooms.

Level 7 – Mezzanine

At Level 7 mezzanine and Level 8, VIP spaces are proposed. These rooms benefit from expansive views toward the Duomo and are conceived as flexible environments suitable for projections, conferences, exhibitions, and private events.

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Level 8 – VIP Spaces

At level 7, a second lobby provides access to the upper seating areas of the auditorium through offset entrances located on either side of the central projection and translation rooms.

Level 7 – Lobby

This lobby opens generously toward the courtyard. Exiting the auditorium through the west door, visitors are offered a framed view of the Duomo’s campanile across the courtyard, while glimpses of movement on the rooftop—accessible from the VIP mezzanine—animate the upper levels of the building.

 

Above the instrument storage and artists’ facilities, technical and mechanical rooms are installed beneath the roof, ensuring direct and efficient servicing of the auditorium.

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Birdview

From that level 7 mezzanine we can access on the rooftop offering two large views: on the East a direct facing one to the Duomo and on the other side toward the South West to the Toscan landscape.

In conclusion

In conclusion

This project rethinks the renovation of an exceptional heritage by preserving the existing façades and the building’s overall presence within the city. The partial interior transformation of Santa Maria della Scala, through modernization and increased openness, allows the edifice to enter a new era for both the city and its visitors, becoming a dynamic and attractive cultural hub. The proposed auditorium is conceived as a hidden gem, carefully embedded within the urban fabric, bold yet seamlessly integrated.

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January 2026

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