Refurbishment and rehabilitation: example of application of new materials and modern constructive techniques on a Southern Italy XIX century theatre

The paper concerns a study about a proposal to recover a theatre of the half of XIX century in the historical centre of Melfi. It originally (1856) had the classic typology of Italian public hall with horseshoe shaped stall and theatres boxes, that was subsequently changed because of the works to turn the theatre into a cinema at the beginnings of XX century. The theatre was closed in 1980, because of a strong earthquake, and, consequently, abandoned, which reduced it in a mere building nucleus. The main parts of the intervention consist in the reconstruction of the façade’s higher part and the settlement of the hall, considering, in addition, the settlement of rooms that the theatre had never had. The façade, planned with a 5° tilt, is realized with a covering material composed by a zinc-titanium alloy that makes it possible a simplification of the classic prospect order, while the hall recovers its original horseshoe shape and all the loading structure is characterized, in its horizontal elements, with Quercus Cerris glued laminated timber that, according to an experiment carried on in the University of Basilicata , has resistance values four times as much as laminate fir. In conclusion, the proposed recovery plan gives back to the town of Melfi the theatre in its original shape and, contemporary, marks it with some modern elements, even if connected with the architectonical language of this building, carrying out a methodology exportable to similar buildings placed in foreign and Italian historical city centres.