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Renovation of La Scala Theater in Paris
Advertorial Bluetek
Renovation of La Scala Theater in Paris
Phonipack and Phonipass was installed on the roof
Located within the heart of an Hausmann-style building in Paris' 10th arrondissement, the iconic theatre was re-opened in September 2018. In what a few years, the theatre has undergone a complete renovation from the façade to the roof; today, we will speak about the fire safety systems newly installed as well as the roof, and all the new architectural designs.
La Scala is a two-story theatre, with a hall on the first floor and a restaurant on the second floor. The 500 seats theatre is located within the rear courtyard of the Hausmann-style building. You can quickly envision the space of such a Parisian dense environment, and easily guess that the location played a large role on the impact of the renovation project to re-create a fully adjustable space dedicated to Performing Arts. To recreate such a space, Hervé Limousin, Principal Architect in charge of the renovation project, offered to build an acoustic box completely independent from the rest of the building; a new box composed of a steel structure reinforced by sound-insulating material and masonry and leaning on springs on the 5 faces, which reduced the room width by one meter. The roof has been replaced with a triple layer doubled on the inner side, respecting the original size and respects the minimum height requirements for the stage settings.

The roof has been equipped with the new Souchier (Adexsi group) solutions. Bluetek installed a Phonipass 1000/1000 mm skylight with sound-insulation glass, soundproofing upstand, ladder suspension bar, griddle and roof access bar on the hall stairwell. The sound transmission loss value for this ensemble is Rw (c; ctr) 38 (0 ;-2) dB and thermal loss is Urc 1,09 W/m².K. This solution enables natural light to enter the hall while enhancing the aesthetics and soundproofing of the space and providing safe access to the roof.
The theatre has been equipped with three Phonipack 1625/1625 mm to provide an appropriate soundproofing of the building in accordance to strict soundproofing requirements of buildings for the Performing Arts.
Each Phonipack is composed of one two-flap vent type soundproofed Certilight installed on the roof, 1 acoustic box and 2 drop-hatches type OTF. The Certilight is composed of 2 flaps facing each other with outward opening, an opaque soundproofed infill and one soundproofed upstand. This device meets all security requirements. The Phonipack high acoustic performance is Rw 55 (-2; -4) dB. It is designed for all rooms that require high soundproofing performance and complies with natural smoke ventilation requirements. Its profiles are thermally broken and the infills are designed to completely insulate the space. And to enhance this installation, a phonic sheath has been installed in all three devices.

Such soundproof solutions, mainly encountered in architectural projects, are completely custom-built devices and suitable for all types of roofs, for new constructions or renovation projects.
Another part of the theatre roof is equipped with a Bluebac Winch 1100/1100 mm, traditional natural smoke ventilation roof vent for dry roof.
On the logistics side, the delivery of the devices (one Phonipack weighs more than 1200 kg) has been done with a crane installed in a street parallel to the Boulevard de Strasbourg where the theater is located.
Today, La Scala Theatre is now open. This project is now part of the iconic Parisian roof architecture, an archetype of the City of Lights.
- Client : Les Petites Heures / Paris 12ème
- Project Managers
- Principal Architect : Atelier Architecture & Développement Archidev / Hervé Limousin / Cachan (94 / France)
- Acoustician: Acoustique Vivié & Associés / Paris 15ème
- Structural Engineers: AR-C Bureau / Paris 13ème
- Fluid Dynamics Engineers: GMGB / Paris 11ème
- Construction Economist: E.C.R.H. / Montreuil (93 / France)
- Quality Control: Anco / Anglet (64 / France)
- Coordinator for Fire Safety and Alarm Systems: GNPS / Fontenay-sous-Bois (94 / France)
- General Construction Company: Léon Grosse / Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (78 / France)
- Skylights Supply (Souchier-Boullet Phonipack and Phonipass): Bluetek / Luynes (37 / France)
- Skylights Installation : FG Étanchéité / Moissy-Cramayel (77 / France)
- Intervenant Bluetek : Franck Bourdon, Responsable Régional
- Advertorial contact : Katia Schlich kschlich@bluetek.fr
(Photo credit Bertrand Romagny - FG Étanchéité and Séverine Fagnoni - Archidev)