The project concerns the realisation of the new cultural centre in Lugano, with a theatre, a theatre studio, a multipurpose room, a museum and a parking area under the lake level. The project required different preliminary activities: excavations, delimitations, consolidation of the ground, retaining walls, a waterproof structure around the perimeter to allow the construction of all basements and a complex system to evacuate water during excavations. The excavation activities, with special geological conditions, began in 2006 and ended in 2008. The sloped rock – a part of the building is on this rock – and the lake presence just some metres from the excavation surface, required the realisation of a sealed off compartment for the foundations. The close historical buildings required also a special and keen attention.
