PurposeA recursive scheme for the ALIENOR method is proposed as a remedy for the difficulties induced by the method. A progressive focusing on the most promising region, in combination with a variation of the density of the alpha-dense curve, is proposed.Design/methodology/approachALIENOR method is aimed at reducing the space dimensions of an optimization problem by spanning it by using a single alpha-dense curve: the curvilinear abscissa along the curve becomes the only design parameter for any design space. As a counterpart, the transformation of the objective function in the projected space is much more difficult to tackle.FindingsA fine tuning of the procedure has been performed in order to identity the correct balance between the different elements of the procedure. The proposed approach has been tested by using a set of algebraic functions with up to 1,024 design variables, demonstrating the ability of the method in solving large scale optimization problem. Also an industrial application is presented.Originality/valueIn the knowledge of the author there is not a similar paper in the current literature.