Kyathos Mass Timber Arena in Galatsi by KAAF | Kitriniaris Associates Architecture Firm

A composite timber shell spanning 30m combines the structural requirements of a basketball arena with passive environmental strategies and the reuse of material from the existing building.

 

 

Kyathos is a proposed 4,000m² basketball arena in Veikou Grove, Galatsi. Designed by KAAF | Kitriniaris Associates Architecture Firm, the project was commissioned as a specialist public building requiring experience in mass-timber construction and related architectural research.

The new arena will replace the existing timber gymnasium on the same site. The older building has been designated for demolition, primarily because its structural materials cannot be certified according to contemporary standards. However, part of its timber will be recovered and reused as non-load-bearing elements in the new complex.

A new public sports facility

The programme includes the principal basketball court and spectator stands, together with a perimeter mezzanine overlooking the playing area. Changing rooms for athletes and referees, sanitary facilities, administrative offices, club offices and supporting spaces complete the building.

A reinforced-concrete podium accommodates the areas below the final level of the court and opens towards the adjoining pedestrian route. Above it, the principal structure and enclosure are formed from engineered timber products.

This distinction between a mineral base and a lighter timber superstructure responds to the different spatial and structural requirements of the programme. It also gives the public building a clearly legible constructional order.

 

Ten timber frames across the court

The timber load-bearing structure is arranged around the perimeter of a rectangular grid measuring 45m by 30m, with a regular bay of 5m.

Ten identical statically determinate frames span the 30m width of the arena. Each is composed of columns and beams functioning together as a three-hinged arch. Metal components are introduced where required, mainly at connections and at points demanding additional stiffness.

The structural system combines glulam, plywood and cross-laminated timber. Rather than concealing this framework behind a secondary architectural image, the project uses the timber structure to determine the form and rhythm of the building.

The roof is covered with lightweight waterproof polymer components designed for weather resistance. The system is recyclable and can receive printed surface treatments.

From an ancient cup to a timber shell

The composition is conceptually associated with the kyathos, an ancient cup or ladle. Its profile provides one reference for the curvature and supporting logic of the timber envelope.

A second source comes from the cup-shaped inflorescences and milky sap of Euphorbia, commonly known in Greek as galatsida. The repeated façade elements translate these botanical references into an architectural structure rather than applying them as surface decoration.

Form, structural behaviour and environmental performance are therefore developed as parts of the same system. The external shell gives the arena its identity while also controlling sunlight and defining the sheltered spaces around the building.

 

A permanently shaded enclosure

A central objective of the design is to keep the building and its circulation areas largely under shade. The depth and repetition of the timber shell limit direct solar exposure while allowing daylight to enter the interior.

Openings within the envelope support natural ventilation and passive cooling. The structural rhythm also creates a gradual transition between the surrounding grove, the covered perimeter and the principal internal space.

Rainwater from the roof and other hard surfaces is collected for landscape irrigation. The proposal seeks to reinforce the existing Mediterranean vegetation of Veikou Grove instead of treating the building and its setting as separate systems.

Reuse and material continuity

Timber recovered from the existing gymnasium is intended for reuse in shutters, wall finishes and purpose-made non-structural components. This strategy retains material from the previous building without relying on it for structural performance that can no longer be formally certified.

The new load-bearing system will use engineered timber sourced from certified, managed forests. Concrete is concentrated in the podium and below-court areas, while timber defines the larger spans above.

Through this combination, Kyathos proposes a model for large public sports infrastructure in which the structural system, climatic response and architectural expression are developed together.