A series of three-hinged timber frames spans the basketball court, combining structural expression, passive environmental strategies and the reuse of material from the existing gymnasium.

 

 

Kyathos is a proposed 4,000m² indoor basketball arena in Galatsi. Designed by KAAF | Kitriniaris Associates Architecture Firm, the project was directly commissioned by the Cultural and Athletic Organisation of the Municipality of Galatsi as a specialist public building requiring expertise in engineered-timber construction.

The programme includes the principal basketball court and spectator stands, together with an internal perimeter mezzanine. Changing rooms for athletes and referees, sanitary facilities, administrative offices, club offices and supporting spaces complete the complex.

The new arena will replace the existing timber gymnasium on the same site. The older structure has been designated for demolition, mainly because its materials cannot be certified according to current structural standards. However, a substantial part of its timber is intended for reuse as non-load-bearing components in the new building.

 

A concrete podium and timber superstructure

The arena rests on a reinforced-concrete podium containing the functions below the final level of the playing court. This solid base opens towards the adjoining pedestrian route and accommodates the programme that requires direct contact with the ground.

Above the court level, the building is formed primarily from engineered-timber components. The structural system combines glulam, plywood and cross-laminated timber, while steel is introduced selectively at connections and where additional stiffness is required.

The distinction between the concrete base and the timber superstructure gives the building a clear constructional order. It also allows the large-span enclosure to remain relatively lightweight above the more solid lower level.

Ten frames spanning 30 metres

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

Ten identical statically determinate frames bridge the 30m span of the main arena. Each frame consists of columns and beams working together as a three-hinged arch.

The repeated structural units determine the principal rhythm of the building. Rather than being concealed behind an independent exterior image, the load-bearing system becomes the basis of the architectural composition.

Lightweight waterproof polymer components cover the roof. According to the project description, the material is recyclable, weather-resistant and suitable for printed surface treatments.

 

From the ancient kyathos to the building envelope

The project takes its name from the kyathos, an ancient Greek cup or ladle. Its curved profile provides a conceptual reference for the geometry of the structural shell.

A second reference comes from the cup-shaped inflorescence of Euphorbia, known in Greek as galatsida. The plant’s name establishes a further association with Galatsi, while its botanical form informs the repeated elements of the envelope.

These references are integrated into the structure rather than applied as decorative motifs. Form, construction and environmental performance are conceived as parts of the same architectural system.

 

A shaded and naturally ventilated perimeter

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

Open sections of the shell support natural ventilation and passive cooling. At the same time, the structural rhythm creates a gradual transition between Veikou Grove, the sheltered edge of the arena and the main internal volume.

Rainwater from the roof and the surrounding hard surfaces is intended for reuse in landscape irrigation. The landscape design also proposes the reinforcement of the existing Mediterranean vegetation of the grove.

These strategies are presented as design objectives and will need to be evaluated through the project’s detailed technical development.

 

Reusing material from the existing gymnasium

Timber recovered from the existing building will be reused in shutters, wall linings and purpose-made non-structural elements. This approach retains part of the material history of the site without relying on components that can no longer be certified for structural use.

The new load-bearing system is intended to use engineered timber from certified, sustainably managed forests. Approximately 2,000m³ of timber will be required for the proposed construction.

Concrete is concentrated below the court level, while timber spans the principal arena above. Through this combination, Kyathos proposes a public sports building in which structure, environmental response and architectural identity are developed together.

 

1. Korean Football Park in Cheonan | UNS

 

In Cheonan, South Korea, Korean Football Park by UNS creates a new national home for the Korea Football Association. The 450,427 sq.m. campus brings together training, recovery, education, public engagement and institutional identity within a single landscape-led masterplan.

The project includes 11 football fields, an indoor climate-controlled arena, an outdoor stadium, gyms, physical therapy areas, healthcare facilities and athlete accommodation. Athletic performance is treated here as a wider ecosystem, where training, medical support, recovery and mental balance remain closely connected to landscape and public life.

 

2. Telekom Center Athens at OAKA

ek Issue: 293 | December 2024

 

At OAKA, the renovation of PAO BC Arena transforms the indoor basketball stadium into the new home venue of Panathinaikos BC, through an intervention that combines technical upgrading, functional organization and a renewed spectator experience. The project was developed by Decathlon, Markos Vouzounerakis / RICHE, K-Division and Eva Lantzouni / SEED Architects, covering more than 50,000 sq.m.

The first phase included waterproofing, assessment and reinforcement of the roof space frame, hydraulic and electrical upgrades, new circulation areas, food-and-beverage spaces, press facilities and hospitality zones. At the same time, the interactive glass sports floor, new screens, lighting and suites turn the arena into a contemporary sports and entertainment infrastructure, without erasing the identity of the existing shell.

 

 

 

3. Hidden Spa – Water Hope in Vietnam | IDEE Architects

 

In Cam Ranh, Vietnam, Hidden Spa – Water Hope by IDEE Architects is designed as a wellness space emerging from the landscape of coastal sand dunes. Rather than imposing itself on the natural setting, the architecture follows the terrain, creating a calm experience of therapy, water and shade.

At the heart of the composition, a central water courtyard works as both a spatial and environmental device. Reflecting water surfaces, planted islands and shaded walkways create gradual shifts in temperature, humidity and light. Water is therefore not treated as a decorative feature, but as infrastructure for cooling and sensory recovery.

 

 

4. Minthis Spa in Paphos | Woods Bagot

ek Issue: 281 | October 2023

 

In Paphos, Minthis Spa by Woods Bagot is part of a wider hospitality and wellness landscape, where the experience of care gains architectural scale. The project is not limited to a series of treatment rooms; it organizes a relationship between water, light, movement and the calmness of the surrounding landscape.

As a resort spa, it works as a place of distance and restoration, where atmosphere is as important as programme. Materiality, views and the connection with the environment shape a wellness experience based less on the image of luxury and more on duration, physical relaxation and a sense of retreat.

 

 

5. Hekate Fitness Club in Athens | Studio Maneo

 

In Metaxourgeio, Studio Maneo transforms a former warehouse into a 140 sq.m. exercise space with a calm, restrained atmosphere. Instead of the aggressive image of a conventional gym, the project is based on natural materials, diffused light and carefully controlled boundaries.

The architecture connects exercise with a sense of safety and decompression from the city. The gym therefore works not only as infrastructure for physical strength, but also as an everyday space for mental reset.

 

 

6. Sentō Urban Shop & Spa in Athens | PHOS Architects

ek Issue: 299 | July–August 2025

 

In Athens, Sentō Urban Shop & Spa by PHOS Architects combines beauty, care and wellness services with references to Japanese bathing culture. The project forms a sequence of reception, treatment and relaxation spaces, where materiality and light control degrees of visibility and privacy.

The spa experience is based on gentle transitions. Natural materials, fabric filters and carefully designed surfaces create an urban retreat, where care for the body is connected to silence, touch and a sense of distance from the rhythm of the city.

 

 

7. +One More Gym | BIVA Design

 

In Muscat, Oman, + One More Gym by BIVA Design organizes a CrossFit center with a strong industrial identity and a complex wellness programme. Reception, café, two sports halls, locker rooms, steam bath, sauna, swimming pool and Jacuzzi come together in an environment that combines exercise, recovery and social experience.

Lighting plays a decisive role in the atmosphere. Reception areas convey a calmer mood, while the sports halls gain energy through directional lighting. The result is a gym that treats the intensity of training and the process of recovery as parts of the same experience.

 

 

8. Pow Box Fitness Boxing Club in Athens | GJP Design & Construction

ek Issue: 258 | June 2021

 

In Athens, Pow Box Fitness Boxing Club by GJP Design & Construction occupies a neoclassical building, creating a strong contrast between the historic shell and a radically contemporary interior identity. Marble, metal mesh, neon, boxing gloves and theatrical lighting turn the gym into a scenographic environment for exercise.

The different floors organize reception, changing rooms, the boxing ring, a multi-purpose gym and a basement training area with a strong club-like atmosphere. The project shows how architecture can translate the energy of boxing into a complete spatial, visual and kinetic experience.

 

 

9. Molon Labe Gym | ADP Architecture Design Practice

 

In Engomi, Cyprus, Molon Labe Gym by ADP Architecture Design Practice transforms an abandoned industrial building from the 1960s into a contemporary fitness space. The programme includes free-weight areas, equipment zones, an MMA cage, martial arts areas, changing rooms and support functions, while the intervention maintains references to the industrial memory of the shell.

The new façade redefines the gym’s relationship with the street, combining the impression of a solid corten volume with a curtain wall that opens visibility toward the main exercise space. Inside, exposed services, the new metal roof and targeted lighting highlight bodily intensity and use as central elements of the architecture.

 

 

10. Nao Longevity Hub in Minos Palace | Stones & Walls

ek Issue: 302 | November 2025 – The Hotel Issue

 

At Minos Palace Resort in Agios Nikolaos, Crete, Nao Longevity Hub by Stones & Walls explores how interior design can support a broader approach to wellbeing and longevity. Movement through space, contact with the natural landscape, light, materiality and atmosphere are treated as interconnected elements.

The experience is organized around the concept of flow, from personalised assessment to movement, treatment and rest. Rather than being revealed from a single point, the programme unfolds through a sequence of thresholds. Changes in light, enclosure, texture and atmosphere shape a gradual transition towards a calmer rhythm.

 

In Cheonan, South Korea, Korean Football Park by UNS creates a new national home for the Korea Football Association. The 450,427 m² campus brings together training, recovery, education, public engagement and institutional identity within a single landscape-led masterplan.

Conceived as a long-term base for Korean football, the project serves the national team while also supporting youth development, women’s football and a wider public audience. Across the site, elite sports facilities are combined with accommodation, healthcare, retail and public spaces, allowing the complex to operate throughout the year.

 

 

A campus for football and public life

The masterplan organizes the site through a clear progression from public to private areas. At its centre, a public plaza brings together the main points of arrival and creates a civic focus for the campus.

Around this central space, the key programmes are positioned with legibility: the indoor stadium, the outdoor stadium integrated with the KFA headquarters and the football museum. This arrangement gives visitors a clear orientation while allowing athletes, staff and operational teams to move efficiently between facilities.

By combining the outdoor stadium with the KFA headquarters, the project places decision-making, coaching, medical support and public presence within close proximity. The result is a compact institutional core, where administration and sport remain visibly connected.

Training, recovery and support

The campus includes 11 football fields, an indoor climate-controlled arena, an outdoor stadium, gyms, physical therapy areas, healthcare facilities and athlete accommodation. Together, these spaces respond to the contemporary reality of elite sport, where performance depends on a wider ecosystem of training, data, recovery and wellbeing.

Training areas are placed in close relation to medical and therapy facilities. This reduces unnecessary movement and supports the daily rhythm of athletes, from exertion to assessment and recovery.

At the same time, residential and wellness spaces are positioned to offer calm and privacy. Natural finishes, planted areas and views towards the landscape contribute to an atmosphere focused on rest as much as performance.

 

 

A terraced landscape

The design responds directly to the sloping terrain of the Cheonan site. Rather than treating the campus as a flat sports complex, UNS uses a terraced topography to organize movement, create level playing surfaces and structure the transition between public, semi-public and private areas.

This approach gives the project a clear spatial hierarchy. Public spaces remain open and visible, while the more private areas for players and staff are placed deeper within the campus.

The landscape therefore acts as more than a setting. It becomes an organizing system, shaping circulation, orientation and the relationship between buildings and pitches.

Collaboration and future adaptability

The project was developed through collaboration between UNS and a network of specialists in stadium logistics, sports science and venue operations. The design process included exchanges with the Johan Cruijff ArenA team, whose expertise informed security zoning, media requirements, public access and operational planning.

This knowledge helped the masterplan address both current and future needs. The campus anticipates developments in training methods, sports science and data-led coaching, with technical infrastructure designed to accommodate change over time.

Through this combination of architecture, landscape and operational expertise, Korean Football Park offers more than a collection of sports facilities. It creates a coherent campus for athletes, institutions and supporters, giving Korean football a visible public identity and a long-term framework for future development.

The first phase of the OAKA basketball arena renovation combines essential structural and technical upgrades with new hospitality, media and spectator facilities, while preserving the identity of the existing sports landmark.

 

 

The renovation of PAO BC Arena transformed the indoor basketball stadium at OAKA into the home venue of Panathinaikos BC. The intervention covered more than 50,000m² and combined the maintenance of the existing building with extensive functional, aesthetic and energy upgrades.

The core conversion was delivered within 75 days, while the wider design-and-construction process of the first phase was completed within four months. The accelerated programme required close coordination among the designers, project-management team, consultants and contractors.

Rather than replacing the identity of the existing arena, the project sought to clarify its structural character and adapt its infrastructure to contemporary requirements.

Infrastructure before image

The first stage addressed fundamental technical issues that had remained unresolved for an extended period. Works included waterproofing, the assessment and reinforcement of the roof space frame, hydraulic systems and the electricity supply network.

These interventions were necessary for the building’s safe and reliable operation. They also established the technical foundation for the new public, hospitality and athletic programmes introduced inside the arena.

The renovation consequently approached modernization as more than a visual transformation. Hidden infrastructure and structural performance were treated as equally important as the redesigned spectator areas.

 

New spaces for spectators and operations

The second level of intervention concerned the public and operational interiors. Circulation areas, sanitary facilities and food-and-beverage spaces were reorganized, while retail functions and areas for children’s activities were added.

New offices and press facilities support the daily operation of the venue. The Press Entrance, Gate 10 entrance and associated sanitary areas were designed by Decathlon in collaboration with Eva Lantzouni.

The hospitality programme includes a new VIP Entrance and VIP Lounge by Markos Vouzounerakis / RICHE. Dark surfaces, timber, marble and controlled lighting establish a more concentrated atmosphere within these spaces.

Sixteen suites designed by K-Division introduce smaller, private viewing environments within the large arena. Their interiors combine framed views of the court with integrated seating, storage and hospitality functions.

A digitally adaptable playing surface

The central court was upgraded through the installation of an interactive glass sports floor. Its digital surface allows graphics, markings and visual content to change according to the requirements of a game or event.

New audiovisual systems extend this transformation beyond the playing surface. Screens, sound and lighting reinforce the atmosphere of the arena and allow the venue to support a broader range of sporting and entertainment programmes.

The intervention also reorganized the visual identity of the seating bowl. Green seating, large digital displays and suspended banners connect the new technical infrastructure with the history and identity of Panathinaikos BC.

 

Lighting and external identity

The energy upgrade included the replacement of the existing lighting system. New functional lighting was introduced throughout the interior, alongside accent and atmospheric lighting in selected public and hospitality areas.

The separation of the building’s different levels was clarified, while additional sanitary facilities supported the updated circulation and spectator programme.

The external façades received a revised colour palette. The intention was to respect the form of the original arena while signalling its new identity and use.

The public space northeast of the building was also redesigned. Improvements to functional, accent and atmospheric lighting extend the intervention beyond the enclosed arena and reinforce its presence within the wider OAKA complex.

Preserving a public sports landmark

The project addresses the renovation of a major sports building as a process of adaptation rather than replacement. New systems and programmes are inserted within the existing structural framework, whose scale and architectural character remain legible.

At the time of the original publication, a second phase had been designed to include upgraded training courts, changing rooms and physiotherapy facilities. Additional offices, an outdoor café, a VIP restaurant, five further suites and a Panathinaikos museum were also planned.

These proposals should be understood within the December 2024 publication context. Their subsequent construction status requires separate confirmation.

The completed first phase demonstrates how the existing public sports-building stock can be renewed through coordinated architectural, technical and operational interventions. Its approach avoids an autonomous new image and instead builds on the principles and material presence of the inherited shell.

 

The project was first published in print in ek magazine 293 | December 2024, a monthly issue by ek Architectural Publications.