K-Studio and Arup Unveil Expansion Plans for Grigoris Lamprakis Stadium

Architectural practice K-Studio and engineering firm Arup revealed plans to renovate and expand the Grigoris Lamprakis Stadium in Athens. The project increases the capacity of the venue, known locally as El Paso, from 6,300 to 9,000 seats while upgrading existing architecture and facilities.

The redesign focuses on the stadium’s role as a multi-use venue and civic destination. The proposal introduces a new public park, restaurants, and event spaces to activate the site beyond match days. This strategy seeks to transform the stadium into a contemporary hub for sports and culture within the city’s urban fabric.

Scaffold-inspired facades and seating upgrades

The design team preserves the existing building structure, which features a central football pitch and surrounding running track. New architectural interventions include a facade extension at the front of the stadium. This gridded steel addition draws inspiration from local scaffolding structures and houses public spaces at ground level.

External walkways sheltered by curved roof panels sit above the ground-floor retail and hospitality zones. The project also expands the seating stands and adds partial shading through new canopy systems. These elements emphasize the inherent qualities of the site while improving spectator comfort and operational capacity.

Landscape integration creates a porous civic realm

The proposal replaces the existing fenced perimeter with a porous civic landscape. A new public park integrates trees and vegetation to improve the site’s microclimate and provide green space for local residents. This landscape strategy strengthens the connectivity between the stadium and the surrounding neighborhood.

In addition to the park, the project updates the stadium’s internal wellness zone, exhibition areas, and multi-purpose event spaces. These improvements support the transition of the facility from a traditional sports ground to an active destination for both residents and visitors.

“The design operates through precise architectural and landscape interventions that reinforce – rather than replace – the stadium’s inherent qualities.”

K-Studio

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The expansion of the Grigoris Lamprakis Stadium demonstrates a sensitive approach to transit and sports infrastructure within a dense urban context. By utilizing a scaffold-inspired steel grid, the architects manage the technical requirements of increased capacity while maintaining visual permeability. The decision to remove the fenced perimeter marks a significant shift from an exclusionary sporting enclave to a porous civic asset. This landscape-driven strategy uses vegetation to mitigate the microclimate, effectively turning a mono-functional stadium into an ecological and social anchor. The project prioritizes the existing site logic, showing how precise material additions can modernize aging concrete structures without erasing their historical identity or community value.