The architectural design plans for the mass timber basketball arena with a composite timber load bearing system were developed after being directly commissioned by the Cultural and Athletic Organisation of Galatsi Municipality as a special building requiring specialised technical know-how and related research in timber construction. The construction schedule for the timber arena includes the main basketball court with spectator stands, an inbuilt mezzanine/gallery around the perimeter, changing rooms for athletes and referees, sanitary spaces, administration offices, club offices, and auxiliary spaces with a total surface area of 4000 sq.m. The new building will replace the existing timber gymnasium in the same location, and now marked for demolition mainly because the construction materials cannot be certified according to modern standards. In light of this, a significant quantity of its materials will be recycled and used within the new building as wooden, non load bearing elements such as blinds, fittings, and special constructions.
The basic compositional principle derives from the fusion of the form and function of the construction system of the composite structural timber shell, which is conceptually linked to the “cyathos,” a form of ancient cup. The shape of the elements of the shell face refers to the cup-shaped flowers and the milky sap secreted by the stems and leaves of the milkweed plant of the genus Euphorbia, which grows abundantly in Greece with more than 40 species. Firstly, the new building rests on a podium base made of reinforced concrete for the sections below the final level of the court, leading to the pedestrian street; secondly, it is formed of wood products for the sections above the final level of the court, namely, glulam, anti-glulam, and cross-glued timber. The wooden supporting body is organised around the perimeter of the indoor gymnasium in a rectangular framework measuring 45 meters in length and 30 meters in width, with a reach of 5 meters. The shell consists of 10 identical isostatic beams bridging a 30-meter span. They are symmetrical and consist of beams and posts, as shown in the designs, and function as a triple arch. Additional metal elements are used when deemed necessary, mainly as connecting elements but also as stiffness elements. The roof is covered with special lightweight pieces of waterproof, recyclable, printable plastic polymer with high weather resistance.
The challenge of this architectural design was to create a bioclimatic structural shell that will ensure the building is permanently in the shade, that favours natural ventilation, cooling, and lighting, recycles water from the roof and shaped surfaces for irrigation, fosters collegiality, healthy competition and promotes the idea of “fair play,” uses natural structural recyclable materials guided by the triple methodology of sustainability principles, enriches the existing Mediterranean flora of the Grove, and finally, takes its place in the global network of sustainable constructions by minimising its ecological footprint while simultaneously increasing its positive effect on the environment.
A total of 2500 tons of wood is required for the construction of the arena, which equates to 1825 mature trees from certified, cultivated, sustainably managed forests, with the result that approximately 40 corresponding projects can be produced per day according to the growth rates of forests in Greece between 2000-2020.
