El Paso stadium opens back to Kallithea.
In the Athenian neighborhood of Kallithea, Grigoris Lamprakis Stadium sits against the rocks that gave it its nickname, El Paso. The name comes from the rough stone edge around the ground and a local reference to the 1965 Spaghetti Western, For a Few Dollars More, giving the stadium a character that already feels slightly cinematic before the design work begins.
Now, Athens-based K-Studio has joined Athens Kallithea FC and Arup to rethink the stadium as a larger civic setting for football, gathering, and cultural activity.
The proposal works with what is already there. El Paso has been home to Athens Kallithea FC since 1970, and the project keeps the raw identity of the ground while upgrading its capacity, accessibility, and public role. The stadium will grow from 6,300 to 9,000 seats, giving the club a more contemporary venue while preserving the familiar structure that has shaped its place in the neighborhood for decades.
From enclosed ground to public landscape
One of the main changes happens at the edge, as the team at K-Studio will open up the current fenced perimeter to turn the stadium’s boundary into a greener landscape with new vegetation. In a dense part of Athens, this shift gives the site a stronger presence between match days, with planting that also helps cool the area around the stadium.
K-Studio’s most visible addition is a new facade structure inspired by Athenian scaffolding. It wraps the stadium with an architectural layer that can hold social programs before and after games, from food and retail areas to wellness spaces, exhibitions, and events. The move gives El Paso a second rhythm, one tied to the city as much as the football calendar.
‘From early on it was clear that the strong history and raw beauty of the existing building should not only be preserved, but highlighted into the new era,‘ says Dimitris Karampatakis, Founding Partner and Creative Director of K-Studio. ‘The transformation seeks to re-envision the stadium as a contemporary venue for sports and culture, enhancing its role as a place of gathering and wellbeing.‘
a football club with a cultural reach
Athens Kallithea FC has already been building a wider identity around sport, culture, and community. Founded in 1966, the club has recently developed partnerships with institutions including EMST National Museum of Contemporary Art and the Greek National Opera, extending its reach beyond the pitch. The stadium redesign follows that same direction, treating the ground as a place where football can overlap with civic pride and local exchange.
For K-Studio, the challenge is less about replacing El Paso than drawing more out of it. The proposal keeps the stadium’s familiar bones, improves its spatial performance, and adds programs that can bring people to the site across the week. With future projects including Rosewood Blue Palace in Crete and Athens International Airport, the studio brings its hospitality and cultural experience into a setting where design has to serve both match-day intensity and neighborhood use.
‘Our approach to the redesign of the stadium sought to position the project as a catalyst for broader urban revitalization rather than a standalone sports upgrade,‘ continues Giorgos Karampelas, Creative Director of K-Studio.
‘Using our deep understanding of placemaking and how to create spaces that are built to last, the proposal reframes the site as an active civic hub, strengthening its connectivity and transforming it into a destination that attracts both local residents and visitors from across Athens.‘
El Paso has been home to Athens Kallithea FC since 1970, and the project keeps the raw identity of the ground while upgrading its capacity, accessibility, and public role.
Project info:
Project: El Paso Stadium
Architect: K-Studio
Location: Athens, Greece
Visualizations: © Filippo Bolognese Images
SOURCE: DESIGNBOOM
Editing: Kat Barandy | designboom
Translation supervision: Interiors pick Team
