The Greek multi-sport club PAOK FC has announced the design concept for its new stadium in Thessaloniki: a monolith that bursts into the fabric of the city as an epicentre from which new vibrant sporting, civic and social energies spread, and which embodies the city's strong bond with its team.

The complex, developed through a collaboration between the project management company SALFO and the international studio Populous, is part of a broader urban regeneration programme that places the work along a green corridor spanning from north to south, punctuated by small parks and squares designed to encourage social interaction. Adjacent to the building, a vast public space, pedestrianized thanks to the partial burying of Kleanthous Street, favours the optimisation of transit flows and serves as a multifunctional area for events. As Barbara Vasilatou, Associate Principal of Populous, says: "designing the new PAOK stadium was an intense journey, an immersion in the emotional landscape of Toumba and the pulsating life of Thessaloniki. Our aim was to honour the club's history while creating a civic landmark that reinforces the link between community, culture and sport”.

The massive volume, an exoskeleton shaped by macroscopic metal ribs, evokes the image of a gigantic, pulsating living organism or the unfurled wings of the eagle (symbol of the team) embracing the city and offering fans an immersion in their dream, within a powerfully emotional context but with the highest infrastructural standards.

The beating heart of the project is Paok Plaza, which serves as the gateway to the complex and houses the club's museum, commercial and restaurant spaces. Inside, the layout of the stands with a stacked tier structure is designed to bring the compact crowd physically (and emotionally) closer to the ground and their sporting idols and maximises viewing potential.  The West Stand houses premium hospitality areas while the Kop stand to the north echoes the iconic Gate 4 of the historic Toumba Stadium, for the benefit of the most passionate fans. In the words of Declan Sharkey, Global Director of Populous: "For us the goal always exceeds the architecture; this design for PAOK speaks of identity, pride and belonging. We designed a stadium that captures the passion of its fans, integrates seamlessly into the urban fabric, and sets a new standard for the spectator experience in Greece".