Renovation and increase of the capacity of the stadium of Panathinaikos F.C. in Athens

Due to the financial crisis that began in Greece in 2009, it came under consideration whether it is possible to renovate the existing building infrastructures of the stadium of Panathinaikos and to increase the number of viewers, with a low budget. Special technical problems needed to be solved, in order to achieve the above goals. The stadium is surrounded by urban roads. Thus, the increase of the number of seats could only be achieved by the addition of seats on a higher level, above the two linear wings. The building infrastructure is rather old and should be updated, according to the current regulations for the concrete and the antiseismic behaviour, taking into account the additional loads caused by the new structures. The function of all the athletic departments, offices and stores hosted beneath the existing structure should not be interrupted. A structural assembly, in which the new static loads are guided directly to the ground through micropiles, and the total seismic loads are carried by the new frames and the shear walls built in special positions in the existing bearing structure, was planned in order to satisfy all of the above requirements. All the structural members below the existing structure are planned to be made of reinforced concrete and the rest of steel elements.