There is a clarity to the City of Jihlava’s decision to place the new Multipurpose Arena in the center — a vision CHYBIK + KRISTOF embraced and developed. It defies the pull toward peripheral land, choosing instead to deepen the relationship between civic life and sports infrastructure. As construction advances, the team’s vision for a permanent, public presence in the urban core becomes increasingly legible. The placement of the arena ensures it becomes part of the rhythm of daily life. It is walkable, visible, and open to passersby.

Jihlava, a regional capital with a population of around 50,000, is betting on architecture as a driver of both cultural exchange and economic growth. The new arena is designed to serve more than HC Dukla’s storied ice hockey legacy. With a capacity of 5,650, the venue is equally prepared to host concerts, exhibitions, and festivals. Its shape and program are defined by this range of activity, embedded with the expectation of constant adaptation.

CHYBIK KRISTOF designs the complex as an integrated civic space | visualization © CHYBIK + KRISTOF

Four buildings make up the Jihlava Multipurpose Arena, as two are preserved, while two are newly completed by CHYBIK + KRISTOF. The arena is joined by a mixed-use volume that folds together accommodation, a gym, a pub, and rooftop running track. The architects anchor this companion building in the corner of the site, extending the program well beyond the confines of sport and turning the ensemble into a civic cluster.

Open spaces draw a line between built forms. A stepped plaza, cut diagonally through the plan, becomes a generous threshold between the arena and the nearby university. It operates as a social surface, hosting informal gatherings and supporting programmed events. This attention to urban texture, how people move, linger, and return, is evident throughout the project.

the arena remains in the city center to strengthen its urban role | visualization © CHYBIK + KRISTOF

There is no mistaking the Jihlava Multipurpose Arena from a distance, as CHYBIK + KRISTOF curate its color and form with intent. Pigmented red concrete tribunes circle the stadium’s core, giving it a graphic edge that helps orient visitors from almost any angle. These pre-cast curves echo the movements of the sport inside, while also nodding to architectural languages found across the Vysočina region.

Above, the roofline extends with a sculptural sharpness, creating a silhouette that crowns the project. It is less a cap than a signal. The geometry reads as deliberate and crisp, elevating the arena to landmark status without overpowering the city’s scale.

the arena supports hockey games, concerts, exhibitions, and festivals | visualization © CHYBIK + KRISTOF

The process behind the design has been just as layered as the program it contains. CHYBIK + KRISTOF have made collaboration a central part of the work. Seating has been developed alongside mmcité, while Czech lighting studio BOMMA has created integrated installations that sit flush within the brickwork of circulation spaces. These interventions do more than illuminate. They echo the industrial heritage of the region and create tactile points of engagement for visitors.

Landscape architect Zdeněk Sendler, a long-time collaborator of the studio, has been tasked with the adjoining park’s renewal. The green space is being carefully restored, reconnecting it with the new public zones and enhancing the site’s permeability.

a new mixed use building includes a pub, gym, rooftop, and track | photo © CHYBIK + KRISTOF

Public investment, led by the City of Jihlava with support from Vysočina and the state, underscores the regional ambition behind the arena. For city councillor David Beke, the building is both a response to the area’s proud hockey tradition and a foundational piece of infrastructure for what lies ahead. ‘It becomes a modern regional colosseum,’ he said, ‘elevating the importance and development of both the city and the region.’

From the designers’ perspective, scale demands responsibility. ‘Architecture is a tool for the creative reuse of our cities,’ says Ondřej Chybik. ‘We are creating a space that fosters engagement and long-term resilience.’ The arena is intended to move fluidly between uses, inviting both everyday interaction and extraordinary experience.

the design emphasizes pedestrian access with plazas and urban connections | photo © CHYBIK + KRISTOF

Design Director Jiří Richter sees the transparency of the building — both literal and conceptual — as a mechanism for integration. A long strip of glass at pedestrian level opens the interior to its surroundings, allowing glimpses into practices and events. ‘The façade connects the arena with the park and the university,’ he notes. ‘The city has decided to restore the park itself, and we are happy this area will be returned to the people.’