Chybik + Kristof Win Competition for Czech Arena

John Hill

6. luglio 2020

Visualization: monolot

Chybik + Kristof Architects & Urban Designers has won a competition to design the Jihlava Multipurpose Arena, what is billed as one of the largest sports and leisure complexes in the Czech Republic.

Construction is slated to begin next year with a target completion of 2023, when the impact of COVID-19 should be in the past and crowds will once again assemble indoors for sporting events. The Jihlava Multipurpose Arena, as the name implies, will not just be a venue for hockey and basketball; it will also be used for exhibitions, performances, and other events.

The arena is located on the border of Jihlava’s historical center, adjacent to a park and university and places itself in the continuity of these two spaces.(Visualization: monolot)

Chybik + Kristof's winning design will be built upon the deteriorated remains of a sports arena dating back to 1956. Per a press release, the new arena will "expand into a four-building multifunctional center bringing together an adaptable ice rink, a rooftop running track and a gym as well as a sports academy, hospitality establishments and shops." It is intended that the four-building "urban stadium" — two of the four buildings already exist — will "melt" into the surrounding urban landscape, which is on the edge of Jihlava’s historical core.

Per a press release, "the completed structure will act as a public platform open to a variety of audiences for a diverse range of activities..." (Visualization: monolot)

Ondřej Chybík and Michal Krištof outline the sociocultural significance of the project in the press release:

"We envisioned the Jihlava Multipurpose Arena as a deeply versatile complex, whose various functions are reflected at once in the technical structure, the landscaping and the aesthetics of the buildings. In integrating multiple purposes, we took significant consideration of their various audiences, thereby seeking to reflect the city’s diverse social and generational communities and to encourage their interactions. More than a center for sports and events, the arena is a social campus for the city – used by the people, thereby designed for the people."