CHYBÍK + KRIŠTOF has designed Jihlava Municipal Arena, a 5,650-seat sports and cultural venue at the edge of Jihlava’s historic centre in the Czech Republic. Commissioned by the City of Jihlava following an architectural competition, the project embodies design on multiple levels, from the arena’s integration with the surrounding cityscape to bespoke acoustic seating and a custom venue typeface. As well as providing a new home for local ice hockey team HC Dukla Jihlava, the red-clad arena serves as a cultural and civic venue for the city.

‘The Jihlava Municipal Arena was conceived as a public building first and an event venue second. Positioned at the edge of Jihlava’s historic centre, it is not treated as a standalone object but as an extension of the city itself,’ says Ondřej Chybík, founding partner, CHYBÍK + KRIŠTOF Architects. ‘Through openness, permeability, and careful attention to detail at every scale, the arena supports everyday use, shared urban life, and moments of collective celebration.’

The arena opened in November 2025 for a pilot year intended to test the different capabilities of the scheme. Since then, it has welcomed more than 250,000 people and hosted HC Dukla Jihlava during the 2025/26 Maxa Liga season, as well as international ice hockey, competitive ice skating, Davis Cup tennis, European Volleyball League matches, and concerts.

An arena for the community

Jihlava Municipal Arena replaces an earlier ice rink that had served the city since the 1950s. Rather than relocating the venue to the outskirts of Jihlava, the local authority retained the existing site at the edge of the historic centre, integrating the new sports facility into the urban fabric while expanding its use beyond sporting events.

‘Locating an arena directly at the edge of Jihlava’s historic centre presented a unique urban opportunity – such facilities are rarely built in these contexts,’ says Ondřej Chybík. ‘From the outset, our goal was to create a structure that becomes a natural part of the city: one that respects its historical context while bringing a contemporary energy.’

CHYBÍK + KRIŠTOF’s scheme introduces new routes through the site and improves access to the arena. Large entrances and extensive glazing connect the building with its neighbours, including a university, residential street, brewery, and local park. An uninterrupted circulation space wraps around the seating area, forming an internal concourse where visitors can gather and move around the building. Accessible seating is incorporated directly into this circulation route, with clear views into the arena.

The site is also designed for use outside event times. Public spaces surrounding the elliptical structure facilitate pedestrian movement between the university and park, including through an arcade beneath an overhanging section of the arena roof. A new staircase negotiates the six-metre level change across the site while forming an amphitheatre-like space where people can gather before matches or between lectures.

Alongside the arena are three auxiliary buildings, two of which already existed on the site: a training hall and a building containing operational and technical facilities. A new six-storey, silver-clad corner building marks the approach from the historic city centre. It contains a fan shop and Hall of Fame on the ground floor, together with a restaurant, a 29-room hotel for athletes and guests, a gym, and a sports hall on the upper floors.

A 230-metre running track on the arena roof is accessible to local schools and the wider public. Free to use through a booking system, the track provides views towards the historic city centre and extends the use of the site beyond event times.

Material and identity

The arena is wrapped in red aluminium panels, referencing both the heraldic red of the municipality and HC Dukla Jihlava’s club colours. A repeating triangular profile along the top of the building refers to Jihlava’s Gothic architecture and the spines of a hedgehog, another symbol of the city. Integrated lighting allows the facade to respond to events inside, flashing when goals are scored during hockey matches and changing colour according to the type of event taking place.

Inside, the stands are formed from prefabricated concrete pigmented to relate to the red exterior, while the steel trusses supporting the enclosed roof remain exposed, supporting the venue’s technical requirements. Perforations in the facade panels allow daylight and natural ventilation into the perimeter spaces while increasing the visual permeability of the building.

‘We conceived the arena as a building that should feel approachable and welcoming while also meeting the complex technical demands of a large venue,’ says Ondřej Chybík. ‘The structural and material palette of exposed concrete, red prefabricated tribunes, and a precisely articulated facade establishes both durability and character. The angular facade and its crown-like top give the arena a strong identity, connecting it to the city’s historic skyline while expressing a contemporary character.’

The arena can host concerts, performances, conferences, and trade fairs alongside ice hockey and other sporting events. Its capacity of 5,650 spectators for hockey can be expanded to more than 7,400 with additional seating in retractable stands. For hockey matches, seating wraps around the ice across two tiers rather than the single tier more typical of arenas of this size. During concerts, the floor can accommodate additional spectators, while a large curtain conceals the upper tier to create a smaller, acoustically treated space.

Collaboration in the detail

CHYBÍK + KRIŠTOF worked across landscape, product design, lighting, and graphics, extending elements of the arena’s architectural language from the wider site to individual fittings.

At the architects’ initiative, the neighbouring Smetanovy Sady park was incorporated into the scheme and refreshed by landscape architect Zdeněk Sendler. The park also contains Game, a sculpture by Czech artist Krištof Kintera that repurposes railings from the former ice rink. The large typographic installation reads ‘SOUHRA-PROHRA-VÝHRA’ (‘teamwork-defeat-victory’).

Developed with designer David Karásek and Czech seating manufacturer Kovostal, the Highlands folding seat was designed specifically for the arena and also contributes to its acoustic treatment. Geometric detailing moulded into the seat and backrest helps improve the acoustic performance of the hall when seats are unoccupied.

Hand-cast triangular glass lights by Czech manufacturer BOMMA are integrated into the arena’s concrete walls to a design by CHYBÍK + KRIŠTOF. Five large-scale lighting installations by Tech-fabrika are also distributed throughout the building. Four reinterpret aspects of the heritage of the Vysočina Region, whose capital is Jihlava, while a fifth reworks the HC Dukla Jihlava logo.

Graphic designer Lukáš Kijonka developed the arena’s wayfinding system and bespoke typeface, both of which draw on the triangular motif used throughout the building.