World-class entertainment venue planned for České Budějovice

Tenderstream member WilkinsonEyre and Boele Architects have won the competition to design the new 5,000-seat ball sports arena in České Budějovice, Czech Republic. The contest marked an extraordinary opportunity to design and construct a world-class sports and entertainment venue, which will serve as a new spiritual home for local teams and a vibrant hub for the wider community. According to Governor Martin Kuba, the competition is the result of over two years of intensive preparation. He stated: ‘We wanted more than just a sports hall - we wanted a new public space that would shift the city's centre of gravity beyond the river and connect cultural and sporting events in České Budějovice.’

The winning design was inspired by the Möbius strip - a unique, continuous form with only one side and one edge - intended to embody the qualities of energy, unity and perpetual motion. WilkinsonEyre board director Sam Wright said: ‘We are thrilled to have been selected for this exciting project, which presents a unique opportunity to build on our design expertise and passion for sports architecture.’

The project includes a new human-scaled public square and a gateway to an exhibition park, forming a central landmark in the city’s new masterplan. Petr Maroš, the first deputy mayor, described the ambition driving current developments in the city, stating: ‘Together, we are constructing buildings that may one day have the same significance for the city as the Guggenheim Museum has for Bilbao, the Allianz Arena for Munich, or the Madison Square Garden for New York. I believe that people will come here to watch events outside of the event - during the day, but also in the evening, when the hall will shine like an architectural jewel.’

Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research

This tender was first published by Tenderstream on 25.09.2024 here

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