The project will include arenas for both Ice hockey club ZSC Lions and volleyball team Volero teams alongside hockey training facilities.

The design proposes a building which meets mid way between a monument and a tent. The clarity of its structure and volume is evocative of the archaic qualities of a mosque or caravanserai, an emblematic figure that makes its own place in a situation without specific qualities.

The arena is organised on one level, avoiding the superimposition of long span structures. Buttresses on the long sides of the arena support steel trusses that span east-west over the volleyball arena, main ice hockey and practice rinks. At ground level the depth of the buttresses forms arcades that run the length of the arena’s long, east and west, facades. All entrances for fans, VIPs and vehicles are accommodated within these generous circulation spaces.

The primary structure of buttresses and trusses is covered by a cladding of precast concrete elements that are evokes monumental classicism as well as light, textile qualities. On the east and west facades the cladding elements form undulations which press into the space between the buttresses like a giant hanging drapery. The light tone of the cladding will be activated by natural light which will play on the drapery and on the fluting of its modelled surface. The cladding stops in a gently scalloped profile at the top of the arcade whose interior is clad in deep purple mosaic tiles.

At the south end of the arena, where the majority of fans will arrive, the arcades open up into monumental stairs that lead directly to a large south facing public terrace. During match days, this terrace will provide a generous outdoor space. When matches are not scheduled, the terrace could be used for celebrations and trade events, intensifying and diversifying the use of the arena.

To the equivalent space at the north of the site is a densely landscaped courtyard which provides an exterior amenity space for the VIP and press facilities.

The teams expect to move into the new building before the 2017-18 sports season.