Horizontal metal fins wrap the rounded volume and emphasise the stadium’s layered organisation, while a broad roof rises gently above a continuous glazed band. Entrances are formed through a system of sunken ramps and monumental stairs leading from the park terrain to the elevated concourse. In the survey area, two spatial grids are separated by a central green “crack”, developed as a pedestrian and cycling promenade linking Maksimir Park, the sports facilities and the Borongaj transport hub.

In the third round, the jury eliminated projects that were well developed but generic, hermetic in their relationship with public space, insufficiently resolved in structural terms, financially demanding or unable to express the primary programme clearly.

A large proportion of the proposals offered a well-articulated but insufficiently specific response to the site and its legacy. A project that retained parts of the existing structure was considered particularly interesting, but this approach was not feasible because the structure had to be demolished due to identified structural deficiencies.