A blue-and-white perforated envelope wraps the compact volume and gradually rises from the lower northern side toward the south. A continuous lower seating bowl is complemented by separate upper tiers, while a broad cantilevered canopy covers the stands and opens the northern edge toward Maksimir Park. In the survey area, the athletics stadium and sports halls merge into the landscape through planted roofs, while the pedestrian and cycling network continues southward toward 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.