The rounded stadium volume is shaped by a continuous envelope and a broad roof ring that unifies the stands, concourses and entrances into a recognisable whole. Toward Maksimir Park, the stadium opens up and establishes a direct relationship with the landscape, while public spaces continue through plazas, green corridors and pedestrian and cycling connections. In the survey area, the athletics stadium and sports halls are conceived as low volumes integrated into the terrain, with planted and active roofs forming part of a continuous sports park.

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.