The City of Brno has signed a contract with the Czech division of German construction company Hochtief for the development of a new arena.
Hochtief CZ will build Arena Brno, which will have a capacity of up to 13,300, after emerging victorious in a tender process that launched in December 2021. Four parties submitted offers ahead of a deadline of April 25, 2022. The evaluation process ended at the beginning of October, with Hochtief CZ being selected having put forward an offer worth over CZK4.44bn (£162.2m/€185.4m/$201.1m).
Brno’s Mayor, Markéta Vaňková, said: “We want to build a multi-functional supra-regional complex that will offer top-notch conditions for organising cultural, sports, trade fair and congress events on an international level.
“If Brno is to be a modern and attractive city, we must be able to take advantage of the fact that we have come this far and that the construction is very well prepared. The ceremonial signing is a declaration of our interest in continuing the project.”
Construction work will only start on the basis of an invitation from the City of Brno following the approval of financial support by the European Commission, which is expected in the first half of 2023.
If it is not approved, the City can unilaterally terminate the contract without sanctions. If the construction commences, Hochtief CZ has a deadline of 30 months to deliver the arena from the handover of the construction site.
This week’s news comes after it was announced last month that the venue will be operated by Arena Brno, a company 100% owned by the City. Construction of the arena, if it commences, will be financed mainly by Arena Brno and the City of Brno.
Arena Brno will use a loan of CZK2bn, with the City to cover the implementation of the construction from its own resources and the loan. Additional funding should be provided in accordance with a signed memorandum with the South Moravian Region (at least CZK200m) and the National Sports Agency (CZK300m). Brno is the capital of South Moravia.
The decision to build a new multi-purpose arena at the Brno Exhibition Centre site was made in February 2019, with planning permission and a building permit issued in June 2021. Architects for the project are A PLUS and Arch.Design.
The arena on the exhibition centre grounds will have two underground and six above-ground floors, and offer around 1,300 parking spaces.
