Concept Validation
The city of Pardubice is set to become home to the world’s largest ice hockey arena, with a planned capacity of 22,296 spectators. This ambitious project, designed by Opočenský Valouch Architekti (OVA), aims to create a vibrant urban space that seamlessly integrates sports, hospitality, and community services. The development will include the main arena, a hotel, a training hall, and a parking facility, all designed to revitalize the area and provide a wide range of amenities for both residents and visitors.
Virtuplex played a key role in the early-stage development of the project by providing an immersive VR environment to visualize and refine the arena’s design. Stakeholders, including architects, investors, and the hockey club’s management, used Virtuplex’s platform to experience the space at a 1:1 scale, ensuring that key aspects such as sightlines, crowd flow, and premium seating configurations were optimized before construction began. The ability to walk through the virtual arena allowed decision-makers to fine-tune fan experience elements, hospitality zones, and operational logistics in real-time.
By leveraging VR, the project team was able to evaluate multiple layout options and identify potential design challenges early in the process. This approach streamlined communication between architects and investors, reduced costly revisions, and accelerated approvals from city and regional authorities.
Virtuplex’s technology significantly enhanced the planning and decision-making process for the Multifunctional Hockey Arena, enabling all stakeholders to collaborate in an immersive and data-driven environment. The VR-based workflow allowed for real-time adjustments, ensuring that the final design aligned seamlessly with the project’s operational and commercial goals.
Beyond visualization, Virtuplex empowered the investor team to create compelling presentations for partners and sponsors, showcasing the arena’s potential in a way that traditional blueprints and renderings could not. This forward-thinking use of VR underscores the role of technology in shaping the future of sports architecture, positioning Pardubice’s new arena as a benchmark for multifunctional event spaces in Europe.
