Two villas designed by Richard Meier & Partners are the latest addition to the modern village of Oaks Prague in the Nebrenice countryside by Czech developer Arendon.
Featuring Meier’s signature large, bright spaces and clean lines, the villas are clad in white composite panels and cedar wood. In true Meier style, large expanses of glass make up the main façades, which were designed based on an architectural grid.
Referencing the pitched roofs of traditional Czech housing, these residences feature the contemporary equivalent, bringing together modern aesthetics and Meier’s geometric shapes, with an appropriate response to the requirements of the local planning codes.
‘Each villa is a complex yet simple composition of clean, straight lines and sharp edges’, says Meier. ‘It is a highly ordered study in balancing transparency and natural light with various degrees of privacy for a residence’.
A simple internal arrangement places the houses’ public areas on the ground floor, with more private rooms on the upper level. A sunken garden and rear terrace with a pool complete the outdoor space, creating, the architects explain, ‘a gradual transition between the house and nature’.
This will not be the first Meier building in the Prague vicinity - the ECM City Tower and the City Green Court, both housing offices, were completed in 2008 and 2012 respectively. Neither is this the only residential project by Meier in Oaks Prague; the design for his Oaks Frontline Apartments, which will be situated nearby, is yet to be revealed in full. However these two villas form the latest piece in the puzzle within the large scale development, which upon completion is set to also include 250 homes, a boutique hotel, and a wellness and spa center. Construction at the villas is set to commence mid-2018.
The two residences feature Meier's singature white volumes, bright interiors and architectural grid facades. Image: bloomimages
The buildings' pitched roofs reference the area's traditional residential architecture. Image: bloomimages
Inside, the ground level houses public spaces, such as the living room, while private areas are located upstairs. Image: bloomimages
Once completed, Oaks Prague is set to include 250 homes, a boutique hotel, and a wellness and spa center. Image: bloomimages
INFORMATION
For more information visit Richard Meier’s website
-
Explore the work of Jean Prouvé, a rebel advocating architecture for the peopleFrench architect Jean Prouvé was an important modernist proponent for prefabrication; we deep dive into his remarkable, innovative designs through our ultimate guide to his work
-
'I wanted to create an object that invited you to interact': Tej Chauhan on his Rado watch designDiastar Original which Rado first released in 1962 has become synonymous with elegant comfort and effortless display of taste. Tej Chauhan reconsiders its signature silhouette and texture on the intersection of innovation and heritage
-
High in the Giant Mountains, this new chalet by edit! architects is perfect for snowy sojournsIn the Czech Republic, Na Kukačkách is an elegant upgrade of the region's traditional chalet typology
-
High in the Giant Mountains, this new chalet by edit! architects is perfect for snowy sojourns
In the Czech Republic, Na Kukačkách is an elegant upgrade of the region's traditional chalet typology
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthFrom wineries-turned-music studios to fire-resistant holiday homes, these are the properties that have most impressed the Wallpaper* editors this month
-
A new timber studio in the Czech Republic is carefully integrated into its hillside sitePäivä Architekti’s Czech Studio Above the Golden Canyon takes advantage of impressive views
-
A beautifully crafted concrete family house in a Mexican suburb is a contemplative oasisHW Studio have shaped a private house from raw concrete, eschewing Brutalist forms in favour of soft light, enclosed spaces and delicate geometries
-
A new village chapel in the Czech Republic is rich in material and visual symbolismStudio RCNKSK has completed a new chapel - the decade-long project of Our Lady of Sorrows in Nesvačilka, South Moravia
-
Remembering Alexandros Tombazis (1939-2024), and the Metabolist architecture of this 1970s eco-pioneerBack in September 2010 (W*138), we explored the legacy and history of Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, who this month celebrates his 80th birthday.
-
A garden pavilion in Prague becomes the ideal domestic retreatBYRÓ Architekti built this garden pavilion as a functional cabin for a green-thumbed client, creating a beautifully composed minimalist shelter
-
Sun-drenched Los Angeles houses: modernism to minimalismFrom modernist residences to riveting renovations and new-build contemporary homes, we tour some of the finest Los Angeles houses under the Californian sun
