Richard Meier & Partners unveil first residential project in the Czech Republic

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
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Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture Editor at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018) and Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020).
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