design 1997-1999, realisation 2000-2003
client: ING Real Estate International, The Hague and Nationale Nederlanden Praha Real Estate V.O.S.
gross floor area: 18.000 m2, 93 housing units
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The Villa Bianca residential complex is situated on a triangular site close to the city centre in the diplomatic quarter of Prague. The historic Villa Bianca was executed in 1911 by Jan Kotera, a renowned representative of the modernist architectural movement in Prague. It was rebuilt after 1920 in a neo-baroque style, losing much of the strength of its original character.
Ninety years after construction the original villa has been revitalised, becoming the central element of the most exclusive residential development in Prague. Now housing six luxury apartments, the villa sits in the middle of a complex of four new buildings containing forty-six apartments. The composition is framed by two triangular corner structures accommodating forty-seven additional apartments.
An English garden created using many of the existing mature trees and an intimate Japanese style rock garden offer landscapes for recreation and reflection. The villa’s authentic architectural elements have been restored and the façades of the new buildings harmoniously combine traditional and contemporary materials and elements. Whilst clearly modern, the architectural vocabulary of the new buildings is sympathetic to Kotera’s original, respecting the classical elements of the villa and creating a truly contemporary interpretation of a historical language.
