Richard Meier & Partners has unveiled designs for two private villas located in the Nebřenice countryside, Czech Republic, which will be the first residential project of the firm in the Czech Republic. These two villas reflect the simple style of Richard Meier, which is always clean, simple and designed with all white colors on facade materiality and texture.

Named Oaks Prague Villas, the new residential project will become an important part of a modern village adjacent to the Oaks Frontline Apartments previously designed by Richard Meier & Partners, the two villas will contribute to the residential fabric of the 140 hectare (345 acres) Oaks Prague Development. 

Oaks Prague Villa 1

Both villas will provide 250 homes, alongside a boutique hotel, and a wellness and spa center. The complex also offers a PGA National golf course, a country club, an equestrian center, a tennis academy, a kindergarten and other amenities.

Villa 1 will occupy approximately the 740-square-metre space, while Villa 2 will provide the 620-square-metre space. Both villas are organized according to a clear separation of programmatic spaces and each villa includes public rooms on the lower floor and private rooms on the upper floor. 

Oaks Prague Villa 1

Featuring a front sunken garden as a separating element from the street, the rear terrace with an outdoor pool and fireplace act as an extension of the interior rooms into the landscape creating a gradual transition between the house and nature.

Oaks Prague Villa 1

"I am pleased to be working again in the Czech Republic and to collaborate in this unique residential project with Arendon Development Company," said Richard Meier.

"The architecture of the villas reflect the fundamental design principles of our firm defined through the siting and entrance procession, clear public and private programmatic organization, as well as a structural and façade system based on a rigorous architectural design grid," he added.

Oaks Prague Villa 1

Each villa is designed by taking cues from programmatic and specific conditions of the site. For instance, Villa I expresses a concise linear mass oriented towards the expanse of the golf course, while Villa II reflects a more compact structure.

Oaks Prague Villa 1

"Each villa consists of a series of private spaces located on the second floor and public spaces on the ground level where residents meet and entertain, both open to the extensive views of nature," added Mr. Meier.

"The general concept and design of the villas is driven by the stringent local zoning and planning regulations which mandate a traditional pitched roof. The proposed solution is as simple as it is ingenious: a gable roof with a rotated ridge, resulting in a structure that, while recalling the pitched roof of traditional Czech villages, reinterprets it in a sculptural and contemporary building," detailed Richard Meier & Partners.

Oaks Prague Villa 2

The studio uses white composite panels to clad the striking roof volume and wraps it continuously along both the inclined and vertical surfaces. Cedar panels line the underside of the roof and fold into the interior envelope, complimenting the abstract white exterior with texture and domestic warmth. 

Exterior sun screens overlap the more public and open spaces to reduce glare and heat, filtering the natural light while remaining porous and open to the natural scenery.

Oaks Prague Villa 2

"We saw the challenge in designing a sloped roof based on the zoning requirement for the Oaks Prague Villas as an optimistic opportunity to deliver a recognizable structure with modern aesthetics while embodying clean geometric lines to the overall building," said Vivian Lee, Design Partner-in-Charge.

"The connection between the living spaces to nature was an important relationship to establish, not just visually towards the sweeping views outside, but also by employing materials such as oak and cedar to bring nature inside, creating a warm and welcoming environment."

"The interplay of light and shadow from the screens on the South facing façade animate the light-filled interior spaces throughout the day, while the more static volumes and planes at the North anchor the structure," added Ms. Lee.

Oaks Prague Villa 2

Residents and visitors will be directed by a covered and semi-enclosed walkway, marking and orienting the arrival sequence, which is experienced as a promenade connecting the detached garage structure to each villa. 

Entering the threshold of the main entrance, one passes through the single height foyer before the space expands into the double height living room opening up to a spectacular panorama towards long vistas of the surrounding landscape where nature and sky become elements in a rich and dynamic spatial composition.

Oaks Prague Villa 1

"Each villa is a complex yet simple composition of clean, straight lines and sharp edges. It is a highly ordered study in balancing transparency and natural light with various degrees of privacy for a residence," stated Mr. Meier.

Site plan

Villa 1 - first floor plan

Villa 1 - second floor plan

Villa 1 - cross section

Villa 1 - longitudinal section

Villa 1 - East elevation

Villa 1 - West elevation

Villa 1 - South elevation

Villa 1 - North elevation

Villa 2 - first floor plan

Villa 2 - second floor plan

Villa 2 - cross section

Villa 2 - longitudinal section

Villa 2 - East elevation

Villa 2 - West elevation

Villa 2 - South elevation

Villa 2 - North elevation

The ECM City Tower and City Green Court - the first office project in the country built on a speculative basis to receive the highest LEED certification-  are among realised projects of the firm in the Czech Republic.

Richard Meier & Partners will closely work with London-based architects Eva Jiřičná and John Pawson on the development of this project. 

Project facts

Design Principals: Richard Meier, FAIA, FRIBA, Vivian Lee, AIA
Project Architect: Jeremy D. Keagy
Collaborators: Grigorios Dimitriadis, Peter Liao, Xiaodi Sun, Steven Sze, Xiao Wang
Client: Arendon Development Company a.s.

Associate Architect: CUBOID ARCHITEKTI s.r.o.

Major Building Materials: Composite Panels, Cedar, Oak, Granite, Steel, Aluminum and Glass
Total Area Villa I: 740 s.m. (7,965 sft)
Total Area Villa II: 620 s.m. (6,674 sft)
Model Photography: Jan Tichý and Richard Meier & Partners Architects

All Drawings © Richard Meier & Partners Architects

All images © Bloomimages

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