Zaha Hadid Architects has completed a new office and retail tower that features fluid and continuous vertical golden fins in Prague in the Czech Republic. 

Named Masaryčka, the seven-story section of the building houses office and retail units within its eastern part, while nine storeys take place at its western end.

Covering a total of 28,000-square-metre area, the project integrates with Czech Railways’ modernisation of the historic Masaryk Railway Station that is creating a new public square partially over the railway tracks.

Through ZHA's new Masaryčka project, the design aims to enhance accessibility to the railway platforms below and provide new pedestrian routes between Florenc and Hybernská on either side of the station.

Zaha Hadid Architects said the Masaryčka building in Prague is defined by circulation routes which will provide access to new civic spaces for the city. 

On the south, the building is bordered by Masaryk Station’s railway platforms, Na Florenci street to the north, and the Wilsonova elevated freeway to the east. The Masaryčka building has been constructed on a derelict site that has stood abandoned for several decades. 

On the west side, Masaryčka replaced the existing car park on Havlíčkova Boulevard with a new public square with interchanges between city’s rail, tram and bus networks. 

According to the ZHA team, "this defines a welcoming gateway to the city for suburban rail passengers as well as those using the express rail link that is currently under-construction to Prague’s international airport."

Located one kilometre east of the city centre’s Staroměstské Square, the project creates a dialogue with the architecture and urbanism of Prague’s Old Town – known as "the golden city of 100 spires." 

The façade design is the key feature of the building that strongly emphasizes the design philopsophy of ZHA. 

Wrapped by external golden fins, the building's façade contributes to solar shading in the summer and transforms the project’s horizontal composition to the verticality of its western façade facing the spires of the Old Town.

The project aims to target LEED Platinum certification, and thanks to the building's double-insulated façade, the building ensures optimal natural light at all work areas and communal spaces. 

The building is divided into two by a cascade of terraces, while similar terracing on the eastern façade gives every office floor direct access to generous outdoor spaces. 

Moreover, for employees, the building incorporates communal roof gardens offering panoramic views across the city. The building features hybrid ventilation supported by a high-efficiency plant with waste heat recovery systems. 

Additionally, the building’s smart management systems continually monitor and adjust environmental controls to reduce energy consumption.

"Planting using local species of plants, shrubs and trees irrigated by Masaryčka’s rainwater collection system, including the transformation of Na Florenci into a tree-lined avenue, will provide cooling summer shade and natural air purification," the firm explained. 

"Low-flow systems and grey-water recycling will further reduce the centre’s water consumption," the office added.

As ZHA emphasized, "Masaryčka’s construction and procurement has prioritised local suppliers and materials with a high recycled content to meet the 2025 targets for embodied & operational carbon established by the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge."

The firm explained that "Due for completion in 2026, Czech Railways’ renovation of Masaryk Railway Station adjacent to Masaryčka retains the existing historic terminus building and includes the construction of the new public square partially over the tracks giving access to individual platforms and a direct transfer to Prague’s metro line B." 

"Transforming the station into a fully accessible, multi-modal transport hub for the city, its modernisation programme extends the current number of tracks from seven to nine and reconstructs all platforms, overhead line equipment and power supply," the firm added.

Zaha Hadid Architects revealed its first conceptual plans for Masaryčka building in Praque in 2016. The firm shared updates and new visuals for Masaryčka Building in 2021. 

Moreover, Zaha Hadid Architects completed the Zhuhai Jinwan Civic Art Centre in China, echoing "the chevron patterns of migratory bird" flying in formation over southern China and the firm won an international design competition to build a new harbourside cultural district in Sanya. 

Project facts

Project name: Masaryčka

ZHA Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
ZHA Design: Zaha Hadid, Patrik Schumacher

Competition
ZHA Directing Associate: DaeWha Kang
ZHA Project Architect: Jakub Klaska
ZHA Project Team: Michal Wojtkiewicz, Malgorzata Kowalczyk, Fernanda Mugnaini, Matthew Carapiet, Bogdan Zaha, Chenxi Gong, Maya Boustany, Jan Klaska, Brian Dale

Concept Refinement - Schematic Design
ZHA Project Director: Jim Heverin
ZHA Directing Associate: Craig Kiner
ZHA Project Architects: Jakub Klaska, Sara Sheik Akbari
ZHA Project Team: Javier Rueda, Jan Klaska, Saman Dadgostar, Yifan Zhang, Moa Carlson, Juan Montiel, Carlos Parrada-Botero, Monika Bilska, Harry Spraiter, Ovidiu Mihutescu, Niran Buyukkoz, Nan Jiang, Horatiu Valcu

Detailed Design
ZHA Project Director: Jim Heverin
ZHA Project Architects: Jakub Klaska, Victor Orive
ZHA Project Team: Harry Spraiter, Javier Rueda, Aiste Dzikaraite, Sven Torres, Muriel Boselli, Maria Touloupou, Thomas Bagnoli

Construction Design
ZHA Project Director: Jim Heverin
ZHA Project Architect: Jakub Klaska
ZHA Project Team: Harry Spraiter, Aleksandra Mnich-Spraiter, Devansh Daisaria

All photographs © BoysPlayNice.

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