Courtesy of EDIT! Architects

EDIT! Architects shared with us their design for River Park Modrany, a residential complex in the Modrany district, located in the south of Prague by the Vltava river. The district is typically covered with villas from the beginning of 20th century that surround the Modrany landmark, a 60m high Microna tower. We have divided the plot into strips of land in a perpendicular axis to the main urban lines [tramline, train tracks, main road, the river itself]. A building volume has been placed into every strip and main vertical cores have been defined for all volumes. We have stretched up the core building parts in a way to create the hill-like shapes of the buildings. The volumes have been afterwards rotated in order to improve the particular views from every building. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Courtesy of EDIT! Architects

The plot is located on one of these brownfields fringed by the elevated tramline on the east and railway track on the west, towards the river. The river is lined with the belt of greenery followed up by the brownfield zone with potential for future development. The green belt west of the plot is used for leisure activities (golf, cycling, tennis volleyball etc.) with several attractive public services. On the other side of the river there is a natural reservation called Chuchelsky haj, which affects the plot mostly visually by forming a magnetic view to the west.

Courtesy of EDIT! Architects

The zoning plan allows to build up to 55 000 sqm of GFA on the plots. The attempt to build up to this maximal number of sqm is in contradiction with the focus on building, a calm open green residential complex with views of the river and the riverbanks. Our attempt is to mix these two approaches into balanced design of sufficient floor area and comfortable scale. The design that creates attractive common, semiprivate and private urban spaces and allows the views of the river.

model 01

Due to the shape we have achieved a very effective flat-mix with 80 percent of the flats with eastern or western terraces and only 20 percent of the flats without a terrace. These have loggias oriented to the south instead. We have created approximately 400 apartments of various sizes. The towers’ heights vary from 8 to 12 floors, with exception to one of them, the highest, with 15 floors.

model 02

The complex is divided into two parts standing on two parking plateaus. The lower one under ground, the second one above ground to define a semi-public green areas between the buildings. Between these two parts there is the main public space. It is in direct contact with the main entrance to the brownfield area as there are a limited number of bridges under the tramline. The public space, or square, concentrates all public services and retail areas not yet present in the area.

model 03

The proposal is now in the process of negotiation with local municipal authorities in order to gain support for the development.

Architects: EDIT!
Location: Modrany, Prague, Czech Republic
Project team: Ivan Boroš, Juraj Calaj, Vítězslav Danda, Lenka Míková, Pedro Santos, Cecilia Segovia Collado, Anna Skrzydlewska