Eva Jiřičná, Richard Meier and John Pawson have been added to a growing list of architects creating designs for Oaks Prague, a major new housing and hotel scheme near the Czech capital (+ slideshow).
Oaks Prague developer Arendon Development Company has appointed London architect John Pawson to design a hotel, spa and restaurant for its luxury residential development on a former hunting estate. New York studio Richard Meier will create 25 apartments, while Czech architect Eva Jiřičná will contribute a single-family villa.
The projects form part of a €400 million (approximately £285 million) plan to build 220 homes on the 140-hectare site just outside Prague.
Housing designs from 10 international firms including UK studios Duggan Morris Architects, Coffey Architects, Hall Mcknight and John Pardey Architects have already been commissioned via an international competition organised by Malcolm Reading Associates.
The masterplan, created by architects and planners EDSA, Chapman Taylor and John Thompson & Partners, was based on the layout of surrounding Czech villages.
An existing 19th-century chateau and farm buildings on the site will be converted into a clubhouse for the golf course, and a hotel, spa and restaurant by Pawson.
"I've been working in the Czech Republic for more than a decade and a half," said Pawson. "Over the years you develop a strong sense of connection with a place. It's exciting to have this new opportunity to make a piece of architecture that brings together contemporary and historic elements."
Two concrete structures mimicking the design of the original farm buildings will be added to the square to provide extra accommodation. The gabled buildings will be finished with lime render and topped with brown tiled roofs.
The spa will feature an indoor pool with terraces overlooking the surrounding countryside and waterways.
Meier's Frontline Apartment Building, a cluster of glazed blocks with varying heights, will contain 25 flats as well as a gym and indoor pool.
"Applying local materials and combining a modern and contemporary aesthetic, the architecture will be visually refined and contextually sensitive," said Meier. "We expect that the Frontline Apartment Building and the villas which are a part of this complex will promote the ongoing influence of Czech architecture to the world."
A family home by Jiřičná will be set in a villa adjacent to the apartment building. Jiřičná will work with local studio AI-Design to complete the gabled volume, which will have a titanium-zinc roof and white stucco facades.
"It is a privilege to contribute to this unique development in my home country and to be part of such a dynamic team of designers," said Jiřičná. "With Arendon's aspirations for Oaks Prague in mind, we have designed a villa that will provide families with the space to plant their roots for decades to come."
The scheme is expected to break ground in September 2015.