Astrid Residential Complex

Year2016

CategoryResidential houses

LocationPrague

StatusDesign

The Astrid residential complex responds to the specific character of Prague-Holešovice, which still retains traces of its industrial past.

The design is based on the traditional structure of an urban block with an active ground floor and inner courtyards, translating it into a contemporary mixed-use complex. The perimeter of the site is formed by an office building on the south side and an apartment building to the north, while the interior of the block accommodates a finer-grained structure of courtyard housing, private gardens and shared spaces.

The project connects the urban scale of the street with the more intimate environment of the courtyard and works with different types of housing, terraces, loggias and flexible layouts that can change according to residents’ needs.

Client	UBM

Urban Block and Inner Courtyards

The urban concept follows the typical block structure of Holešovice.

The office building is divided into two volumes linked by a circulation neck, between which light wells bring daylight to the lower floors. Towards the courtyard, the individual volumes step back, creating a more varied and open inner environment.

The northern apartment building works with set-back floors, terraces and south-facing loggias, while a passage on the ground floor connects the street with the courtyard.

Living Inside the Block

The courtyard development connects the existing neighbouring buildings with the newly designed ones, creating a honeycomb-like structure. Each apartment has its own garden or small yard, combining the advantages of urban living with more intimate contact with the outdoors.

At the centre of the block there is a shared community space, complemented by easily accessible bicycle stores and other facilities for residents’ everyday lives.

Homes That Can Change

An important principle of the design is the flexibility of the individual apartments. The layouts allow, for example, a larger three-room apartment (3+kk) to be converted into two smaller one-room units (1+kk) and, if necessary, to be joined together again.

Some apartments have an increased clear height in the living areas, which makes it possible to insert a mezzanine later for use as a library, storage space or sleeping area. The housing can thus respond to the changing needs of households over time.