If you’ve ever wanted to live by the hillside, but can’t give up the luxuries of city life — then a housing complex in Prague may be just the ticket.
A team of architects have designed a series of townhomes which are (wait for it…) inserted into an artificial hillside. You’ll see from the photos that this make-believe hillside is covered by a unique carpet of grass. The lush garden plants are meant to give you the feeling of living in the countryside.
The complex is located near the historic Prague city centre and is called the “Central Park Praha (Prague)”. The concept was designed by A96 Architects and AED Project. According to the architects, the residence will have its own 1.5-hectare park. It also happens to be right next to one of the largest parks in Prague, Parukáøka.
The layout of the complex was inspired by the natural environment, transforming its sharp features into a park through an artificial green embankment.
“The embankment is actually a terraced building with a green roof and façade. The compact green façade is used as the roof of two-storey townhouses interrupted by balcony frames playfully distorting the layout by connecting several smaller units into one larger unit. The terraced building combines the features of an apartment building and a row townhouse in one,” states the architectural firm’s website.
Meanwhile, the Central Park Praha website boasts, “The original terraced townhouses fulfill the dream of every city dweller with the comfort of a classic apartment with the advantages of a family house surrounded by greenery. The terraced townhouses in Central Park Prague offer the advantages of independence and privacy connected with your own home.
“The villas have separate entries, their own garages and yards and of course the residents can make full use of the complex’s services. The terraced townhouses do not only resonate with nature inside, thanks to the use of natural materials, but outside as well. Their walls and roofs are covered by a unique carpet of grass. In addition to its ecological and aesthetic function, the thick carpet of garden plants significantly makes the quality of the microclimate of the houses and the entire complex more pleasant. It regulates humidity, limits the amount of dust and softens the overall acoustics of the environment in a natural way. Plus you do not have to tend to the carpet of grass because the complex administrator takes care of it,”
But perhaps one of the most visible aspects of the natural design are the vegetated steep roofs of the row houses. The green roof connects the grounds of the park with the residential buildings, creating a seamless green transition.
These days, a 2-bedroom flat at the Central Park Praha is being sold for about 230 175 EU. That’s roughly 289,000 USD.
