REAL ESTATE NEWS

The Vision of Dutch Artists

In the real estate boomtown of Prague, a new project is underway; an exciting housing development inspired by the De Stijl art movement is currently under construction in Prague 6.

In the fast growing city of Prague, buildings are being built faster than the speed of light, it seems. But with such fast construction, quite often the results offer boring, uniform houses, packed together to save space and with no particular attention to detail. Things seem to be changing for the city's housing projects located in the outskirts; this new project is based on the principles of the De Stijl movement, which didn't prove prolific in architecture until perhaps now. Only one building, the Schroder House in Utrecht, Holland strictly follows the original guidelines.

The art movement De Stijl founded in the Netherlands in 1917, translates to 'the style' in Dutch. Advocates and artists who followed the movement wished to express a paradisal blend of order and harmony in art. They promoted universality and the notion of reducing art to the essentials of form and color. Visual compositions were simplified to horizontal and vertical directions and were painted using primary colors. The best, or most famous examples of this style are the works of Piet Mondrian, bold in their simplicity and color.

The new development, perched atop a hill overlooking the city in the Hanspaulka district is comprised of 45 homes in 16 condominiums and 13 villas. The developer ING Real Estate and the design studio Atelier 8000 have interpreted the Dutch vision rather liberally, even though the primary colors and clean lines are there for the viewers' delight, along with large windows, spacious interiors and pretty gardens. Set in an impressive neighborhood with nearby reputable functionalist villas, these houses will certainly be a charming address to live at.