Zaha Hadid Architects has completed an imposing building integrated into a public square in Prague, located partially on the train tracks of the historic Masaryk train station that is being modernized by Czech Railways and scheduled for completion in 2026.

Masarycka has been constructed on a derelict site that has stood abandoned for several decades, bordered by railway platforms to the south, Na Florenci Street to the north, and the Wilsonova elevated freeway to the east

Masarycka's design will enhance accessibility to the railway platforms below and provide new pedestrian routes between Florenc and Hybernská on either side of the station. The design has been envisioned as “a welcoming gateway to the city for suburban and domestic rail passengers as well as those using the express rail link that is currently under construction to Prague’s international airport.”
Located one kilometer east of the city center's Staromēstské Square, Masarycka's design, according to Zaha Hadid Architects, establishes a dialogue with the architecture and urbanism of Prague's Old Town - known as 'the golden city of 100 spires'.

Targeting LEED Platinum certification, Masarycka incorporates external fins on the façade to contribute to solar shading in the summer and transform the project's horizontal composition to the verticality of its western façade facing the spires of the Old Town. It contains office and retail uses in seven stories within its eastern section and nine stories at its western end.

A cascade of terraces divides the development’s two wings, while additional terracing on the eastern facade gives every office floor direct access to open spaces. Masarycka's construction and procurement have prioritized local suppliers and materials with high recycled content.


Masaryčka by Zaha Hadid Architects. Photograph by BoysPlayNice.
 

Project description by Zaha Hadid Architects

With its facades now completed, the Masaryčka building in Prague is defined by circulation routes which will provide access to new civic spaces for the city. Accommodating the continued growth of the city’s corporate sector with office spaces designed to meet 21st-century working patterns, the 28,000 sq. m Masaryčka office and retail development incorporate seven stories within its eastern section and nine stories at its western end.

Integrating with Czech Railways’ modernization of the historic Masaryk Railway Station is creating a new public square partially over the railway tracks, Masaryčka’s design will enhance accessibility to the railway platforms below and provide new pedestrian routes between Florenc and Hybernská on either side of the station.

Bordered by Masaryk Station’s railway platforms to the south, Na Florenci Street to the north, and the Wilsonova elevated freeway to the east, Masaryčka has been constructed on a derelict site that has stood abandoned for several decades. To the west, Masaryčka replaces the existing car park on Havlíčkova Boulevard with a new public square with interchanges between the city’s rail, tram, and bus networks; defining a welcoming gateway to the city for suburban rail passengers as well as those using the express rail link that is currently under-construction to Prague’s international airport.


Masaryčka by Zaha Hadid Architects. Photograph by BoysPlayNice.


Masaryčka by Zaha Hadid Architects. Photograph by BoysPlayNice.

Located one kilometer east of the city center’s Staroměstské Square, Masaryčka’s design establishes a dialogue with the architecture and urbanism of Prague’s Old Town – known as ‘the golden city of 100 spires’. External fins within Masaryčka’s façade contribute to solar shading in the summer and transform the project’s horizontal composition to the verticality of its western façade facing the spires of the Old Town.

Targeting LEED Platinum certification, Masaryčka incorporates a double-insulated façade that ensures optimal natural light in all work areas and communal spaces. A cascade of terraces divides the two buildings while similar terracing on the eastern façade gives every office floor direct access to generous outdoor spaces. Communal roof gardens offer panoramic views across the city. Hybrid ventilation is supported by a high-efficiency plant with waste heat recovery systems while the building’s smart management systems continually monitor and adjust environmental controls to reduce energy consumption.


Masaryčka by Zaha Hadid Architects. Photograph by BoysPlayNice.

Planting using local species of plants, shrubs, and trees irrigated by Masaryčka’s rainwater collection system, including the transformation of Na Florenci into a tree-lined avenue, will provide cooling summer shade and natural air purification. Low-flow systems and grey-water recycling will further reduce the center’s water consumption.

Masaryčka’s construction and procurement have prioritized local suppliers and materials with a high recycled content to meet the 2025 targets for embodied & operational carbon established by the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge.

Due for completion in 2026, Czech Railways’ renovation of Masaryk Railway Station adjacent to Masaryčka retains the existing historic terminus building and includes the construction of the new public square partially over the tracks giving access to individual platforms and a direct transfer to Prague’s metro line B. Transforming the station into a fully accessible, multi-modal transport hub for the city, its modernization program extends the current number of tracks from seven to nine and reconstructs all platforms, overhead line equipment, and power supply.

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Architects
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Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA). Architects.- Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher.
Competition Directing Associate.- DaeWha Kang.
Competition Project Architect.- Jakub Klaska.
Executive Architect.- Jakub Cigler Associates.
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Project team
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Competition Project Architect.- Jakub Klaska.
Competition Project Team.- Michal Wotkiewicz, Malgorzata
Kowalczyk, Fernanda Mugnaini, Matthew Carapiet, Bogdan Zaha, Chenxi Gong, Maya Boustany, Jan Klaska, Brian Dale.
Project Director (Concept Refinement - Schematic Design).- Jim Heverin.
Directing Associate (Concept Refinement - Schematic Design).- Craig Kiner.
Project Architects (Concept Refinement - Schematic Design).- Jakub Klaska, Sara Sheik Akbari.
Project Team (Concept: Refinement - Schematic Design) Javier Rueda, Jan Klaska, Saman Dadgostar, Yifan Zhang, Moa Carlson, Juan Montiel, Carlos Parrada-Botero, Monika Bilska, Harry Spraiter, Ovidiu Mihutescu, Niran Buyukkoz, Nan Jiang, Horatiu Valcu.
Project Director (Detailed Design).- Jim Heverin
Project Architects (Detailed Design).- Jakub Klaska, Victor Orive.
Project Team (Detailed Design).- Harry Spraiter, Javier Rueda, Aiste Dzikaraite, Sven Torres, Muriel Boselli, Maria Touloupou, Thomas Bagnoli.
Project Director (Construction Design).- Jim Heverin.
Project Architect (Construction Design).- Jakub Klaska.
Project Team (Construction Design).- Harry Spraiter, Aleksandra Mnich-Spraiter, Devansh Daisaria.
Executive Architect.- Jakub Cigler Associates.
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Area
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28,000 m².
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Dates
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2016 - Dec. 2023.
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Location
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Na Florenci 2139/2, 110 00 Nové Město, Czechia.
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Photography
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Zaha Hadid, (Bagdad, 31 October 1950 – Miami, 31 March 2016) founder of Zaha Hadid Architects, was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize (considered to be the Nobel Prize of architecture) in 2004 and is internationally known for both her theoretical and academic work.

Each of her dynamic and innovative projects builds on over thirty years of revolutionary exploration and research in the interrelated fields of urbanism, architecture and design. Hadid’s interest lies in the rigorous interface between architecture, landscape and geology as her practice integrates natural topography and human-made systems, leading to experimentation with cutting-edge technologies. Such a process often results in unexpected and dynamic architectural forms.

Education: Hadid studied architecture at the Architectural Association from 1972 and was awarded the Diploma Prize in 1977.

Teaching: She became a partner of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, taught at the AA with OMA collaborators Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis, and later led her own studio at the AA until 1987. Since then she has held the Kenzo Tange Chair at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University; the Sullivan Chair at the University of Illinois, School of Architecture, Chicago; guest professorships at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Hamburg; the Knolton School of Architecture, Ohio and the Masters Studio at Columbia University, New York. In addition, she was made Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Fellow of the American Institute of Architecture and Commander of the British Empire, 2002. She is currently Professor at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria and was the Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor of Architectural Design at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.

Awards: Zaha Hadid’s work of the past 30 years was the subject of critically-acclaimed retrospective exhibitions at New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 2006, London’s Design Museum in 2007 and the Palazzo della Ragione, Padua, Italy in 2009. Her recently completed projects include the MAXXI Museum in Rome; which won the Stirling award in 2010. Hadid’s outstanding contribution to the architectural profession continues to be acknowledged by the most world’s most respected institutions. She received the prestigious ‘Praemium Imperiale’ from the Japan Art Association in 2009, and in 2010, the Stirling Prize – one of architecture’s highest accolades – from the Royal Institute of British Architects. Other recent awards include UNESCO naming Hadid as an ‘Artist for Peace’ at a ceremony in their Paris headquarters last year. Also in 2010, the Republic of France named Hadid as ‘Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres’ in recognition of her services to architecture, and TIME magazine included her in their 2010 list of the ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’. This year’s ‘Time 100’ is divided into four categories: Leaders, Thinkers, Artists and Heroes – with Hadid ranking top of the Thinkers category.

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