Cooperative for the Construction of Family Houses with Studios

From the 1960s to the 1980s, a large number of self-built family houses were constructed. A significant phenomenon was the development of family house colonies, then called “low-rise mass construction,” which were often associated with the emergence of cooperative housing. Cooperatives, formed by a group of people, shared the costs of construction and were able to build colonies even in areas unsuitable for large-scale panel structures. As a result, these colonies are often found in locations with challenging terrain. One such unique colony was created in Braník, built by a cooperative primarily composed of visual artists. Seven row houses and four individual houses were designed by the architect Prager, and although each building is slightly different, they all share a similar expression – residential lower floors with studios mostly on the second floor overlooking the garden. The façade is made of exposed concrete and clinker cladding. The colony area is defined by a visually striking concrete wall punctuated with red entrances and gateways. Artists such as Helena Trubáčková, Vladimír Preclík, Zdena Fibichová, and the Havelka couple lived (or still live) in the individual houses.