We perceive the defined area as a single entity, approached through a unified strategy of massing. The built volume is divided into functional units, resulting in three distinct buildings. These are complemented by green courtyards, creating a diverse range of public, semi-public, and semi-private spaces. By inserting green courtyards and a passage to the railway promenade we articulate the massing and give the project a tangible human scale.

The volumes are shaped into individual towers that gradually rise towards the main road (Magistrála). Each of the three buildings has its own specific expression reflecting its program and position within the site. The standalone residential building clearly defines the entrance to Na Florenci street and the Masaryk Railway Station platform. Receding stone slabs form private terraces and loggias.

The hotel has a solid, calm, and confident character. Its massive form provides guests with a stable and quiet refuge close to the city centre. The eastern residential block is conceived as a brick sculpture, referencing the site’s history with irregular openings that enhance its domestic and liveable character.

Florenc is one of Prague’s most complex intersections, and the Florenc21 masterplan aims to repair its fragmentation. Our proposal for Plot B04, The Edge, follows the plan’s principles by turning boundaries into connections. The plot contains three main parts: a western residential building (B04a), a central hotel (B04b), and eastern residential houses (B04c). Each volume is further broken down into smaller addresses, avoiding a monolithic block and creating a fine-grained urban fabric.

The skyline steps in response to context: lower next to the Desfourský Palace, rising to a 31 m hotel peak with a rooftop bar, then descending toward the east with terraces. Facades adapt to their surroundings: a calm, classical north-facing street front contrasts with a more open, balcony-rich southern face overlooking the promenade. Key connections shape the project.

The Magistrála is reimagined with safer crossings and a stair linking it to the promenade. Two passages cut through the block—one central and prominent, one smaller in the east—ensuring permeability. Along the promenade, public uses activate the corners, mixed live-work spaces fill the middle, and private terraces sit closest to housing. Landscape, greenery, and art tie these layers together.

The design of Block B4 is the result of collaboration between two renowned studios with international experience. Our proposal is located at the edge of two worlds. Our vision encompasses the contrast between the smaller historic city and the large scale of the railway corridor. The buildings on the border between two worlds connect the city on many levels. The contrast between different scales and atmospheres is the inspiration for the layered design.

The pedestrian promenade is the basic reference element of the design, reflecting the dynamics and large scale of the site. The promenade inspires the houses themselves, their residential character is supported with generous arcades and an active parterre line. The project seamlessly connects to Na Florenci Street. We see the integration of both scales as an opportunity to strengthen the connection between different parts of the city and create a place that represents Prague’s past while shaping its future.

The architecture of the buildings reinforces their purpose of becoming a kind of gateway into the area, an iconic landmark that stands out in the context of the highway while humbly integrating with the smaller scale of the locality. An important layer of architecture is nature. We develop this motif and weave nature into the architecture. We strive to improve the complex microclimate and support biodiversity.