30Designed by ra15, Exceptional architecture of the Crystal was designed in the Czech studio ra15 under the leadership of Labor Hrdou?ek and architect Radek Lampa. The 14-story office building with 13,650 sqm of a rentable area has one of the best addresses in Prague – located in the popular area of Prague Vinohrady.

The area itself is very interesting from an urban point of view. The Vinohradská street is formed from the southern side by typical urban blocks of residential houses from the second half of the 19th century, keeping the same height of the cornice. The other side of the street is defined in a mild slope by the green areas of the Ol?any Cemetery. The urban block connected to the Crystal was originally unfinished, opening into a small square. On the other side of the square, there is located a distinctly high building. Photography: Vojt?ch Zikmunda
The Crystal completes the urban block and adds the third (and last) façade to the square. The height of the building is somewhere between the other two buildings adjacent to the square. The shaping of the form is strictly based on the surrounding area and respect all the buildings around. The attic is bent according to the height and shape of the neighboring houses. Moreover, the upper part of the Crystal is designed not to decrease the quality of daylight and sunlight of the newly formed courtyard in the middle of the urban block. While developing the form, the architect worked with models of different height...