Karel Prager and the Cooperative for the Construction of Family Houses with Studios

The book presents a collection of eleven houses designed by Karel Prager, built by a cooperative mainly composed of visual artists in Prague-Braník between 1970 and 1976. The publication meticulously documents not only the project itself, its concept, and the design of each house, but also, through the example of the formation and work of one specific cooperative, the practice and financing of the cooperative form of construction against the backdrop of legislative, economic, and social changes at the end of the sixties. It thus places the entire construction in the context of the time, as well as an expanding text dedicated to the cooperative method of implementing group family houses in connection with housing policy and the centrally planned economy of the former Czechoslovakia. The book is enriched with a wealth of previously unpublished period photographs. A photo essay by Peter Fabo conveys the specific atmosphere of the complex.

Editors: Michaela Janečková, Irena Lehkoživová
Texts: Michaela Janečková, Irena Lehkoživová, Eva Novotná
Photo essay: Peter Fabo
Graphic design: Adéla Svobodová
160 pages, first edition
Published by the Archive of Fine Arts, Kostelec nad Černými lesy, 2020
ISBN 978-80-906754-6-9
This edition was supported by: Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, Capital City of Prague, State Fund for Culture of the Czech Republic, Foundation of Czech Architecture