THE DANCING HOUSE

Prague, Czechia

This site in Prague is the location of a building destroyed in 1945 by the U.S.’s WW2 bombing of the then German occupied city. During the Communist era, architect Vlado Milunić envisioned a project at this place, and discussed it with his neighbor, Vaclav Havel, owner of property in the area and a political dissident. Following the the Velvet Revolution, Havel became president of Czechoslovakia, and engaged Milunić to survey the site. The Dutch superbank ING agreed to sponsor the construction of a house on the site, and chose Milunić as the lead designer, only asking him to partner with a world-renowned architect. Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry was engaged. Because of the bank's excellent financial state at the time, it offered unlimited funding for the project.. Gehry and Milunić targeted a building of two parts, one static and the other dynamic, to symbolize the transition of Czechoslovakia from communism to democracy. The Dancing House shows these two parts: one a traditional building running parallel to the river, the other a glass tower supported by curved columns. The façade is detailed with undulating reveals and unaligned windows. 

The style is deconstructivist architecture. The "dancing" shape is supported by 99 concrete columns, each unique in shape and dimension. The windows have protruding frames, like a painting, to create depth. The winding moldings on the façade serve to confuse the perspective, and diminish floor height differences relative to adjacent buildings. Dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are represented in the structure: the concrete tower being Fred, strong and erect, the glass tower being ginger, delicate and supple. The large, twisted metal structure on top of Fred is the roof terrace of the restaurant - Ginger and Fred’s.