The Solna 6 residential complex was developed in direct proximity to the Baroque monastery in Poznań, Poland. Its character and atmosphere respond in a balanced manner to the site's exceptional cultural and natural context. The softly flowing architecture of Solna 6 meanders among mature trees, deliberately abandoning the dominance of rigid geometry.
The housing development at Solna Street 6 was built on the edge of Poznań's Old Town, at the foot of the historic St. Wojciech Hill. This land has a deeply symbolic and historical significance—owned for centuries by the Discalced Carmelites, once home to cultivated monastery gardens that have long since become wild and mysterious.
Two buildings were erected on the plot, organized around semi-open courtyards. Rather than strict, orthogonal forms with gabled ends, the architects opted for a more organic shape—undulating façades weaving between the trees.
“The façades act as screens where we can observe a shifting projection of shadows cast by the treetops onto their soft texture,”
explains Maciej Miłobędzki, partner and architect at JEMS.
One of the courtyards opens toward a tree-lined avenue leading to the city, while the other faces the slope crowned by the monastery’s silhouette. These two landscape relationships were fundamental in shaping the project.
The curved façades are further enhanced by the repetition of deeply recessed window openings and continuous concrete sills that wrap around the buildings. The exterior walls were designed without the typical insulation layer—an uncommon solution in contemporary residential construction. Instead, the walls are composed of two layers of concrete with different densities and finished with a thick, light-colored plaster in a warm, subdued tone. The mass of the walls absorbs heat during the day and releases it at night, creating thermally comfortable interior and garden environments through the building’s significant thermal inertia. The high ceilings support this effect, stabilizing the indoor climate and reducing the need for mechanical systems.
“We aimed for the effect of a wall—heavy, massive, but not overly ‘polished.’ We didn’t seek perfection—on the contrary, a certain irregularity of texture, its coarse grain, was important to us as it harmonizes with the natural surroundings and historical context,”
notes Dominik Wroński, architect at JEMS and co-author of the project.
This visual imperfection posed a significant challenge for the contractor—the wall had to be simultaneously airtight, durable, and aesthetically coherent.
The interiors of Solna 6 were designed as an integral part of the architectural concept—the geometric logic of the façades and volumes continues in the room layouts and detailing. Light, which played a central role in the overall composition, gains an additional dimension within the apartments. Reflections off the light-colored walls and window reveals produce a soft, indirect illumination. Instead of stark contrast, a gentle brightness emerges, naturally complementing the flowing forms of the façades.
