A nine-story apartment building, and right next to it... The Krakow Philharmonic. Residenza Belcanto is a new building that will be constructed in the immediate vicinity of the planned Philharmonic building at the Grzegórzeckie Roundabout. Will this prestigious location result in high-quality architecture? And will the apartment building serve as a backdrop to the Philharmonic, as the Kraków chapters of SARP and TUP feared last year?
We already know what the residential building will look like—it will be built near the Grzegórzeckie Roundabout and the plot where, according to plans by the Marshal’s Office of the Małopolska Province, the new headquarters of the Kraków Philharmonic is to be constructed. Residenza Belcanto—as the building has been named—is a project being developed by the investors Q3D Group and Semaco Invest Group on Kazimierza Kordylewskiego Street. What will Residenza Belcanto offer residents, and what will it look like?
Residenza Belcanto — lobby
© press materials
Residenza Belcanto: Apartments with a View of the Philharmonic
At this point, details about the building are rather limited. We know it will have 9 floors (10 above-ground stories) and an underground parking garage. Residenza Belcanto will feature over 100 apartments of various sizes and layouts —ranging from 1- to 5-room units, with areas from 29 to 145 square meters. The largest apartments will be located on the top floor, offering attractive views of the city that residents can enjoy from spacious terraces. Renderings provided by the developer also reveal that the ground floors may house commercial spaces. Residents will have access to a fitness area, a sauna, a lobby, and a reception desk.
Residenza Belcanto will be built near the Grzegórzeckie Roundabout and the planned Kraków Philharmonic
© press materials
new apartment building on Kordylewskiego Street
Residenza Belcanto will be a relatively simple structure, the main part of which will be built on a nearly rectangular floor plan. In the renderings of Residenza Belcanto, in front of the main part of the building—set back from Kordylewskiego Street—there is a ground floor level that will most likely house the aforementioned commercial spaces. The triangular ceiling above it is covered with a green roof, thanks to which residents of the upper floors will not have to look out their apartment windows onto a technical floor or a dark-gray membrane. Greenery will also partially cover the roof of the main residential section of Residenza Belcanto. On the north side, a small, four-story structure will adjoin the main part of the building, stepping down toward the west.
Residenza Belcanto — a 9-story building will be constructed on Kazimierza Kordylewskiego Street in Kraków
© press materials
The facade facing Kazimierza Kordylewskiego Street will be almost entirely composed of large glass panels, alternating with deep loggias. The varied surfaces of the terraces and their supporting balustrades will counteract the monotony of the facade’s composition, which is set within an orthogonal grid. The vertical articulation will vary depending on the height, and the northern corner will be gently rounded. The building will be clad with structural, grooved panels. On the upper floors, the grooves will run parallel to ground level, while on the first three floors, the grooves will be vertical. At this time, we do not know what form the facade facing the planned Kraków Philharmonic will take.
Residenza Belcanto — the building’s roof will feature spacious terraces offering panoramic views of Kraków
© press materials
Residenza Belcanto is being built for people who are looking for more space, high standards, and a comfortable lifestyle in the city center. In creating the design, we wanted to draw on the Italian tradition of excellence—proportion, precision, and timeless elegance. This is evident in the architecture, the choice of materials, and the common areas: the reception, lobby, sauna, and fitness area. “This is a project for people who are looking for a place tailored to their lifestyle in a prime location—in the city center and near the new Philharmonic Hall,”
— says architect Witold Padlewski, a member of the Q3D Group management board.
Residenza Belcanto — common areas with the reception desk
© press materials
Q3D Concept, part of the Q3D Group holding company, is a Kraków-based architectural firm formerly known as 3D Architekci. Led by Witold Padlewski and Paweł Koperski, the firm is responsible for numerous residential projects in Kraków — the most recent of which are the Greendustry apartment buildings, located on Romanowicza Street in Zabłocie, near Schindler’s Villa and the factory situated behind it.
Residenza Belcanto — fitness area
© press materials
Will the apartment building on Kordylewskiego Street cast a shadow over the Kraków Philharmonic?
If Residenza Belcanto were just another residential building, like so many being built in Kraków, this article could have ended with the previous paragraph. The point is, it isn’t. Information contained in the press release, as well as the triangular shape of the Platinum office building visible in one of the renderings, reveal that Residenza Belcanto will likely be built on a plot of land belonging to the former “Trefl-Kraków” Card Factory “Trefl-Kraków” at 3 Kazimierza Kordylewskiego Street. We had heard about plans to build a residential complex at this location long before the developer revealed the name and intended design of the building.
The matter gained widespread attention in March 2025, shortly after the Marshal’s Office of the Małopolska Voivodeship revealed that the area around the Grzegórzeckie Roundabout would be the site of the new headquarters of the Kraków Philharmonic. Less than a month earlier, the “Grzegórzki-Centrum” Local Spatial Development Plan “Grzegórzki-Centrum,” which permitted the construction of a 35-meter-tall building in the immediate vicinity of the Philharmonic, on the lot where Residenza Belcanto is to be built. The new planning document was consistent with the previously submitted application for a building permit for a 10-story structure.
At the time, objections were raised by both the media and the Kraków branches of SARP and TUP, institutions whose activities focus directly on the quality of architecture and urban planning.
[...] The Kraków Branch of SARP wishes to point out that the construction of a building as prestigious for the City and the Province as the Philharmonic requires an appropriate setting that will not dominate it, will not compete with it, but will harmonize with it, highlighting its values.
— reads an excerpt from the statement by the Kraków Branch of the Association of Polish Architects regarding the protection of spatial order in the vicinity of the planned location of the new Kraków Philharmonic Hall
SARP’s statement expressed support for the content of an open letter signed by Prof. Barbara Bartkowicz on behalf of the Kraków branch of TUP. In addition to listing the threats that the planned development on Kordylewskiego Street poses to the reception of the planned Philharmonic, the Kraków Branch of the Polish Society of Urban Planners called for the purchase of the plot on Kordylewskiego Street, outlining specific measures to achieve this:
The best solution to correct the mistakes made would be to acquire for the Philharmonic the plot of land for which a building permit was issued for an oversized apartment building. The legal basis is the clear recognition of the construction of the new concert hall building as a public-purpose investment pursuant to Article 6(6) of the Real Estate Management Act (Journal of Laws 1997 No. 115, item 741) in conjunction with Article 2 of the Act on the Organization and Conduct of Cultural Activities (Journal of Laws 1991 No. 114, item 493), together with the provisions of the Act on Spatial Planning and Development (Journal of Laws 2024, item 1130).
— the letter reads.
Design of the Kraków Philharmonic—the building as seen from Powstania Warszawskiego Avenue
© Małopolska Province Office, design: Ingarden & Ewý Architekci
However, the plot has not been purchased, as evidenced by the press releases that have been circulated. What will be the actual impact of Residenza Belcanto on the Krakow Philharmonic building, which is planned to be constructed near the Grzegórzeckie Roundabout?
Design of the Kraków Philharmonic — the building as seen from Aleja Pokoju
© Małopolska Province Office, design: Ingarden & Ewý Architekci
A challenging neighborhood for the Kraków Philharmonic
According to available information, it can be expected that Residenza Belcanto will reach a height of approximately 35 meters, as permitted by the Local Zoning Plan. According to the winning design, the Krakow Philharmonic building, in turn, will be 25 meters tall. With a 10-meter difference in height, it is likely that from many vantage points in the immediate vicinity of the Grzegórzeckie Roundabout, the Philharmonic building will be obscured by the residential building rising behind it. However, the silhouettes of both buildings may compete with each other when viewed from more distant or higher vantage points—for example, from the direction of the Mogilskie Roundabout or from Grzegórzecka Street.
The Challenging Surroundings of the Grzegórzecki Roundabout
Photo: Przemek Ciępka
Residenza Belcanto will, in fact, be one of many elements that make up a complex environment—one that is not necessarily favorable for the Philharmonic. A much greater problem may be the proximity of the K1 skyscraper, known in Kraków as“Błękitek,” which rises to a height of 105 meters and in no way blends in with the nearby residential buildings—both pre-and post-war tenement houses. Will the new headquarters of the Kraków Philharmonic be able to cope with such surroundings? The designers from the Ingarden & Ewý Architekci studio have their own answer to this problem. You’ll learn more about the philosophy behind the winning design for the Krakow Philharmonic building in the upcoming September issue of Architektura&Biznes magazine.
