You can do good architecture in Poland too! PL.architekci at the Festival of Open Architecture Studios!

Ola Kloc

01 of April '25

PL.architekci team in the studio in Poznan

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They create spaces where people live well. No wonder, since the studio is a second home for them, full of family atmosphere and good ideas. During the 11th edition of the Festival of Open Architecture Studios, Bartłomiej Bajon and Katarzyna-Cynka Bajon will tour the PL.ARCHITEKCI studio in Poznań!

Broadcast of the meetings will be available on our channels

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We will start this year's Festival of Open Architecture Studios in Silesia, at the headquarters of Konior Studio(April 7 at 13.00), then we will move to Poznan, where we will take a look at the PL.architekci office(April 8 at 13.00). We will finish the event in Szczecin, at the headquarters of Analog studio (April 11 at 13.00). Live broadcasts will be available on A&B's Facebook and YouTube!

PL.ARCHITEKCI
April 8, at 13.00

After Katowice, the Festival of Open Architecture Studios will move to Poznan, where Bartłomiej Bajon and Katarzyna Cynka-Bajon will visit the PL.ARCHITEKCI studio. They started in 2005, when Poland's entry into the European Union created favorable conditions for the studio's development. They specialized in designing single-family houses, but they are not afraid of any task - whether it's a train station or a sports hall, their realizations are met with appreciation from audiences and critics.

Multifamily House

Photo: Piotr Krajewski

We hate wasting space, every space must be justified with us," says Bartlomiej Bajon. This pragmatic approach to design has provided the studio with a group of satisfied clients and a number of awards. The Slit House has been recognized twice, winning SARP's First Prize of the Year 2021 in the Single-Family Residential Building category and an honorable mention in the 2021 John Baptist Quadro Prize competition.

The Slit House

Photo: Tom Kurek

The studio's projects have also been repeatedly awarded in the competition for the Architectural Award of the Wielkopolska Region - in the 2023 edition, the Multifamily House won in its category.The following year brought two more laurels in the Wielkopolska competition; Dom A won in the Single-Family House category, while the Sports and Entertainment Hall in Książ Wielkopolski won as many as three awards - in the Public Building, Interior and Grand Prix categories.

Sports Hall in Książ WIelkopolski

Photo: Przemyslaw Turlej

What is their recipe for success? We'll find out on April 8, and in the meantime we recommend reading a short conversation with Bartłomiej Bajon and Katarzyna Cynka-Bajon, founders of the PL.architekci studio:

Interior of the studio

Ola Kloc: Where did the name of the atelier come from?

Bartłomiej Bajon and Katarzyna Cynka-Bajon: Formally, we founded the studio while we were still students (in our 4th year) in 2005. It was the time of Poland's entry into the EU and the opening of the labor market. Many Poles left then and many assumed to leave - including our friends from college. And we, plus our then partner Marcin, decided that NO - that we would show that it was also possible to do good architecture in Poland, to realize ourselves and on our own terms... Hence, to strongly emphasize patriotism and local identity we called ourselves PL.ARCHITEKCI.

House in the Forest

Photo: Tom Kurek

Ola Kloc: The studio is for us...

Bartłomiej Bajon and Katarzyna Cynka-Bajon: I think it's a second HOME. And we've always cared about this kind of home-like working atmosphere: not corporate, but partner relationships. I think this is also due to the fact that architecture is a passion for all of us - this applies to our team as well - so there is no sense of such a typical going to work. We try to treat everyone like family members, and understand their problems too... because just like in a family, everyone is different.

Home for brother

Photo: Dmitry Kalashikov

Ola Kloc: What was your first joint project about?

Bartholomew Bajon and Katarzyna Cynka-Bajon: It was a HOUSE - which was a wedding gift for my sister-in-law and brother. Done while still in college, with virtually no construction knowledge, building process, materials...but 100 percent reflecting our thinking as minimalist and functional architecture. It was a huge lesson for us - full of nerves - but it was this HOME that made us where we are.

The train station in Wolsztyn

Photo credit: Nate Cook

Ola Kloc: The dream project is....

Bartłomiej Bajon and Katarzyna Cynka-Bajon: We take a very task-oriented approach to our work - because we believe that architecture should be a response to the problems and needs of the user and the environment. We can't do a project that we are 100 percent unsure of, and it doesn't matter whether it's a small spatial form, an interior, a house or a train station. Each of these projects is a "task" to be solved... and each of them fulfills our design dream....

Modern Barn

Photo credit: Tom Kurek

Ola Kloc: Our favorite design tool is...

Bartłomiej Bajon and Katarzyna Cynka-Bajon: Without a doubt, the HEAD - this is where it all starts! From needs analysis, psychological understanding of the client to coming up with ideas. From it we derive the knowledge of how to put these ideas into practice and guide them through the entire implementation process. Because we always say that it's not an art to make gutsy visualizations, but super photos at the end - showing the whole workshop of an architect.

Ola Kloc: Does the team have any fixed habits / rituals?

Bartłomiej Bajon and Katarzyna Cynka-Bajon: By taking a family approach to our team, we try to keep these ties of ours alive. Sometimes we participate together in cooking workshops, dinners together, cultural outings or corporate - training trips. We also always - if there is an opportunity - all of us go to award ceremonies - because this is the result of the work of all of us.

House of S

Photo: Tom Kurek

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The Festival of Open Architectural Firms is an excellent opportunity to see from behind the scenes what happens every day in architectural offices and personally ask the architects and architects who work in them about issues of interest to the profession. We invite you to FOPA and the International Congress on Digital Urban Regeneration. See you there!

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