Construction is underway at 65 Chwaliszewo Street in Poznań on an exceptionally narrow building called Fifna Kamienica. Its façade will be just 5 metres wide. The term ‘fifna’ comes from the Poznań dialect and means something sleek and elegant. The development will offer 15 flats and is due to be completed in September 2027.
The plot on which the tenement is being built is squeezed between two pre-war buildings. Chwaliszewo itself was severely damaged during the Battle of Poznań in 1945, with the result that only a few buildings survived there. After the war, gaps in the built-up area were filled in, but the gap between the two tenement blocks remained for decades. It will now be filled by a slender façade facing Chwaliszewo Street.
The project is being carried out by Wille Miejskie, a company operating since 2011 and known for small-scale residential developments and renovations. In this case, the developers will construct two buildings. The front building will have seven storeys and will house 12 flats ranging in size from approximately 25 to 38 square metres. The second, more intimate building will offer three flats with floor areas of up to 51 square metres. A small courtyard with a bicycle shelter will be created between them. Due to the dense, ageing buildings and potential issues with excavation work, the developer has decided against a car park.
The most interesting aspect of the entire project is the building’s proportions. The front façade is approximately 5 m wide, whilst the structure narrows in places to 4 m. With seven storeys, this creates an effect of extreme slenderness, rarely seen amongst Poznań’s tenement houses, whose façades usually span over a dozen metres. The composition of Fifna Kamienica is based on a distinct verticality, emphasised by the rhythm of the windows and the minimisation of divisions. The architects have employed restrained means of expression, complementing their composition with motifs inspired by important women associated with Greater Poland, such as Janina Lewandowska and Klementyna Mańkowska.
Construction began in autumn 2025. Limited space and differences in the vertical alignment of neighbouring tenement houses, amounting to several centimetres, necessitate a high degree of accuracy and precision. The finished flats will feature underfloor heating, large glazed areas and aluminium window frames. A quiet-running lift is planned for the larger of the buildings. According to the developer, the layouts of the flats have been designed to make the most of the compact spaces. The entire development is due to be completed in September 2027.
Source: Fifna Kamienica
Read also:Poznań|Kamienica|Architecture in Poland|Metamorphosis
