The complex consists of four buildings from 4 and a half to 6 floors. They will house shops and cafes, the headquarters of the developer - housing cooperative Carl Zeiss (Jena is the "homeland" of this company, and its factory is still located there), and 29 apartments ranging from 60 to 120 m2. New buildings will be erected in the old town, near the Market Square, next to the oldest house in Jena, the former inn "Zur Sonne" of the 14th century. This architectural monument gave the name to the new complex and in a certain sense forms part of it: Carl Zeiss bought this building, plans to renovate it and adapt it for new functions - a restaurant will open on the ground floor, offices will be arranged above, and two apartments under the roof itself (until recently "Zur Sonne" was in desolation for some time, but already in 2011 it should reopen).
The Sonnenhof complex, despite the emphatically modern, even “futuristic” language of its architecture, takes into account the nature of its surroundings: the buildings facing the Market Square are “smaller” than the buildings on Löbdergraben street, the architect tried to avoid the monolithic volumes and silhouettes, and also arranged his buildings around a small square, which imitates a "pocket" of free space typical for a traditional medieval city in the middle of dense buildings. This courtyard and the walkways located between the buildings will provide pedestrians with convenient movement around the block, linking adjacent lanes together. The pavement of the new square will be made in the form of polygonal sections, repeating the solution of the facade. The stripes dividing them in some places will turn into volumetric objects that act as lamps, benches, flower beds, which should make the square a full-fledged public space.
