Built from conviction. Not from a catalogue.
Soleta was founded in 2013 by Cătălin Butmălai with a single conviction: that a home should be good for the people inside it, honest about the materials it uses and light on the land it sits on.
- 86+
- Homes built
- 12+
- Years of craft
- 6
- Countries
- 40
- Craftspeople
- 97%
- Organic materials
- 2013
- Founded
Cătălin Butmălai
Founder & Design Director
Cătălin Butmălai spent sixteen years designing and building timber homes before founding Soleta. A graduate of the Faculty of Computer Science in Cluj, he came to architecture through invention — not convention. His early work in post and beam and hand-hewn log construction gave him a material knowledge that most architects never acquire.
In 2011, working within the Justin Capră Foundation for Inventics and Sustainable Technologies, he began developing what would become the Soleta ZeroEnergy One — the first prototype of a home that could produce at least as much energy as it consumed. The prototype launched in Bucharest in 2013 and was covered by The Guardian, Daily News, Inhabitat, HomeAdore and dozens of international architecture publications.
Soleta has since delivered over 86 homes across Romania, France, Germany, Austria, Poland and beyond. The factory in Romania employs around 40 craftspeople. The design philosophy has not changed: buildings should be good for the people inside them.
Cătălin is a disciple of Justin Capră — inventor, engineer and one of Romania's most original technical minds. From him he learned that perseverance and working in your own country are not obstacles to originality. They are the conditions for it.
"I drew the first Soleta in 2013. Everything since then has been an attempt to make the next one better."
From prototype to platform
Cătălin Butmălai begins developing the Soleta ZeroEnergy concept within the Justin Capră Foundation.
The prototype launches in Bucharest. The Guardian, Daily News and Inhabitat cover the story internationally.
Soleta homes reach clients in Western Europe for the first time.
The Central European production facility expands to meet growing demand. 40 craftspeople employed.
The current collection — Signature, Classic, Large Family, Holiday & Retreat — is launched.
Soleta's international platform launches, offering the full collection to clients across Europe and beyond.
Next step
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