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DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Katarzyna Starzyk Is Honored with the Golden A' Design Award for Double Barn House in Architecture, Building and Structure Design

Katarzyna Starzyk acknowledged for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 20, 2023 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Golden A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category for Double Barn House by Katarzyna Starzyk, designed for A.P.A. Katarzyna Starzyk. The award was conferred within the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Golden A' Design Award Means

The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.

About Double Barn House

Double Barn is a contemporary house located in the suburbs of Warsaw, designed for a family of four. The challenge was to create a modern, yet timeless house design, referring to the traditional architecture of Mazovia and adapting to the context of nature. In order not to overwhelm the surrounding single-family housing with its size, the house was divided into two interconnected blocks. From the inside of the house, mainly bright elements of HPL boards are visible, which makes it feel cozy. At the same time, the dark façades made of graphite tiles blend the house into the surroundings.

About Katarzyna Starzyk

Katarzyna Starzyk is a Polish architect with nearly twenty years of professional experience gained in recognised architectural studios, including Fiszer Atelier 41 in Warsaw and Paris. She has been a member of the Mazovian Regional Chamber of Architects since 2009. In 2015, she established her own architectural practice in Warsaw, initially focusing on interior design before gradually expanding into architectural design of single-family houses, multi-family residential developments, and service buildings.

Award Record

This recognition makes Katarzyna Starzyk a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award

The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Entries typically include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. Awarded architectural projects are published at https://designers.org/design-category/architecture

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
Double Barn House
Function
House
Category
Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Discipline
Spatial Design
Industry
Architecture
Colors
Cornflower Blue, Sienna, Dark Slate Gray, Dark Olive Green and Saddle Brown
Images
5
Client
A.P.A. Katarzyna Starzyk

The Recognition

Laureate
Katarzyna Starzyk
Country
Poland
Recognition
Golden A' Design Award
Edition
2022 - 2023
Design ID
#147705

Credits

Image Credits
Photo credit: Piotr Krajewski

Design Details

Unique Properties
The functional layout of the building has been divided into two interconnected blocks so that the size of the building does not disturb the landscape of small single-family houses. From the outside, both parts give the impression of two separate buildings. The graphite facade made of hand-formed brick refers to the dark pine trunks that grow in the area. The impression of the massiveness of the dark body is minimized by recesses finished with light wood-like boards.
Inspiration
The house for a family of four is located on the suburbs of Warsaw, surrounded by scattered single-family housing. The area is sparsely urbanized and the neighboring buildings are very diverse without a predominant style. A question arose, what is the regional architecture of Mazovia and how to find it in this environment? The aim was to settle the project in the context of the region, respecting its tradition, but in a modern version.
Research
Double Barn is a designer house, but at the same time durable and timeless, because it is firmly rooted in local tradition and adapted to the context of nature.
Challenge
The challenge was to shape the architecture in such a way that it would not overwhelm the surrounding small single-family housing with its size. Hence the idea of dividing the house into two blocks and referring to the traditional buildings of Mazovia. It is a modern approach to a traditional design.
Realization and Technology
The facades were finished with graphite hand-formed tiles, while the recesses and arcades were covered with HPL boards in a shade of light wood. Thanks to such a procedure, mainly bright elements are visible from the inside of the house, which contributes to the impression of coziness. At the same time, the dark facades blend the house into the surroundings, giving priority to nature. To expose the rafters inside the house, the roof was insulated with PIR boards laid on the rafters. Gutters and downpipes have been discreetly hidden in the roof and inside the exterior walls.
Operation and Interaction
From the street, the building has few windows, thanks to which it provides intimacy to the residents. The main entrance leads through a glass hall overlooking the garden to a two-story living room. Large windows are oriented to the south-west side of the plot. Stairs lead to the parents' area with a hobby room and a master bedroom. Then, through the passage, to the second block containing the children's zone (rooms, bathroom, hobby room), which has been clearly separated from the parents' zone.
Project Duration and Location
Design work lasted from 2018 to 2019. Construction work began in 2019 and was completed in 2022. The house was built in the Polish village of Komorow Wies, surrounded by forests, meadows and a river.
Specifications
Total floor: 351,61m2, Foot print: 272,82m2, Site area: 1373m2
Keywords
Home, barn-house, modern barn, residence, detached house, Polish architecture

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