Hilltop Homestead Primary Function: Inzu y'Umuryango Umwe by Katarzyna Starzyk

Hilltop Homestead Primary Function: Inzu y'Umuryango Umwe by Katarzyna Starzyk is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze in Igishushanyo cy'Ubwubatsi Competition Category.

BuronzeUbwubatsi· 2026

Hilltop Homestead Primary Function: Inzu y'Umuryango Umwe

by Katarzyna Starzyk

Client: APAKASTA Studio of Katarzyna Starzyk

Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze Winner in Ubwubatsi Category

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The Design

About Hilltop Homestead Primary Function: Inzu y'Umuryango Umwe

Book Text: Hilltop Homestead itanga inzu iteguriwe nk'ibice bibiri byahumekewe n'ikiraro cy'ubworozi bihujwe n'inzira y'ikirahure ikora ikibuga hagati yabyo. Igishushanyombonera gitunganya inzu mu turere tw'ubuzima, ukwidagadura n'ukuruhuka. Ahantu h'ubuzima hafite uburebure bubiri hafunguriye ku busitani kandi hahujwe n'ahantu ho hanze. Ahandi hantu harimo spa ifite piscine hamwe n'ibyumba byo kwidagadura. Ibice by'inzu bishobora guhinduka bihuye n'ibyifuzo bihinduka mu gihe. Iteguramarambara ryubahiriza umubano usobanutse hagati y'inyubako, ibikorwa bya buri munsi n'ibidukikije, mu gihe iyobora ivugurura ku murongo w'ikibuga.

The Recognition

About the Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze

Hilltop Homestead Primary Function: Inzu y'Umuryango Umwe ni uwegukanye Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze, ishimwe ry'agaciro gakomeye ritangwa ku bishushanyo by'indashyikirwa birangwa no guhanga, ubwenge n'ubushishozi. Abegukanye Buronze ni ibihangano bifite ubuhanga bwinshi kandi bihanga cyane, bishimangira uburambe, ubwenge n'ubushobozi bw'ababihanze. Hilltop Homestead Primary Function: Inzu y'Umuryango Umwe biteganyijwe ko izaba ikintu cyubahwa, gishimwa kandi gikundwa, gifite ubunyamwuga n'udushya. Iki gishushanyo cyegukanye Buronze gikoresha uburyo bwiza mu buhanzi, ubumenyi, ubushushanyo n'ikoranabuhanga kandi kirarenze mu gutaha ku tuntu duto. Hilltop Homestead Primary Function: Inzu y'Umuryango Umwe ishimisha ibyo dukeneye, ikora ku byifuzo byacu, itwara amarangamutima yacu kandi ikurura amatsiko yacu.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The project consists of two barn style volumes connected by a glazed link, forming a private internal courtyard at the heart of the homestead. The 510 square meter layout includes an 8 meter high living area, a children’s wing with a recreational attic, a private parents’ attic suite, a spa zone, a courtyard pool and an extensive garage system. One volume is designed for future adaptation into a fully independent 90 square meter apartment, ensuring long term flexibility.
Dimensions & Packaging: The homestead provides a total floor area of 487.01 square meters and a footprint of 555.53 square meters, situated on a spacious plot of 10 517 square meters. It is composed of two barn-style volumes linked by a glazed connector, featuring an inner courtyard with a swimming pool, a spa zone, a double garage and a freestanding three-car garage. The layout also allows one building to be transformed into a fully independent 90 square meter apartment, ensuring long-term adaptability.
Tags: Modern barn, homestead, family house, countryside architecture, contemporary barns
Production Technology: The design was developed through a functional division into two modern barn style buildings connected by a glazed link. The concept emphasizes spacious interiors, large glazing, covered terraces and a protected courtyard with a pool and spa zone. The planning strategy allows future conversion of one volume into a standalone 90 square meter apartment. The project focuses on spatial clarity, flexibility and coherent organization of external and internal areas.
Design Challenge: The main challenge was to fit a 510 square meter program into a clear layout that follows the natural elevation of the site. Dividing the design into two volumes linked by glazing enabled efficient functional planning and a homestead character. Ensuring future adaptability led to the option of creating a 90 square meter independent apartment while maintaining coherent outdoor spaces and a strong visual axis.
Research: The project explores how modern barn architecture can organize the living space of a large family on a spacious, elevated rural plot. The design examines functional zoning, the use of separate volumes connected transparently, and the creation of a private courtyard as the organizing element of the homestead. The flexibility to convert one building into an independent apartment further supports long term usability. The research focuses on achieving clarity, comfort, and adaptability while maintaining the typology of a contemporary countryside residence.
Inspiration: The design was inspired by the ambition to create a contemporary homestead for a family with three children on a large, elevated plot in Radwankow Krolewski. The site’s spacious, natural setting led to the concept of two modern barn style buildings forming a functional and harmonious whole. The aim was to reinterpret the rural atmosphere through clear zoning, generous spaces and a strong relationship with the surrounding landscape.
Project Duration: Design work was completed in 2024, while the construction of the house began in 2025. The project is located in Radwankow Krolewski, Poland, on a spacious plot positioned on a natural elevation, which strongly influenced the arrangement of the homestead and the organization of its functional zones.
Operation Flow: Circulation is organized along a visual axis leading to a tree integrated into the terrace roof, establishing spatial hierarchy. A glazed connector links the two volumes while maintaining their independence. Outdoor areas including the terrace, courtyard, pool and spa extend the living space and form a continuous sequence of functions. Clear zoning separates parents areas and children areas, while a covered passage enables sheltered movement between the garages and the house.
Patents: Copyrights belong to APAKASTA (APA Katarzyna Starzyk)
Team Members: Katarzyna Starzyk
Image Credits: Visualisations and renders credits: Piotr Packanik