Bronze Architecture, Building and Structure Design · 2026
Villa Horizon Private Residence
- A' Design Award 2026 Bronze Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- CLIENT: Eklekt Atelier
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 6,217
- Verification code F75D35DFC8 · Verify this award
About Villa Horizon Private Residence
Villa Horizon is a contemporary private residence structured around an indoor swimming pool that defines its architectural and spatial core. Embedded within a grounded stone base, the pool operates as a horizontal axis, visually connecting the entrance driveway with the private garden. Above, an elevated pavilion accommodates the main living areas and opens toward panoramic views of Krakow and distant mountains. The project achieves equilibrium between mass and transparency through a disciplined two level sectional composition, integrating structural precision with spatial continuity.
Przemyslaw Cepielik's Villa Horizon Private Residence engages the enduring architectural dialogue between shelter and prospect, rootedness and extension, enclosure and transparency that has animated residential design across cultures and centuries, demonstrating particular resonance with the horizontal vocabularies pioneered in early twentieth-century prairie architecture while interpreting these precedents through contemporary material sensibilities and spatial philosophies that prioritize lightness, permeability, and landscape integration; the residence achieves compositional sophistication through the strategic deployment of cantilevered volumes that appear to float above a darker recessed base, creating a visual paradox where substantial mass reads as weightless extension, this technical accomplishment requiring precise structural engineering concealed within the architecture's clean surfaces, the extended rooflines providing both functional weather protection and formal drama, their dark metallic finish creating graphic silhouettes against sky while the warm masonry volumes below establish human scale and material warmth; chromatic restraint throughout the design demonstrates sophisticated color intelligence, the limited palette allowing material textures and geometric relationships to command attention without chromatic distraction, the interplay between cool industrial grays and warm natural tones creating subtle temperature contrast that enlivens surfaces without fragmenting the unified architectural statement, while vertical timber screens introduce rhythmic texture and shadow play that modulates the facade's otherwise clean planarity; the integration of building and landscape reveals thoughtful site response, the manicured lawn and carefully positioned ornamental elements establishing a cultivated ground plane that extends the architecture's geometric ordering into the surrounding terrain, the overhanging tree canopy in the upper left providing organic counterpoint to orthogonal built forms and suggesting seasonal change within an otherwise timeless composition, the paved approach creating processional experience from public arrival to private threshold; the work invites contemplation of how contemporary residential architecture continues to negotiate between privacy and openness, between the shelter that defines dwelling and the transparency that connects interior life to natural cycles and distant horizons, between the anchoring weight that provides psychological security and the levitating gesture that expresses aspiration and freedom, suggesting that the most successful domestic architecture achieves equilibrium among these competing desires, creating spaces where inhabitants might feel simultaneously protected and connected, grounded and elevated, enclosed within thoughtfully proportioned volumes yet visually extended into landscape and sky.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Villa Horizon is composed of two clearly defined volumes: a solid stone base and a light upper pavilion. The lower level is set into the terrain and contains the indoor pool positioned along the main axis of the house. The water surface is visible from both the entrance driveway and the private garden, creating a visual connection across the plot. Above, the elevated pavilion opens toward wide panoramic views through generous glazing, combining weight and lightness in a balanced composition.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Total Area: 564 sqm
Location: Krakow Poland
Design Year: 2024
Status: In Development
The house is organized into two functional layers.
Ground Level includes indoor pool, cinema room, guest suite, entrance hall and garage integrated into the terrain.
Upper Level contains living, dining, kitchen and sleeping areas oriented toward panoramic views.
The central water axis remains visible from both driveway and garden fronts. - Tags
- residential architecture, contemporary villa, horizontal architecture, panoramic residence, indoor swimming pool, sectional design strategy, landscape integration, stone and glass architecture, elevated pavilion house
- Production Technology
- The lower level is built in reinforced concrete and finished with natural stone, allowing the house to merge with the terrain while enclosing the pool within a controlled thermal environment. Particular attention was given to moisture management and structural coordination. The upper level uses a steel reinforced frame with large span glazing. The structure was carefully optimized to maintain slender proportions while ensuring stability and durability.
- Design Challenge
- The key challenge was to achieve a strong horizontal presence without visual heaviness. Integrating the indoor pool within the structural base while keeping visual continuity between driveway and garden required careful sectional planning. Long structural spans in the upper pavilion were refined to maintain clarity and efficiency.
- Project Duration
- The project started in 2024 in Krakow Poland. It is currently in development with ongoing architectural and structural coordination.
- Operation Flow
- The house is experienced through vertical movement. Entry takes place at ground level, where the indoor pool forms the central organizing element. Circulation unfolds around the water core, linking entrance and garden. Moving upward, the atmosphere shifts from enclosure to openness, ending in unobstructed views over Krakow and the surrounding landscape.
- Research
- Type of Research: Architectural spatial investigation.
Objective: To explore horizontal composition through sectional strategy while integrating an indoor pool as a spatial axis.
Methodology: Site analysis, view studies, proportional modeling and structural span optimization.
Result: A two volume system combining grounded mass with elevated transparency.
Impact: Demonstrates how a clear sectional concept can integrate wellness functions without disturbing the landscape. - Inspiration
- The project originated from the decision to position an indoor swimming pool at the core of the house. Due to climatic conditions in Krakow and the family background in pool construction, water became the main architectural generator. The limited plot offered panoramic views, leading to the suspension of the main living level above the pool to maximize exposure toward the city and distant mountains.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Eklekt Atelier, Villa Horizon, 2024.
Image #2: Eklekt Atelier, Villa Horizon, 2024.
Image #3: Eklekt Atelier, Villa Horizon, 2024.
Image #4: Eklekt Atelier, Villa Horizon, 2024.
Image #5: Eklekt Atelier, Villa Horizon, 2024. - Patents
- Copyrights belong to Przemysław Cepielik, 2024. All rights reserved.
Colors of Villa Horizon Private Residence
Design Interview about Villa Horizon Private Residence
Villa Horizon was conceived as a monumental horizontal gesture embedded into the landscape. The main principle behind the design was to create architecture that defines its own presence rather than adapting passively to its surroundings. The project explores the tension between solidity and openness, mass and transparency, discipline and lightness.
The inspiration came from modernist architecture, Mediterranean spatial culture and the timeless clarity of classical composition. At the same time, the project was deeply driven by functionality and spatial experience. Every element of the house was designed to create emotional calmness, panoramic openness and a strong connection with light, water and horizon.
The inspiration came from modernist architecture, Mediterranean spatial culture and the timeless clarity of classical composition. At the same time, the project was deeply driven by functionality and spatial experience. Every element of the house was designed to create emotional calmness, panoramic openness and a strong connection with light, water and horizon.
The main focus was to create a residence offering spatial freedom, privacy and emotional balance through disciplined geometry and carefully controlled composition. I wanted the architecture to feel strong and self-assured while remaining calm, restrained and highly functional.
An important objective was creating a clear duality between the anchored stone base and the suspended upper pavilion. This relationship between heaviness and lightness defines the identity of the house. The sequence of spaces was carefully composed so that movement through the residence continuously reveals new perspectives, framed views and relationships with the surrounding landscape.
An important objective was creating a clear duality between the anchored stone base and the suspended upper pavilion. This relationship between heaviness and lightness defines the identity of the house. The sequence of spaces was carefully composed so that movement through the residence continuously reveals new perspectives, framed views and relationships with the surrounding landscape.
Villa Horizon is currently under development, and the next stages focus on material precision, structural optimization and preserving the architectural clarity of the original concept during realization.
In the future, I would also like this project to become part of a broader architectural dialogue about contemporary residential architecture rooted in restraint, proportion and emotional atmosphere rather than purely visual spectacle.
In the future, I would also like this project to become part of a broader architectural dialogue about contemporary residential architecture rooted in restraint, proportion and emotional atmosphere rather than purely visual spectacle.
The conceptual phase evolved through many stages of refinement. While the main architectural gesture emerged relatively early, the process of balancing proportions, functionality, structural logic and spatial atmosphere required extensive development.
Projects such as Villa Horizon are not created instantly. They mature gradually through observation, iteration and careful control of composition, light and spatial relationships.
Projects such as Villa Horizon are not created instantly. They mature gradually through observation, iteration and careful control of composition, light and spatial relationships.
The project was commissioned by a private investor seeking a residence defined by openness, privacy and a strong relationship with panoramic landscape. The client expected a house with clear spatial organization and a calm but expressive architectural identity.
At the same time, the project also became an opportunity to explore ideas that are central to my architectural philosophy — disciplined geometry, horizontal composition, architectural restraint and emotional atmosphere created through proportion, light and materiality.
At the same time, the project also became an opportunity to explore ideas that are central to my architectural philosophy — disciplined geometry, horizontal composition, architectural restraint and emotional atmosphere created through proportion, light and materiality.
Villa Horizon is a bespoke architectural project developed specifically for a private client and is currently in the realization phase. The design remains fully connected to the original architectural vision developed by Eklekt Atelier.
At this stage, the project is not intended for mass production or commercial replication because its identity is strongly tied to its specific landscape, spatial composition and contextual relationship with the site.
At this stage, the project is not intended for mass production or commercial replication because its identity is strongly tied to its specific landscape, spatial composition and contextual relationship with the site.
Residential architecture allows the deepest exploration of atmosphere, privacy and emotional connection between people and space. I am particularly interested in houses that function not only as buildings, but as complete spatial experiences shaped by light, landscape and movement.
Villa Horizon became an opportunity to investigate architecture as a controlled spatial system where every axis, proportion and transition contributes to emotional calmness and clarity.
Villa Horizon became an opportunity to investigate architecture as a controlled spatial system where every axis, proportion and transition contributes to emotional calmness and clarity.
The project was influenced by modernist architecture, Mediterranean minimalism and architects who work with restraint, clarity and spatial atmosphere such as Tadao Ando, John Pawson and Mies van der Rohe.
I was also strongly inspired by classical architectural composition and the relationship between architecture and horizon often present in Mediterranean landscapes. Beyond architecture itself, photography, cinema and observation of natural light also influenced the emotional direction of the project.
I was also strongly inspired by classical architectural composition and the relationship between architecture and horizon often present in Mediterranean landscapes. Beyond architecture itself, photography, cinema and observation of natural light also influenced the emotional direction of the project.
The project was designed for people who value privacy, spatial freedom and timeless architecture rooted in clarity and emotional atmosphere rather than decorative excess. It is intended for individuals who appreciate disciplined geometry, natural materials and architecture that creates calmness and connection with landscape.
What distinguishes Villa Horizon is the disciplined relationship between monumentality and restraint. The project does not rely on excessive formal expression, but instead creates architectural presence through proportion, horizontality and controlled spatial composition.
What distinguishes Villa Horizon is the disciplined relationship between monumentality and restraint. The project does not rely on excessive formal expression, but instead creates architectural presence through proportion, horizontality and controlled spatial composition.
The duality between the anchored stone base and the suspended pavilion creates a strong architectural tension, while the fully glazed swimming pool positioned along the main compositional axis becomes the emotional center of the house.
Most importantly, this is not architecture designed merely to occupy a place — it is architecture that intentionally creates one.
What distinguishes Villa Horizon is the disciplined relationship between monumentality and restraint. The project does not rely on excessive formal expression, but instead creates architectural presence through proportion, horizontality and controlled spatial composition.
The duality between the anchored stone base and the suspended pavilion creates a strong architectural tension, while the fully glazed swimming pool positioned along the main compositional axis becomes the emotional center of the house.
Most importantly, this is not architecture designed merely to occupy a place — it is architecture that intentionally creates one.
The name Villa Horizon reflects the fundamental idea of the project — architecture defined by horizontality, openness and relationship with distant panoramic views. The horizon became both a visual and conceptual reference shaping the entire spatial composition.
The name also expresses the emotional character of the residence: calm, expansive and strongly connected to landscape, light and spatial continuity.
The name also expresses the emotional character of the residence: calm, expansive and strongly connected to landscape, light and spatial continuity.
The project combined conceptual sketching, digital architectural modeling and advanced visualization tools throughout the design process. However, beyond software, the most important tools were observation, spatial intuition and continuous refinement of proportion and atmosphere.
Photography and studies of light also played an important role in shaping the emotional direction of the architecture.
Photography and studies of light also played an important role in shaping the emotional direction of the architecture.
One of the most unique aspects of Villa Horizon is the architectural dialogue between mass and lightness expressed through two contrasting volumes — the grounded stone base and the suspended upper pavilion.
Another defining element is the fully glazed swimming pool positioned at the center of the composition, creating an immersive spatial experience that blurs the boundary between architecture, water and landscape.
Another defining element is the fully glazed swimming pool positioned at the center of the composition, creating an immersive spatial experience that blurs the boundary between architecture, water and landscape.
The project was developed at Eklekt Atelier in collaboration with a multidisciplinary design team and technical consultants. The process involved close coordination with structural specialists, engineers and professionals responsible for technical optimization and realization strategy.
Because the project relies heavily on structural clarity, large-span spaces and panoramic glazing, collaboration with specialized technical experts was essential in maintaining the purity and precision of the architectural concept.
Because the project relies heavily on structural clarity, large-span spaces and panoramic glazing, collaboration with specialized technical experts was essential in maintaining the purity and precision of the architectural concept.
Technology played an important supporting role in developing the architectural clarity and spatial precision of Villa Horizon. Advanced digital modeling and visualization tools allowed careful control of proportions, panoramic openings, structural spans and the relationship between interior and exterior spaces.
At the same time, technology was never treated as the driving force of the project. The architecture is fundamentally based on composition, atmosphere, functionality and emotional experience rather than technological expression itself. In this project, technology serves the architecture quietly and precisely.
At the same time, technology was never treated as the driving force of the project. The architecture is fundamentally based on composition, atmosphere, functionality and emotional experience rather than technological expression itself. In this project, technology serves the architecture quietly and precisely.
The project was strongly influenced by contextual and spatial analysis rather than purely numerical research. Particular attention was given to panoramic orientation, sunlight exposure, topography, privacy and the sequence of movement throughout the residence.
The design process also involved studying proportions, spatial perception and relationships between mass, transparency and horizon. Material research and structural coordination were equally important, especially regarding large-span spaces, panoramic glazing and integration of the swimming pool within the architectural composition.
The design process also involved studying proportions, spatial perception and relationships between mass, transparency and horizon. Material research and structural coordination were equally important, especially regarding large-span spaces, panoramic glazing and integration of the swimming pool within the architectural composition.
One of the main challenges was maintaining the purity and discipline of the architectural composition while resolving highly complex structural and technical requirements. The project relies on large cantilevers, expansive glazing and the integration of a fully glazed swimming pool positioned along the main compositional axis.
Another important challenge was balancing monumentality with emotional calmness and functionality. Every design decision required careful control so the architecture could remain expressive and self-assured without becoming excessive or visually overloaded.
Another important challenge was balancing monumentality with emotional calmness and functionality. Every design decision required careful control so the architecture could remain expressive and self-assured without becoming excessive or visually overloaded.
Villa Horizon represents many values that define my architectural approach today — clarity, restraint, proportion, functionality and strong emotional connection with landscape. Submitting the project to an international competition felt like a natural opportunity to present this architectural philosophy within a broader global context.
International competitions also create valuable dialogue between different cultural and architectural perspectives, which I believe is important for the continued evolution of contemporary architecture.
International competitions also create valuable dialogue between different cultural and architectural perspectives, which I believe is important for the continued evolution of contemporary architecture.
Villa Horizon reinforced my belief that strong architecture often emerges through restraint, precision and clarity rather than complexity. The project deepened my understanding of how proportion, spatial sequence and controlled geometry can shape emotional experience.
It also strengthened my sensitivity toward the relationship between architecture, structure and landscape. Working on this project required balancing technical discipline with atmosphere and emotional intention at every scale of the design process.
It also strengthened my sensitivity toward the relationship between architecture, structure and landscape. Working on this project required balancing technical discipline with atmosphere and emotional intention at every scale of the design process.
Villa Horizon was never intended to be architecture based purely on visual spectacle. The project was conceived as a disciplined spatial system where landscape, light, materiality and proportion work together to create emotional calmness and timeless presence.
More than creating an isolated object, the intention was to design architecture that establishes its own atmosphere and identity within the landscape — a place defined by clarity, horizon and spatial continuity.
More than creating an isolated object, the intention was to design architecture that establishes its own atmosphere and identity within the landscape — a place defined by clarity, horizon and spatial continuity.