Double Barn: A Modern Take on Traditional Polish Architecture

Golden A' Design Award Winner Katarzyna Starzyk's Innovative Residential Design

The design inspiration for Double Barn came from the diverse and sparsely urbanized environment of Mazovia, a region in Poland. Katarzyna Starzyk aimed to create a design that respects the region's tradition while offering a modern twist. The result is a house that is firmly rooted in local tradition and adapted to the context of nature, making it both durable and timeless.

The unique property of the Double Barn lies in its functional layout. The building is divided into two interconnected blocks, giving the impression of two separate buildings from the outside. This division ensures that the building's size does not overwhelm the landscape of small single-family houses in the area. The graphite facade, made of hand-formed brick, refers to the dark pine trunks that grow in the area, while the recesses finished with light wood-like boards minimize the impression of the building's massiveness.

The realization of this design involved the use of graphite hand-formed tiles for the facades and HPL boards in a shade of light wood for the recesses and arcades. This choice of materials ensures that mainly bright elements are visible from the inside of the house, contributing to a sense of coziness. At the same time, the dark facades blend the house into the surroundings, giving priority to nature. The roof was insulated with PIR boards laid on the rafters to expose the rafters inside the house, and gutters and downpipes were discreetly hidden in the roof and inside the exterior walls.

The Double Barn offers a unique living experience. From the street, the building has few windows, providing 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, and stairs lead to the parents' area with a hobby room and a master bedroom. The second block contains the children's zone, which has been clearly separated from the parents' zone.

Designing the Double Barn posed several challenges. The main challenge was to shape the architecture in such a way that it would not overwhelm the surrounding small single-family housing with its size. This was achieved by dividing the house into two blocks and referring to the traditional buildings of Mazovia. The result is a modern approach to a traditional design that is both innovative and respectful of its surroundings.

In conclusion, the Double Barn is a testament to Katarzyna Starzyk's innovative approach to design. It is a modern, yet timeless house design that respects the traditional architecture of Mazovia while offering a unique living experience. It is a design that is firmly rooted in local tradition and adapted to the context of nature, making it both durable and timeless.