Stunning barn conversion marrying contemporary design to rustic heritage wins ‘project of the year’ at prestigious Architecture MasterPrize competition
A stunning barn conversion in the south of Poland has been recognised as ‘the project of the year’ at the prestigious Architecture MasterPrize (AMP) competition.
Decided by an international jury of industry experts, ‘The Polish Farmhouse’ by the Kraków-based BXB studio Bogusław Barnaś was awarded in the competition’s ‘Residential Architecture - Single Family’ category.
Decided by an international jury of industry experts at the Architecture MasterPrize competition, ‘The Polish Farmhouse’ by the Kraków-based BXB studio Bogusław Barnaś was awarded in the ‘Residential Architecture - Single Family’ category.
Marrying contemporary design to rustic heritage, it was the vision of the studio’s founder that saw five old buildings saved from demolition and transformed into the striking, award-winning property.
Seemingly randomly scattered, the studio sought to define the barns through their surrounding landscape, the position of the sun and the end function of the building.
The first barn, for instance, was given over as a garage space to act as a buffer separating the house from the road.
One of the barns was transformed into a living area and bedroom touting a wooden deck with idyllic rural views.
The final barn, on the other hand, was transformed into a living area and bedroom touting a wooden deck with idyllic rural views.
Finishing each with different styles of wood, this touch was aimed at lending a sense of individual character to the separate buildings.
Each barn has different styles of wood, intended to lend a sense of individual character to the separate buildings.
The studio’s Bogusław Barnaś told TFN: “When creating the individual barns of The Farmhouse, we were guided by a harmonious approach to nature, primarily by the interplay of light and shadow, terrain, existing greenery and infrastructure.
“Large, sunlit glazing has been shaded with an openwork facade, terrace roofs or dense greenery.
“Thanks to this, the house will not be exposed to excessive sunlight in the summer.
Marrying contemporary design to rustic heritage, it was the vision of the architect studio’s founder that saw five old buildings saved from demolition and transformed into the striking, award-winning property.
“Guided by the principle of sustainable development, we also made sure to preserve the valuable tree stand.”
He added: “To better integrate the building with the extremely valuable and beautiful landscape, we designed a footbridge on the first floor and platforms on the ground floor, which then adjust to the topography of the area.”
The first barn was turned into a garage space to act as a buffer separating the house from the road.
Placing an emphasis on the relationship between man and nature with reference to place, history and tradition, it is these points that Barnaś credits the viral success of the project to.
Speaking about the possible next stage of development, Barnaś said: “We enhanced the entrance with a new roof, linking back to the original wooden ornamentation of the historic façade.
“Inside, we unveiled the original redbrick material to bring out its natural beauty and the reconstructed tiled heating stove is displayed in the main, two-level space covered by a wooden roof.”
The studio’s Bogusław Barnaś told TFN: “When creating the individual barns of The Farmhouse, we were guided by a harmonious approach to nature.”
An effortless blend of new and old, its organic style has appeal in abundance.
Barnaś said: “The client understood the power of architecture. He recognized that quality doesn’t mean loud and ostentatious statements, and the end result has been a house that has a purity and depth to it that feels comforting and calm.
“It took a lot of time to create something that felt like a well-functioning house but ultimately I think we succeeded.”
