Malopolska Podcieniowa Chata designed by BXBstudio Boguslaw Barnaś has won the international Global Architecture & Design Awards 2021 competition in the private residence category. The award-winning building, located in the vicinity of Krakow, was inspired by Polish wooden arcaded architecture, particularly the houses standing around the market square in Lanckorona.
Malopolska's Podcieniowa Chata is inspired by traditional wooden buildings
Video: Unique Vision Studio Rafał Barnaś © BXBstudio Boguslaw Barnaś
TheGlobal Architecture & Design Awards 2021 is a competition organized by the Rethinking the Future Awards platform aimed at architects and interior designers who set trends, focus on innovation and create inspiring designs. The competition had an honorary character - there were no cash prizes. The entries were judged by a professional jury of architects, designers and artists from around the world, including: Anne Cecilie Haug (Snøhetta), Dan Howarth (Dezeen), Chiara Domenici (Chapman Taylor), Alain Gilles (Alain Gilles The Studio), Daniel Woodroffe (Studio Dwg), Peter Kuczia (Kuczia Architects).
The house won in the private residence category
© BXBstudio Boguslaw Barnaś
award for best private residence
Awards were given in more than 60 categories for example commercial, residential, public projects, interiors, iconic building, recreational building, sustainable architecture, student project, and private residence. It was in the private residence category that the first prize went to BXBstudio Boguslaw Barnaś for its Malopolska Undercroft Cottage.
Winners of the recent RTF competition included Zaha Hadid Architects, Bjarke Ingels Group & Dialog, Perkins Eastman, Page, RTKL, AHR, Aecom, Henning Larsen, CAZA, DLR Group, HKS, Behnisch Architekten, UNstudio, HOK, Gensler, HKA, LMN Architects.
The project draws on the tradition of arcaded architecture
© BXBstudio Boguslaw Barnaś
inspiration of wooden architecture
Malopolska Podcieniowa Chata is a house, located near Krakow, that was inspired by the building tradition of Polish wooden arcaded architecture.
Historic arcades shielded the front of the house from rain and the effects of the sun. The arcaded houses often formed the frontages of town squares and streets, allowing pedestrian access during rainy days. In mountainous areas, arcades followed the topography, forming arcaded staircases; an interesting example of this type of solution is the characteristic houses clustered around the market in Lanckorona.
The form was inspired by wooden construction
© BXBstudio Boguslaw Barnaś
When designing this house, we adapted to the provisions of the local plan, which only allowed the construction of a one-story house with a gabled attic. Despite the restrictive provisions, we managed to create an interesting structure of the building. We creatively used the topography of the scenic plot and separated as many as five different levels, which legally fit the definition of a two-story building," says Boguslaw Barnas.
The architects separated as many as five different levels of the house
© BXBstudio Boguslaw Barnas
five levels in a one-story house
The first floor from the entrance and garage entrance is connected to the existing ground level. Then, in the living area - the kitchen and dining room, the level drops slightly, opening up the high interiors to the nature surrounding the building. Even lower, directly at ground level, is the living room. In the central part of the living zone, where we located the fireplace, a several-stage fault is formed piercing the glass sheet, having its continuation outside.
In the open living area, the architects eliminated traditional supporting pillars
© BXBstudio Boguslaw Barnaś
The fault in the interior creates a seating area, a form of multi-level auditorium, or an unusual arrangement of guest space. Outside, it is a contemporary arcade staircase, a dynamic stylistic accent that harmoniously unites the mass of the first floor with the gabled form of the soaring attic, the architect explains.
contemporary and traditional
Fully glazed on the south side, the first floor of the house has been finished with naturally patinated and aged wood in imitation of historic arcaded houses. Meanwhile, the expressive form of the attic is covered with Ruukki sheet metal, bringing out precise architectural detailing. Gutters and drain risers hide in the roof slopes and exterior walls. The garage door has been finished with a facade material flush with the facade of the house. In the open living area, the architects eliminated traditional load-bearing columns, replacing them with a steel structure integrated with window ironwork divisions. This created an open space, glazed along the entire length of the south elevation.
The attic creates an expressive arcade
© BXBstudio Boguslaw Barnaś
Closed in the form of a triangle, covered with sheet metal, the attic creates an expressive arcade, protecting from the sun and rain. The attic on the south side houses the interior of a scenic bedroom, open up to the ridge, and on the north side a two-story study with a mezzanine on the highest fifth level.
The Little Poland Undercroft Cottage is a design house, but at the same time durable and timeless, because it is rooted in tradition. We believe at BXB studio that this makes it more than just a modern building," Boguslaw Barnaś concludes.
