Press Release
Katarzyna Starzyk Receives the Bronze A' Design Award for Hilltop Homestead Single Family House in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Katarzyna Starzyk recognized for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 22, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Hilltop Homestead Single Family House by Katarzyna Starzyk, designed for APAKASTA Studio of Katarzyna Starzyk, has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Bronze A' Design Award Means
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
Regarding Hilltop Homestead Single Family House
Hilltop Homestead presents a house arranged as two barn inspired volumes linked by a glazed passage that forms a courtyard between them. The plan organizes the home into zones for living, leisure and rest. A double height living area opens toward the garden and connects with outdoor spaces. Additional areas include a spa with pool and rooms for recreation. Parts of the house may adapt to changing needs over time. The layout maintains a clear relation between the building, daily activities and the surrounding landscape, while guiding movement along the courtyard axis.
About Katarzyna Starzyk
Katarzyna Starzyk is a Polish architect with nearly twenty years of professional experience gained in recognised architectural studios, including Fiszer Atelier 41 in Warsaw and Paris. She has been a member of the Mazovian Regional Chamber of Architects since 2009. In 2015, she established her own architectural practice in Warsaw, initially focusing on interior design before gradually expanding into architectural design of single-family houses, multi-family residential developments, and service buildings.
Award Record
Katarzyna Starzyk is a winner of 2 A' Design Awards, including this recognition. The awards span the editions from 2022 - 2023 to 2025 - 2026 of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award
The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Entries typically include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. Awarded architectural projects are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/architecture
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/181980
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/181980
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!181980
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/340416
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://apakasta.pl/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Hilltop Homestead Single Family House
- Function
- Single Family House
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Dark Slate Gray, Gainsboro, Black, Dark Olive Green and Dim Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- APAKASTA Studio of Katarzyna Starzyk
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Katarzyna Starzyk
- Country
- Poland
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #181980
Credits
- Image Credits
- Visualisations and renders credits: Piotr Packanik
Design Details
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Realization and 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.
- Operation and Interaction
- 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.
- Project Duration and Location
- 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.
- Specifications
- 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.
- Keywords
- Modern barn, homestead, family house, countryside architecture, contemporary barns
