The house Skyfall has a completely different character. The owner of this house wanted to combine the desire to have a comfortable living space with… “a theatrically tinged dream about an impressive film fortress inspired by the James Bond action films” (that’s how the architect described it). That was how the building composed of simple cubes topped with terraces was created. The house has a garden on the roof and the cubes have huge glass elements through which the interior is magnificently lit. In 2013, the design of The House Under the Canyon / Dom pod Jarem, a house in the Jasło commune, was created. Here the key element of the design was the lay of the surrounding land – the tree-covered canyon influenced the form of the house, which was positioned so that the house’s windows would frame views of the picturesque landscape. When Bogusław Barnaś was designing A House for an Artist / Dom dla Artysty, he integrated this building with the landscape of an area located near Kraków and devised a structure using contrasts of forms, textures and shapes to create “emotional tensions” which stimulate creativity and affect human sensibility. That is why the building’s design features a juxtaposition of smooth, glass surfaces and rough concrete as well as a juxtaposition of the horizontal line of the terrace and the zig-zag roof topping the house.
Bogusław Barnaś emphasizes that in “his designing activity he draws inspiration from native traditions, amongst others from the Zakopane style and wooden sacral architecture – log churches, and refers to the rich Polish culture as he transforms historical motifs into modern, contemporary designs”.
This was appreciated by the editorial office of the British magazine Wallpaper, which deemed Bogusław Barnaś’ studio one of the most interesting architectural practices of 2014.
Author: Anna Cymer, June 2014
Translated by: Marek Kępa