The
scientific journal
“Architectus” has been published since 1997 by the
Faculty
of Architecture of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology.
The originator of the periodical – initially semi-annual
–
was the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Stanisław Medeksza, who in 1996
suggested to Professor Ewa Łużyniecka establishing a journal and taking
up the post of editor-in-chief. At that time, an editorial board was
also appointed: Professor Zbigniew Bać, Professor Edmund Małachowicz,
Professor Tadeusz Zipser and Professor Stanisław Medeksza. The
publisher of the periodical was the Publishing House Department of the
Wrocław University of Science and Technology, which entrusted the
editorial care of the journal to Danuta Sowińska PhD.
The problem of the title was a
long-discussed issue.
Periodicals which were issued at that time were mostly called
scientific notebooks or research works. The aspiration of the
organizers of our periodical was to find an appropriate, short and
meaningful name which would immediately inform about the content. It
goes without saying that the idea of coining a title from the word
architect appeared instantaneously. At the beginning a Greek equivalent
was taken into account – the word architekton because
the Latin word architectus
was associated by our designing colleagues with the history of
architecture, which is not always liked. Unfortunately, at the time of
registration, it turned out that a few months earlier a periodical with
the same name was already established. As a matter of fact that
periodical did not withstand the test of time and after two years
disappeared from the market, and we continue to use the name
“Architectus”.
Detailed arrangements concerning the
character of
the periodical took almost a year. It was necessary to take into
consideration suggestions made by members of the Faculty, which often
happened to be diversified and not always possible to be agreed on.
Today, for many of us the layout and formula of the
“Architectus” seems obvious, but many years ago the
editorial ideas about the format or colour were not always associated
with the prestige of a scientific journal. In the search for a
consensus the authors of “Architectus” were guided
by the
ideas which can be found in the oldest architectural treatise De architectura libri decem
by Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (Vitruvius) who lived in around 70 BC. He
emphasized that: The
architect’s knowledge comprises many sciences and diverse
skills […].
This knowledge is born out of practice and theory
[…].
As it is with everything, and first of all in architecture there are
two elements: an object which is determined and its determination. A
determined object is a thing that is referred to; that which the object
is determined by is argumentation based on scientific principles.
Therefore, it appears that somebody who devotes himself to a
builder’s profession ought to be an expert in both of these
domains... He should master the art of writing, be a good drawer, know
geometry, have an extensive knowledge of history. He should carefully
listen to philosophers, be familiar with music; he should also have
some knowledge about medicine and provisions of law; he ought to know
astronomy and rules of celestial objects (Witruwiusz, O architekturze ksiąg dziesięć,
Warszawa 1956, s. 12).
These words – in our view
– perfectly
illustrate the multiplicity of problems which should be presented in an
architectural scientific journal. But how to organize such diverse
issues? Some of the colleagues from our environment believed that
periodicals should be thematic. However, we were afraid not to have
enough articles of similar topics and that is why we decided to include
texts containing various themes in the particular periodicals. Thus
consequently until today one issue comprises articles on theory of
modern and historical architecture as well as town planning, green area
development, aesthetics, structures etc. We also publish studies on
architectural and urban planning projects which are carried out as well
as presentations of philosophical views connected with the reception of
architecture. We also anticipated a place for presenting biographies of
famous characters from the academic and professional life as well as
awarded student works, whose supervisors were the scientific workers of
our university.
One of the initial decisions made in
1996 was the
choice of the format of the journal. Most of the contemporary Polish
scientific journals used format B5 which visually increases the volume
of publications, but in fact it does not allow to print drawings
saturated in signs and lines. It was necessary to combine specificity
of the work of our faculty and the way architects communicate, and one
of their languages is a picture. Hence we decided to choose A4.
Twenty years ago, the perception of
colour in
publications was different. In Poland a graphic expression of
scientific papers of the 2nd half of the 20th
century was simple, based on black and white illustrations and often on
not very clear photographs. This image of science – rough and
ascetic – survived for a long time. For many years there was
a
popular belief that if a journal contained colourful photographs, then
this meant it was not a scientific journal. We cherish the hope that we
succeeded in combining science with a colourful shape. Today, we
transferred colour to the Internet – the fastest and largest
platform for exchanging ideas.
The cover, which had a specific layout
and format of
lettering although each time its graphic form was different from the
previous one, became the showcase of the journal. As a result of a
student competition in 1996, a graphic design by fourth-year students
– Artur Błaszczyk and Krzysztof Faleńczyk was chosen. A.
Błaszczyk is the designer of most covers until today.
The first period of publishing the
journal covered
the years 1997–2006. At that time, articles were published in
biennials in the Polish language and always ended with a summary in the
English language. Marzena Łuczkiewicz was responsible for translations.
The total number of articles per year ranged from 16 to 30 which were
placed in the following sections: heritage, contemporaneity,
intentions, reviews, our masters, and presentations.
The following doctors participated in
the editorial
work: Magdalena Baborska-Narożny (1999), Maria Starczewska (1999),
Andrzej Legendziewicz (1999–2001) and Małgorzata Doroz (2003,
2004). The first change in the editorial board of the journal took
place in 2000. Professor Zipser and Professor Medeksza no longer took
part in its works, therefore Professor Elżbieta Trocka-Leszczyńska and
Professor Eugeniusz Bagiński took over their duties. Scientists from
outside Wrocław, i.e. Professor Andrzej Tomaszewski and Professor
Zygmunt Świechowski from Warsaw and Professor Józef
Lenartowicz
from Cracow have been the members of the board since 2003.
In the period discussed, the journal was issued
only in a
printed form with an average of 500 copies. They were made available as
a subscription and sold in “Ruch” outlets all over
the
country as well as in “Tech” bookstore in Wrocław.
Publishing House Department of the Wrocław University of Science and
Technology also conducted mail order.
Fig. 1. Papers issued in the years 1997–2006
The first change in
the journal’s formula took place in 2007. It was under the
patronage of the Polish Academy of Sciences Wrocław Branch, and the
Polish National Committee of the International Council for the
Protection on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) – reports on the
works
of these institutions are periodically published in the journal. At
that time, editor D. Sowińska handed over her duties to Anna
Miecznikowska.
In 2008, a growing interest in the
journal, in
particular among scientists from outside Poland, encouraged the
editorial office to introduce further changes. The first was the
decision to publish articles only in the English language. The next
change was the creation of an on-line form of the journal and the
launch of a website with access to full papers (archival website: www.architectus.arch.pwr.wroc.pl).
The paper form of the journal still
existed – the circulation of one semi-annual was about 500
copies.
Scientists from foreign universities
were invited to
participate in the works of the editorial board. They were: Professor
Tore I. Brandstvein Haugen from Norway (Fakultet for architektur og
billedkunst, Norges tekniks-naturvitenskapelige universitet,
Trondheim), Professor Joaquim Braizinha from Portugal (Universidade
Lusíada de Lisbona), and Professor Vladimír
Šlapeta from the Czech Republic (Fakulta architectury VUT,
Brno). Moreover, Wrocław architects, dr hab. Jerzy Charytonowicz, dr
hab. Małgorzata Chorowska, dr Ada Kwiatkowska and dr hab. Tomasz
Ossowicz also became the members of the board. Dr Ewa Cisek was
entrusted with the function of editorial secretary, whereas dr Dorota
Łuczewska was responsible for the technical preparation of articles.
At the beginning of 2009, the Ministry
of Science
and Higher Education assessed Polish scientific journals. Our journal
was included in the group of journals in the field of technical
sciences. As a result of the issues’ (2006–2008)
evaluation, the journal received 4 points. This scoring was repeated in
2010, 2011, and 2012. In 2012, the journal began to be indexed in the
international Index Copernicus database (ICI Journal Master List). The
evaluation value this year (ICI value 2012) was 5.34 points.
In 2013, there were further changes as
regards the
character of “Architectus”. Due to a growing
interest in
the journal among authors and readers, the frequency of its publication
was increased from two to four issues per year. Since then, the number
of all articles published has ranged from 36 to 40 per year. The
principle of publishing papers entirely in Polish and English or
another congress language was introduced.
The scientific council also got new
members,
including Professor Kateřina Charvátová from the
Czech
Republic (Katedra dějin a didaktiky dějepisu, Pedagogická
fakulta, UK, Praga), Hugo Dworzak from Liechtenstein (Institute of
Architecture and Planning, Universität Liechtenstein, Vaduz),
Nathalie Guillaumin-Pradignac from France (Conservateur des
Antiquités et Objets d’art. du
département de la
Charente), and Bo Larson from Sweden (Lund University). In 2015,
Professor Robert Kunkel (Faculty of Architecture, Warsaw University of
Technology), Professor Aleksander Piwek (Faculty of Architecture,
Gdańsk University of Technology) and Professor Janusz Rębielak (Faculty
of Architecture, Cracow University of Technology) joined the scientific
council.
Due to the constantly developing
computer
techniques, the on-line form has been the basic version of the journal
since 2013. At that time, the journal was introduced to several
databases, i.e. a bibliographic database registering articles and
conference materials published in Polish technical journals BazTech, a
database responsible for collecting information on quotations
POL-Index, and CEJSH and Arianta databases. It is also available in the
Lower Silesian Digital Library – a collection of digital
editorial offices, which are published by 22 universities in Lower
Silesia.
At that time, a principle of issuing
thematic issues
was also introduced. Issue 3(35)/2013 was devoted to Cistercian
architecture. In 2014, the idea of sustainable design and creation of
pro-ecological architecture became the topic of issue 2(38). In the
same year, structure and engineering aspects were discussed in issue
4(40). Architecture and urban planning of the 19th
and 20th
centuries was the topic of articles in issue 2(42)/2015. Contemporary
spatial planning became the subject of considerations in issue
3(47)/2016. Issue 1(49)/ was devoted to the assessment of functioning
of buildings in Poland and Great Britain; problems related to the
city's identity were discussed in issue 2(50)/2017; the influence of
advanced game strategies and computer simulation techniques on
architectural design and the shape of urbanized space in the era of the
IT revolution became the basis of issue 4(52)/2017, whereas the art of
looking and drawing was reflected in the articles published in issue
2(54)/2018.
The scope of works of the editorial
office has
significantly increased compared to the scope at the beginning of
publishing the journal. The duties of the team include not only
collecting articles and sending them for reviews, contacts with authors
and linguistic corrections, but also systematic preparation of
materials for many databases, supplementing the knowledge about
changing principles of evaluation as well as partial administrative
service.
The increase in responsibilities is well
reflected
in the number of people involved in creating the journal. At the
beginning, five people were connected with the editorial office, but
today the team consists of nearly twenty. Among them there are dr Jerzy
Sławski, statistical editor, architect Joanna Furgalska, editor of the
French language as well as thematic editors: Prof. Wojciech Brzezowski
(Antiques restoration), Prof. Rafał Czerner (Medieval architecture),
Prof. Alina Drapella-Hermansdorfer (Sustainable architecture), Prof.
Marzanna Jagiełło (History of gardens), Prof. Krystyna Kirschke
(Architecture of the 19th century and the 1st
half of the 20th
century), Prof. Robert Masztalski (Urbanism), dr hab. Przemysław
Nowakowski PhD (Interior design) Prof. Elżbieta Przesmycka (Contexts of
architecture), Magdalena Baborska-Narożny PhD (Industrial
architecture), Grażyna Hryncewicz-Lamber PhD (Architectural ethic),
Dorota Łuczewska PhD (Painting), Wawrzyniec Zipser PhD (Spatial
planning).
Fig. 2. The cover of the jubilee issue and a medal on the occasion of journal’s 20th anniversary
However, the core of
the editorial office consists of a few people who met in 2016 during
the celebration of the journal’s 20th
anniversary.
Since 1997, the editor-in-chief has been Professor Ewa Łużyniecka. The
tutor on behalf of the faculty was initially Professor Stanisław
Medeksza, later Professor Elżbieta Trocka-Leszczyńska, and since 2020
Professor Barbara Gronostajska.
Until 2006, the editor responsible for
the editorial
and linguistic aspects of texts was Danuta Sowińska. These duties were
taken over by Anna Miecznikowska who significantly contributes to
raising the standard of the journal and gradual increasing its scores.
Marzena Łuczkiewicz, who is an English
translator
and editor and helps with solving linguistic problems, has been
participating in the works since the beginning of the
journal’s
existence. Bogusław Setkowicz, who is a sworn translator of English,
has been cooperating with us for many years. Architect Artur Błaszczyk
was connected with the editorial office for a very long time, who
– as it was mentioned above – as a student of our
faculty
won the competition for the design of the journal’s graphic
design. A good spirit of the world of reviews is Ewa Cisek who is the
editorial secretary and the thematic editor responsible for the
substantive level of works in the field of contemporary residential
architecture. The creator and operator of our website is architect
Łukasz Netczuk who is unusually well-mannered and presents deep
professionalism. Agnieszka Orłowska is the technical editor –
thanks to her professionalism and commitment it is possible to publish
the journal on time.
For 23 years our editorial work has been
characterized by striving for meeting deadlines and taking care of the
contents of “Architectus” articles. It also taught
us that
to write well means to
make an idea visible according to Ambrose Bierce, an
American write who lived at the turn of the 20th
century. Our work also provided an opportunity for exchanging views on
all topics and resulted in developing many friendships. These works
also became a pretext for an exchange of views on all topics and
resulted in many friendships and taught us how to transform the journal.
The effect of these changes was a more
favourable
evaluation of “Architectus” expressed, inter alia,
by the
following number of points awarded by the Ministry of Science and
Higher Education in the years: 2013: 5, 2014: 5, 2015: 9, 2016: 9,
2018: 20 points. The score in the Index Copernicus database has also
increased – it is as follows: 2013: 6.31, 2014: 68.41, 2015:
74,15, 2016: 88,84, 2017: 94,00, 2018: 94,58.
For almost 25 years, the entire team has
made all
possible efforts to ensure that the journal continues to develop. Over
the past two years, we have successfully continued to publish thematic
issues. In 2019, an issue devoted to research and adaptations of
defensive structures was published [1(57)] and an issue presenting the
meeting point of architecture and art as seen through the eyes of
Polish, Spanish, and Ukrainian authors [3(59)].
The editors also make efforts to
increase the
substantive diversity of the journal and to get authors and readers
from outside Poland interested in the journal. This tendency was
reflected in the first two issues of 2020. In issue 1(61), which
discussed industrial architecture, articles by authors from Australia,
Belgium, France, Portugal and Scotland were published. Issue 2(62) was
entirely devoted to El Fuerte de Samaipata, one of the most important
monuments of pre-Columbian settlement in modern Bolivia, an object of
interest to readers from many parts of the world. This issue is
therefore addressed to the international community of researchers
dealing with both the broadly understood studies of pre-Columbian
cultures and the narrow subject of pre-Columbian rock art.
At the end of 2020, a growing interest
of foreign
readers in the journal resulted in a decision to publish texts of
articles in the English language and supplement them with abstracts in
the Polish language.
Fig. 3. Ewa Łużyniecka and ElżbietaTrocka-Leszczyńska
Fig. 4. Danuta Sowińska and Anna Miecznikowska
Fig. 5. Marzena Łuczkiewicz and Ewa Cisek
Fig. 6. Łukasz Netczuk and Agnieszka Orłowska