Issue 2(34)/2013

DOI: 10.5277/ARCHITECTUS

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Articles

Małgorzata Chorowska, Piotr Błoniewski - Niesytno Castle in Płonina in the architectural survey conducted in 2011–2012

doi:10.5277/arc130201

The oldest phase of the castle Niesytno in Płonina, dated hypothetically at the 14th–15th century can be named the rocky castle. Its lay out was irregular and composed of two parts. The upper part occupied the summit of a large rocky hill and was closed with a stony wall of an S shape, stretching between two rocks. There, its living area was found. The lower part was situated approximately 10 m below. It consisted of a bailey of a kidney shaped plan surrounded by a fortified wall. The east wall of the lower section climbed onto another rock peak and turning north-west formed a kind of a flanking tower there, of a shell type. This was an active defensive element, which guarded the only entrance to the castle. There was a wooden bridge on its way, surmounting the first dozen meters difference at ground level, and a threshold with the height of 4 m at the end. Next to the original gate there were also relics of a loophole.   The unique part of the second phase of the castle Niesytno in Płonina, which can be dated to the 15th century was an octagonal dwelling tower with a sharp edge. This tower is really outstanding in Poland because of the remains of two storeys of the so called warm halls. The tower stood on the peak of the rocky castle and took its entire upper part. Below the tower, on its north and north-west side, a whole system of fortifications was built  to protect the access to it, including the encircling wall (mantle type), the bottleneck gate and fortifications encircling the lower bailey which was increased twice in relation to the court yard, from phase 1. The sharp ridge of the tower was turned towards the east to protect the original entrance to the castle. The defensive system of the tower consisted of two covered battle galleries. One was located on the 3rd storey which corresponded to the level of the lower warm hall and surrounded the tower from three sides – south, west and north. In the south. On the south side it expanded strongly into a small polygonal plateau. The upper parapet walk (the hoarding) was situated on the 6th storey and overhung the edge of the tower. The entrance to the lower warm hall was embraced by a stone portal and was located over the most steep part of the castle mountain and could be reached from the lower gallery. Stone walls of both chambers were originally covered with wooden logs which ensured a good thermal isolation. Also, the upper chamber ceiling was made of full wooden logs.   The castle was enlarged by a new double wing gate building which provided a better defense and improved the living conditions of the crew. The turn of the 15th and 16th centuries brought a significant expansion of the residential area of the castle. The old tower was no longer good enough for comfortable living. A new, large, three storey side wing was added to the gate house. It was supported by the east part of the defensive wall and also by the north curve of this wall. Despite the construction of a Renaissance mansion in 1545 in the lower castle bailey, the old medieval house was still used intensively, as was evidenced by incorporating tiled stoves and a kitchen. In the 17th century the octagonal tower gradually lost importance as compared to the Renaissance mansion which fully satisfied the residential and representational need. In the 18th century the octagonal tower was probably no longer inhabited as its roofing was in a state of advanced ruin.

Keywords:

    castle

    dwelling-tower

    warm-hall

Henryk Brzozowski COr. - Silver architecture, namely Baroque tabernacles preserved within the current borders of the Republic of Poland

doi:10.5277/arc130202

The article describes fi fteen tabernacles in the Baroque style, preserved in the area of Poland. Owing to the constructive diversity in the presented group, two separate categories were selected. The fi rst one is comprised of tabernacles having a wooded framework totally covered with a silver plate or a plate created of any other metal. The second category includes tabernacles constructed on the base of a wooded framework, and only in one case with the usage of a stony basement, adjusted to the exposition and decorated with metal plaques and ornaments. The presented tabernacles are created as a form of minor architecture, referring in their shape to sacral buildings, and they exist as two different types. The first type is represented by one-storey and one-axis tabernacles containing only the repositorium, which is a place used in storage of the Eucharistic reserves. The second type is comprised of two-storey constructions, where the bottom one functions as the repositorium, and the top one is the expositorium, functioning as the exposition throne for the Holy Sacrament. Apart from the liturgies of the exposition of the Holy Sacrament, the cross is also presented in this place. The types which are built breadthways are distinguished by the copiously decorated side bays, resembling the facades of the temples or the altar bases. Iconographic programs of tabernacles, taking into consideration their functions, concentrate on the secret of meaning of the Eucharist. In the semantic message tabernacles refl ect the new grave of God, the Grace Throne, the Ark of the Covenant, and also the Tent of Meeting. In times of intensive questioning of the doctrine of Christ’s presence in the consecrated bread, tabernacles played the role of the sign of the Roman Catholic faith in the real, true and substantial presence of Christ in the Eucharistic Sacrament.

Keywords:

    eucharist

    tabernacle

    goldsmiths’-circle

Agata Bieleń-Ratajczyk - Eduard Petzold – the creator of picturesque landscape parks

doi:10.5277/arc130203

Eduard Petzold was a 19th century landscape architect, author of numerous park and garden facilities referring to the picturesque trend of the landscape style. His works, despite their value, are little-known. His name is most frequently associated with Count Hermann von Pückler-Muskau, creator of the Muskau Park, where Petzold learned his craft. Although the designer’s professional life was for many years related to this park, he also created many other facilities, among others in today’s Germany, Poland, Netherlands, as well as Austria, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Turkey. His works include both facilities designed for private persons (such as mansion parks or villa gardens), and municipal parks. Petzold is considered the author of 174 projects. It has been confirmed that around 90 of them have been accomplished. Many of Petzold’s park and garden facilities have not been studied so far. It particularly concerns the ones located in Silesia. There is an urgent need to research the Silesian works of this landscape architect, which would allow revalorizing the facilities he created and restoring his position in the history of garden art.

Keywords:

    eduard-petzold

    landscape-style

    picturesque

Anna Szendi - Landscape painting as an inspirational tool for the art of gardening of 18th and 19th centuries

doi:10.5277/arc130204

The 18th century was manifested in the art of gardening by passion for an irregular system, unfettered worship of nature, return to nature. These trends grew on a foundation of aesthetic and philosophical transformation, fascination with the antique and the Far East culture, and landscape painting, fullfi lling ideas of Arcadian myth. A particularly important aspect of this phenomenon was the evolution of the role of landscape in the art of painting, which raised it to the rank of an independent subject and although it was treated in an idealized way, it provided an opportunity to draw attention to its natural beauty. Scenes from views of Lorrain, Poussin and Rosa became a pattern in the development of landscaped gardens. It became common practice to invite artists to collaborate in the establishment of garden composition, or to be inspired by their works in order to obtain the appropriate visual effect. Thus formed picturesque landscaped gardens where you can see elements borrowed from the canvases of painters.

Keywords:

    landscape-painting

    landscape-gardens

    the-iconography

Michał Pelczarski - About shaping the structure of Katowice Spodek-arena roof. Considerations from interviews with Professor Wacław Zalewski

doi:10.5277/arc130205

This article is about the methods of designing economic floor and roof structures based on the work of a circular bending plate, supported conti nually at the edge. A spectacular result of such considerations was the first tensegrity system defined by Prof. Wacław Zalewski which contributed to the set of solutions accessible to engineers and architects as the first solution of which later a patent was taken for the tensegrity type of group. The article also shows the final solution of the roof structure of the Spodek hall.

Keywords:

    spodek

    tensegrity

    structural-behaviour-of-circular-slab

    circumferential-moments

Anna Bać - Laboratory of sustainability – model university building in Vancouver

doi:10.5277/arc130206

The idea of development that balances the social, economic and environmental factors has significant influence on contemporary architecture and issues of architectural design. In many countries, especially the highly developed ones, sustainability becomes a fashionable approach. Societies manifest high awarness of human impact on the environment, causing a need to search for solutions in design and architecture, which have the least negative impact on our habitat. This paper presents an overview of a sustainable building, raised within the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, on the west coast of Canada. The building is intended to serve as a teaching, research and demonstration facility. Solutions adopted within it, concerning energy and water management, building materials and greenery design, are an example of architecture, which has a positive impact on the environment and is an interesting architectural idea at the same time.

Keywords:

    sustainable-architecture

    demonstration-building

    vancouver

    canada