Issue 1(53)/2018

DOI: 10.5277/ARCHITECTUS

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Articles

Jacek Kościuk, Judyta Cichocka - The use of optimization algorithms in research on early medieval urban planning – the case of the Market Place in Abû Mînâ (Egypt)

doi:10.5277/arc180101

The paper proposes the use of optimization algorithms in research on the organic development of an early medieval settlement in Abû Mînâ (Egypt). On the basis of the reconstructed number of inhabitants in individual building complexes, three hypotheses regarding their interaction with a group of stores and workshops that was created in a specific location were proposed. The results of the analysis shed new light the last phase of on Abû Mînâ development.

Keywords:

    abu-mina

    egypt

    early-middle-ages

    organic-settlement-development

    optimization-algorithms

Jarosław Jarzewicz - The tracery in the cathedral’s choir – an avant-garde form in the architecture of 13th-century Wrocław

doi:10.5277/arc180102

The topic of the article is the morphological analysis and interpretation of the traceries of the choir of the cathedral in Wrocław. The tracery of the east window of the presbytery is particularly interesting, in its couronnement appears a nine-lobe open rosette of a “drop” shape. There is no other tracery of this kind or a close analogy which would be dated prior to the time of the creation of this window (before 1268). Its complicated and unusual form prompts us to ask a number of questions – about its authenticity, its dating or genesis, and its place in Gothic architecture. The material structure was reconstructed after the destruction of World War II according to the pre-war state, which probably corresponded to the medieval shape. Based on the analysis of forms, it can be stated that the builders operating in Wrocław were familiar with the latest developments in the design of traceries, among others, that of cathedrals of Paris, Amiens and Cologne. As in the case of sculptural details, there are no stylistic delays in relation to the leading centers. The tracery of Wrocław, whose main motif is a nine-lobe open rosette, is not a passive reception of western influences and achievements, but a highly individual creation based on a thorough mastery of the geometrical way of design by an architect searching for original solutions. Unconventional, innovative creations appeared simultaneously in Minden and in Pforta, however, these are parallel phenomena and not the prototypes for the Wrocław design. Their common sources are the centers of Gothic architecture in northern France.

Keywords:

    tracery

    gothic-architecture

    cathedral

    wrocław

Andrzej Legendziewicz, Karol Błaszczyk - Research on the architecture of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish Church in Szprotawa

doi:10.5277/arc180103

The article presents the history of the creation and transformation of the parish church in Szprotawa from 13th until the 20th century. The introduction discusses the source references and the accesible literature – in a small extent discussing the evolution of the temple architecture. Based on architectural studies and details analyses, the most important phases of the church’s transformation have been identified. The origins of the building were erected in the 2nd half of the 13th century, when a temple composed of a rectangular choir and a three-span nave was erected. Probably in the 1st half of the 14th century, a tower with a chapel on the ground floor was built by the northern wall and in the middle of the century, the body was extended from the south by three chapels and a porch in front of the northern entrance. The 2nd half of the 14th century brought the creation of a porch connecting the church with the Madeleine convent. The highest storey of the tower with blanking was built in the middle of the 15th century. The construction of the present three-nave seven-bay hall structure without a separate choir with a polygonal bypass and vaults and a two-tiered sacristy was probably carried out in the years 1474–1488. After this year, two chapels: of Our Lady of Sorrows and the Passion of the Lord were built by the south elevation, and at the northern one – the Holy Cross chapel. And in 1516 the following were built: Gethsemane, Dungeon and Detenction, and a lodge for the Madeleine sisters. The Renaissance transformations included narrowing of the entrance to the chapel on the ground floor of the tower, and the Baroque changes – a new interior decoration of the Holy Cross chapel, breaking through for the present entrance on the axis of the main nave, building the organ’s choir and the new tower’s helmet. In the middle of the 19th century, the decoration of the gable was changed and the western porch was introduced.

Keywords:

    silesia

    architecture

    middle-ages

    church

    szprotawa

Bogna Ludwig - Illusionistic relief as a design technique in the modern facades. Time of Renaissance

doi:10.5277/arc180104

The article presents the use of techniques borrowed from sculpture of the Renaissance time – bas- to high-relief in architectural projects. The concept of the “architectural relief” (rilievo architettonico) as a method of articulating the facade was introduced by Giulio Carlo Argan to the critique of architecture. Considering the origins of the term relief, the use of this technique in the Renaissance and Baroque and comparing it to the changes in architectural forms in the facades of buildings in the modern ages, we may conclude, that the evolution of specific relief techniques in composing the architectural detail on the walls of the buildings can be considered as the basis for many of the changes in the architecture of that time. By analyzing the works of the Renaissance which used this method for architecture we can indicate the basic moments of changes, which in most cases coincide with the crucial periods in the history of architecture. In the text it was endeavoured to demonstrate the adequacy of such a form of architectural criticism to describe the achievements of the modern architecture.

Keywords:

    modern-architecture

    perspective

    renaissance

    design-technique

Marta Rusnak, Wojciech Fikus, Joanna Szewczyk - How do observers perceive the depth of a Gothic cathedral interior along with the change of its proportions? Eye tracking survey

doi:10.5277/arc180105

The study of how people perceive an interior of a Gothic church was inspired by ideas of Juliusz Żórawski. The paper presents an attempt at verifying Żórawski’s views concerning people’s reactions to such medieval buildings. The research was carried out by means of a stationary eye tracker, which made it possible to register the movement of eyes of the participants. 142 volunteers took part in the tests. Each of them looked at five different visualizations showing the interiors of French cathedrals from the 12th and the 13th century. The images showed interiors of various height and length. The aim of the research was to determine which architectural elements make it most probable for the observers to perceive the depth of the main aisle when changes are made to the interior’s proportions.

Keywords:

    eye-tracking

    cathedral

    perception-of-architecture

Anna Myślińska - Pet cemeteries in Poland

doi:10.5277/arc180106

This article deals with the topic of animal burial sites. The problem was discussed referring to the territory of Poland against the background of examples from abroad. Modern pet cemeteries have been created in our country for a short time, and their issue has not been discussed in any detail so far. Despite the fact that animal cemeteries are a relatively new phenomenon in Poland, it is already possible to notice their typical spatial features.     The author, who deals with issues in the field of architecture on a daily basis, tries to describe and evaluate the pet cemeteries from the following angle of interest: location, spatial layout, parcel size, unification, and, on the other hand, the individualization of graves. In the course of the study of the phenomenon of cemeteries for animals in Poland, it turned out that the unsatisfied emotional need is the main driving force behind their formation, so an important element of the work became the analysis of their genesis and form of ownership of pet cemeteries.

Keywords:

    pet-cemetery

    animal-cemetery

    pet-burial

    animals

Łukasz Simiczyjew - A pragmatic look at Strzecha Akademicka as an archetypal high mountain shelter in the Giant Mountains

doi:10.5277/arc180107

Strzecha Akademicka is one of the oldest and best known shelters in the Giant Mountains. The author of the article tries to answer the question of whether in the era of relaxation, based on the maximization of experiences and stimuli, Strzecha Akademicka together with other shelters are able to attract new tourists. Searching for the answer, he presented the history of building, its reconstructions, raised legal problems and related to the status of the facility, as well as the expectations of modern tourists. After such an analysis, he attempted to conclude that, with optimal cooperation of administrative offices, the facility could be adapted to the ergonomic fulfillment of current and new functions.

Keywords:

    strzecha-akademicka

    high-mountain-shelter

    giant-mountains

Barbara Widera, Jacek Kościuk, Rafał Czerner - Docent Jadwiga Sławińska – Honorary Professor of Wrocław University of Technology

doi:10.5277/arc180108

This paper presents an outline of the unusual history of the life and work of Professor Jadwiga Sławińska, from the moment of her birth in Łódź, through her dramatic escape from the ghetto and difficult fate in post-war reality, up to the outstanding success in the field of scientific and didactic achievements, related to the years that she devoted to the university work. Jadwiga Sławińska graduated in architectural and philosophical studies. She was a widely respected researcher of the history and theory of contemporary architecture as well as the creatress of a new school of architectural aesthetics practiced as a field of the theory of culture. For her students and PhD candidates she will always be a beloved teacher. The article describes the most important scientific and didactic achievements of Professor Sławińska. Personal memories about this excellent personality from the academic community were shared by students, associates and friends of Madam Sławińska.

Keywords:

    aesthetics

    contemporary-architecture

    philosophy

    methodology

    interdisciplinarity