Issue 1(65)/2021

DOI: 10.5277/ARCHITECTUS

Download table of contents

Table of contents

Articles

Mateusz Michalski - Tikkun Chatzot – semiotics of synagogues on the example of the synagogue in Siemiatycze

doi:10.37190/arc210101

The article aims to describe the semiotic aspect of synagogue architecture in the context of liturgical texts and show the direct relationship between synagogues’ dimensions and the individual verses of prayers. The work’s subject was a synagogue in Siemiatycze, built at the end of the 18th century. The example of prayer was Tikkun Chatzot, the midnight service that emerged under the influence of Kabbalistic movements in Safed. Under the influence of 17th and 18th-century mystical movements, it became part of the synagogue liturgy in Europe.     The article presents a metrological analysis of the synagogue’s dimensions in Siemiatycze based on in situ research and the related Tikkun Chatzot prayer text’s gematric analysis. Gematria is a special kind of mysticism of the letters and is rooted in a particular way in the Hebrew language. It consists of converting the letters of words into numbers. This method assumes that letters in a word are understood as graphic signs of numbers. During the research, methods of logical argumentation, historical and analytical, and quantitative and statistical, were used.     During the research, it was possible to indicate the relationship between the Tikkun Chatzot prayer fragments and the synagogue’s dimensions in Siemiatycze. It applies to external and internal dimensions. We find expressions relating to exile and nostalgia for the temple and Jerusalem more often in the external dimensions, whereas in interior dimensions we encounter expressions praising God. At the same time, it was indicated that this relationship represents the linguistically binary character of the synagogue architecture rooted in the exterior–interior opposition.

Keywords:

    synagogue

    tikkun-chatzot

    siemiatycze

    gematria

Ewa Netczuk-Pol - The influence of the foreign invader on the shape of wooden architecture of the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century in the Lublin region

doi:10.37190/arc210102

The aim of the article was to present the influence of the Russian national architecture on the wooden architecture of the Lublin region, created at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, which was characterized by great distinctiveness. The subject of the work was to show the importance of increased Russification, which touched not only the spheres of social and cultural life, but also architecture.     The article analyzes the preserved wooden architecture from the turn of the century in the present-day Lubelskie Region. The starting material used was the available archival materials and documentation prepared for the needs of the provincial conservator of monuments (the card for the records of architectural and construction monuments) and a local inspection was made to prepare photographic documentation of the current state. Characteristic wooden buildings were used as comparative material, built at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century in Samara, Russia. The buildings have a well-documented history and are well researched by local scientists. Additionally, they are kept almost intact.     During the research, a comparative method was used for the existing wooden buildings in the Lublin region from the turn of the century with the Russian wooden buildings, mainly in terms of detail and façade decoration. It allowed us to notice the similarities between the details used in traditional wooden construction in the Lublin Province. It is especially visible in the details of the window decorations – richly decorated drip and window sills. It is an element characteristic only for the analyzed period, which confirms the thesis about the influence of the foreign invaders on the shape of architecture.

Keywords:

    wooden-buildings

    lublin-region

    russification

    turn-of-the-19th-and-20th-centuries

Marta M. Rudnicka-Bogusz - Legnica’s Grenadier Barracks as a cultural capital in the urban space

doi:10.37190/arc210103

The purpose of the article was to demonstrate that in garrison towns, barracks are a cultural capital because they are on many levels the carriers of intangible heritage and tradition related to the presence of the army in historic towns. Second incentive was an introduction to the discussion on their protection through suitable revalorization from the point of view of preserving their typological characteristics.     The article presents a synthetic description of the evolution of Legnica garrison before World War II, the development of the Grenadier barracks complex at Hutników Street in Legnica and a detailed stylistic analysis of the 19th century buildings making up the complex.     In the course of the research, it was possible to establish the determinants thanks to which the historical barracks of Legnica are not only the features of the city, its resource, but its cultural capital, i.e. a resource that can be used both materially and ideologically to build prestige etc. Legnica became a garrison town at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, which significantly affected the cultural landscape, population and real-estate market. Majestic barracks, built with state money, proved the government’s special attention and enhanced the aesthetic value of the city’s landscape. An ascetic, yet expressive style helped build an impression of the wealth of the state that founded the barracks and the clearly defined typology of complexes allowed for their immediate recognition in the urban space. A vast supply of barracks was one of the reasons why post war the military took up seat in Legnica, which is also one of the founding myths of the city. That is why it is so important that the barracks in the garrison cities are revitalized with respect to historiographic values as exemplified by the Grenadier Complex, and not rebuilt, densified or demolished. The regeneration efforts must observe the plan and architectural form of buildings, which are the hallmarks of military architecture.

Keywords:

    barrack-complexes

    revitalization-of-historic-cities

    cultural-landscape

    local-identity

Maria Arno - New functions of rural sacral buildings in the Groningen province, The Netherlands

doi:10.37190/arc210104

Religious buildings are an important element of the European cultural heritage. The aim of the article was to show that due to secularization of Europe, adaptation of religious buildings to other functions becomes a necessity. Their owners (Church institutions), architects, conservators and historians are facing the dilemma: how to preserve the building or transform it so that it can have a different function.     The article presents the issue of restoration and adaptation of historic sacral buildings to other purposes. Most Western European countries are struggling with the problem of a constantly growing number of unused churches, most of which are historic buildings of high historical and architectural value, but also of cultural and social value. This issue is particularly evident in the Netherlands, where, due to the lack of church-goers and the excessive maintenance cost, churches are purchased by private persons or institutions and transformed into cultural, residential or service facilities.     The author presented and discussed the cooperation of the Stichting Oude Groninger Kerken foundation, which, together with architectural studios, provides for abandoned religious buildings in the Groningen province. This cooperation resulted in the creation of many attractive projects for adaptation of old churches. Abandoned and rundown buildings have gained a new life. Three adaptation projects seem particularly interesting: in Garmewolde, Klein Wetsinge and Leegkerk. They were transformed into cultural, tourist, meeting and integration facilities. With their new function, the former churches contribute to the promotion of the province of Groningen, which significantly increases the attractiveness of the region to tourists.     In conclusion, it should be emphasized that the adaptation of abandoned sacred buildings is one of the possibilities to preserve the religious heritage for future generations. The optimal solution is to combine the new function with the identity of a given place, its historical, cultural and sacred value.

Keywords:

    adaptation

    former-churches

    religious-heritage

    the-netherlands

s. Anna Tejszerska uSJK - The exhibition “Village and Small Town” and the “Borderland Town” in Biłgoraj. Rescuing memory or falsifying the history of an image of a Polish traditional landscape

doi:10.37190/arc210105

The aim of the article is the presentation and critical assessment of a development called “The town on the trail of cultures” or “Borderland Town” currently created in Biłgoraj. The main subject of the research is a contemporary composition, which is a free interpretation of historical architecture, in many respects far from factual credibility, but aspiring to be a tourist and cultural destination. The idea of building these houses and commercial properties was to replicate the traditional wooden small-town architecture of the region. Alongside them, of great interest to tourists, are replicas or copies of historic public buildings and places of worship, characteristic of the ethnic diversity of the eastern areas of the First and Second Polish Republic. The emerging district was evaluated in the context of the role of architecture in building local and national identity and the danger from an educational point of view, of falsifying history. The architectural form and urban layout of the project, as well as its ideational premises wa analysed. Special attention was paid to the noble objectives that accompanied the creation of the complex, and their convergence with the intentions of the architects who a century ago shaped the forms of the Polish national style. At the same time, the negative consequences of creating a peculiar hybrid of a historicizing but still contemporary composition and a kind of open-air museum, which should be characterized by reliable compliance with the facts, were shown. This type of procedure has led to creating an illusion of an authentic historic settlement, its falsification and popularisation of a distorted image of an historic town. The work was based on in-situstudies as well as analyses of archival illustrations and textual material and research into the authentic, historical architecture of the region, which was to serve as a model for the designed complex.

Keywords:

    open-air-museum

    pastiche-in-architecture

    historical-polish-landscape

    wooden-architecture

    biłgoraj

Michał Kwasek - Conservation aspects of cast-iron platform shelters on the example of Vistula Pomerania railway stations

doi:10.37190/arc210106

Cast-iron shelters were used in the 19th century as cheaper alternatives to large platform halls. Nevertheless, they were aesthetically distinguishable from later riveted solutions. Because of their durability and continuous utility, they were not the subject of disassembly, as numerous transport infrastructure objects have been in recent decades. This article aims to indicate proper conservation practices during construction works on cast-iron platform shelters. Nowadays, most frequently, they take place during the modernization of railroad stations. As presented in this text, the approach to conservation procedures can be significantly different. The paper investigates technical and architectural solutions of selected instances of cast-iron platform shelters in Vistula Pomerania. Some references to foreign designs are also presented. The analysis of literature and archival documentation of the project, as well as the field studies, enabled us to formulate conclusions – recommendations for the proper procedure in respect of this type of object.     Cast-iron platform shelters ought to be preserved as the unique remnant of 19th-century architecture. It is recommended to use an adequately selected material during the works and to restore the artistic qualities of cast-iron structures by restoring their original paintings. The author also refers to the realization of new roofing created in the preserved historical objects’ closest vicinity. Based on the illustrated instances, he recommends efforts to maintain consistency between new or reconstructed structures and authentic 19th-century ones. Simultaneously author emphasizes the necessity of avoiding the obliteration of the distinction between them. He drew attention to the challenges of repairing cast-iron pillars, giving examples of techniques that can be applied.

Keywords:

    platform-shelters

    cast-iron-construction

    19th-century-architecture

    monument-conservation

    cast-iron-columns

Bartosz Kaźmierczak - Assistance of an expert in the participatory planning model in the area included in the revitalisation programme in view of the desired changes. Based on the example of the district of Śródka in Poznań

doi:10.37190/arc210107

This article presents the method of resolving conflicts arising around projects implemented in the area included in the revitalisation programme. The author presents the subject of social participation in the Central European context, in which the low level of social trust and the difficulty in making joint decisions in the spirit of consensus are characteristic. The aim of this article is to try to define the role of experts in the participatory planning model. The described case study allows for the assumption that in the search for the desired changes in the area covered by the revitalization program, the participation of not only stakeholders but also experts should be taken into account. Thanks to this approach, it becomes possible to articulate – often contradictory needs, which in turn increases the chances for the implementation of postulates submitted by stakeholders. Real social participation in the decision-making process regarding changes related to revitalization is possible thanks to the involvement of experts who are, in a way, “shop stewards” who guarantee not only an appropriate level of debate but also help to objectify the developed postulates.

Keywords:

    participatory-planning

    expert-assessment

    revitalization

    post-communist-countries

    central-europe

Łukasz Wojciechowski, Andreas Wolf - Unbuilt proposals for post-war Wrocław: sample digital models

doi:10.37190/arc210108

The goal of the study was to present the process and the effects of digital reconstruction of unrealised architectural projects for Wrocław. The subject of the research were the projects by renowned architects such as Jadwiga Grabowska-Hawrylak, Stefan Müller, Zenon Prętczyński, Andrzej Frydecki. The visualisations are the first attempt of digital reconstructions based on preserved incomplete archival plans. The attempt was presented as a process aimed at presenting original design ideas in new light, allowing realistic presentation of the buildings in the surroundings, they were designed for. The authors of the article tried to reconstruct the proportions of buildings, their locations, relations with context and textures they were meant to be finished with. The article presents the most intriguing aspects of the work and the difficulties of the research. The authors based their work not only on the archival projects but also on the architectural tendencies they are clearly rooted in. The presentation of the projects in the form of visualisations allows better understanding of the original architectural goals of their designers and the opens new perspective at the post-war modern architecture.

Keywords:

    post-war-architecture

    wrocław

    architects-of-wrocław

    brutalism

    digital-visualisation

    architectural-design

Marcin Brzezicki - Disturbance of transparency in the architecture of contemporary glass façades. Part 1

doi:10.37190/arc210109

Over the last two decades, new trends have emerged in the design of translucent façades. Those trends result from the dynamic technological progress and achievements in material engineering. The trends that are associated with the use of envelopes that interfere with the transmission of light through the façade are particularly interesting. This is strongly related to the significant transformation that took place in the dialectic of the building, the transformation of the “façade” into an “envelope”. The paper presents the author’s original distinction between the two most characteristic main sub-trends, distinguished based on optical phenomena occurring within the façade. The proposed division includes two main groups of disturbances: homogenous and heterogeneous. The former is present where panes of glass are used to disperse/diffuse light evenly, while the latter in façades with strong – usually printed – ornamentation. The article systematizes the issues of transparency disturbance in contemporary architecture and presents the typology of light-transmitting façades, in which this phenomenon takes place. The author also presents a matrix of relations that systematizes the presented case studies. Only this type of matrix makes it possible to illustrate an issue in which more than one variable is present. An assignment of the case studies to the trends and the determination of trend models are also included in the paper. The first part of the paper presents the introduction, methodology and simplified typology, the second one presents case studies, discussion and conclusions.

Keywords:

    transparency

    theory-of-architecture

    façade-glazing

    printing-on-glass

    coatings-on-glass

Agnieszka Kurkowska - Architecture in the field of art on the example of author’s realizations

doi:10.37190/arc210110

The aim of the article was to show the place of architecture in the space of art on the example of original projects. In the author’s opinion, architecture, using an artistic object as a means of expression, influences the process of living by showing the recipient, who is an inhabitant, important values from the point of view of creating a house that ensures a good quality of life and strengthening the understanding of both various aspects of living and elements of the house structure. The text presents original intentional projects, being the results of research work, and presents the manner and scope of their impact on the living process.     The subject of the three described projects were spatial installations using, in two cases, ideological architectural sculptures as an artistic medium. All the projects had home and habitation as their leading themes. Their task was to recall memories, strengthen the sense of identification, or recall the values supporting the said dwelling.     During the research, ideological architectural sculptures were placed in the natural landscape of Kashubia and in a block of flats. Appropriate photographic and descriptive documentation was made, constituting the basis for work according to the analytical and comparative method. An attempt was also made to conduct a survey of project participants and recipients.     The article not only presents original attempts, the considerations contained in it may also inspire non-obvious activities, combining science and art, indicating the applicative nature of the former and the essence of the latter.

Keywords:

    ideological-architectural-sculpture

    art

    architecture

    inhabitation

Małgorzata Chorowska - Medieval fortifications of Czech towns

doi:10.37190/arc210111

The review contains the discussion on the monumental catalog of medieval fortifications of cities and towns in the present-day Czech Republic by Vladislav Razím. The catalog has been published in parts by Národní Památkový Ústav in Prague since 2019. So far, parts two and three were published, which are devoted respectively to: part 2, in two volumes – to cities from the historic territory of Bohemia and Moravia, and part 3 – to the Czech part of Silesia. The first part – interpretative, will be a synthesis of the issues of urban medieval defensive architecture. Noteworthy are both the volume of the work, which includes a total of 260 catalog entries, as well as the capacity and length of the texts of individual entries, richly illustrated with the material from historical and architectural research – inventory, iconographic, and photographic. What is most important is the methodology of the research conducted, which was consistently applied in all of the developed defense objects, guaranteeing an in-depth recognition of their origins, architectural changes, functions, and spatial context. Summing up, it can be said that the literature on medieval Czech defense architecture has been enriched with an exceptionally valuable position.

Keywords:

    town-fortifications

    middle-ages

    czech-republic

    moravia

    bohemian-silesia

Andrzej Kaczmarek, Paweł Kirschke - Zero net energy public library for the San Benito County in Hollister, CA

doi:10.37190/arc210112

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the use of elements of sustainable design in public buildings in the context of contemporary architectural design solutions and zero-energy standards for newly designed buildings in California, USA. The paper presents a detailed overview of the main task of the “Architecture at Zero 2020” international architectural competition, organised by the American Institute of Architects California – a design of the San Benito County Public Library in Hollister, CA. The paper also features a detailed analysis of the competition’s outcome, with a specific focus on Andrzej Kaczmarek’s design, which was given the merit award in the competition’s student projects category. The competition resulted in the presentation of the library’s design alternatives, each suited to context-specific environmental and climate determinants and optimised in terms of energy. Andrzej Kaczmarek’s design met these requirements, as demonstrated via calculations performed using eQuest 3–64 software. The design was recognised not only because of its optimised energy balance, but also the excellence with which it satisfied the needs of local citizens and how it reflected a thorough understanding of the site’s place-based character. The library was successfully blended in with its historical context via its simple form that was partially embedded underground. The building was designed to feature an array of advanced engineering solutions intended to secure it against earthquakes and optimise its heat balance, including kinetic façades and retractable glazed roof elements, photovoltaic panels, wind turbines and Pavegen floor surfaces.

Keywords:

    zero-net-energy-architecture

    public-library

    san-benito

    ca