Issue 3(71)/2022

DOI: 10.5277/ARCHITECTUS

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Table of contents

Articles

Aleksander Piwek - Chapel at St. Joseph’s Church in Gdańsk

doi:10.37190/arc220301

The subject of this article is the chapel located in the former Gdańsk Carmelite monastery complex. The results of the architectural research carried out in it in 2014–2015 are presented. As a result, the time and purpose of the building’s construction were established. The original appearance and traces of later alterations were also recognised. The recesses found on the longitudinal walls, of similar dimensions, not reaching the floor, were considered to be the original decoration of the chapel. Other details, such as the original passage into the church and the west matroneum, also belonged to it. The wide cupboard recesses reaching to the floor were evidence of later changes, also linked to the function of the sacristy. Other changes include a major redesign of the interior at the beginning of the 20th century. This involved the construction of two stone pillars and the installation of vaults on top of them. Recent construction and restoration work has left exposed medieval details, some reconstructed in fragments or even as a whole. Traces of alterations considered secondary have been eliminated. The principle adopted allowed the medieval decoration of the chapel to be shown to a considerable extent for the first time in centuries. The building is one of the most interesting to be found in the city today.

Keywords:

    gdańsk

    carmelite-monastery

    chapel

    crypt

Maciej Motak - Krakow regulatory plans in the 1920s. The outline of the issues, selected cases by Marian Lenk

doi:10.37190/arc220302

The article presents the issues of drawing up regulatory plans for Krakow in the interwar period, on the areas incorporated into the city (Greater Krakow) between 1909 and 1915. The case studies are three plans made in the City Regulation Office, nearly in the same time (1925–1926). All three selected plans differ substantially one from the other by the size of planned area, various conditions, planned functions. These are: general regulatory plan for the Dąbie district (a vast multifunctional area), regulatory plan for a part of the Płaszów district (medium-sized residential ensemble), regulatory plan for the part of Wielicka Street (road and railway traffic system). Each case was characterized by the plans’ conditions, assumptions, features, as well as by the degree of implementation and the further transformations of the plan area. The analyses were carried out on the basis of the original plans, other available archival sources and using the literature on the subject. The main characteristics of the plans are summarized, including their similarities and differences. As a result of the analyses, all three plans were attributed to the same person, engineer Marian Lenk (1879–1961). The basic information on Lenk was provided in the following part of the article. The conclusion contains a comparison of the three discussed plans, which exemplify the phenomenon of regulatory plans in interwar Krakow. The more important features of the author of the plans Lenk’s urban creative work are listed, too.

Keywords:

    interwar-period

    dąbie

    płaszów

    podgórze

    krakow-planning

Wojciech Niebrzydowski - Brutalist architecture in Islamic Countries on the example of the Middle East Technical University Campus in Ankara

doi:10.37190/arc220303

This article discusses brutalist architecture in Islamic countries. The brutalist trend developed after World War II. After its emergence in Europe, it spread quickly all over the world. In the 1960s, brutalism reached northern Africa and southern Asia, and thus most Islamic countries. The aim of the article is to present the scope of this trend, as well as to indicate examples of buildings and the most significant architects in this part of the world. Turkey turned out to be a particularly important country in the aspect of the conducted research. Detailed analyses concern the campus of Middle East Technical University in Ankara, especially the Faculty of Architecture Building. The building was designed by Altuğ and Behruz Çinici, a husband and wife team of architects, and completed in 1963. It is one of the first and one of the most representative examples of brutalism in Islamic countries.      Due to the nature of the research problem and its complexity, a general method of historical and interpretative research was applied. It was based on comparative analysis of the creative ideas of architects and forms of brutalist buildings. In particular, the concepts guiding architects Altuğ and Behruz Çinici and the main elements of the brutalist doctrine were compared. The author also relied on his in situ research carried out in Turkey.      The METU Faculty of Architecture Building reflects the most important features and elements of the trend including sincerity of materials, massiveness and heaviness, articulation of internal functions, concrete gargoyles and sun-breakers. However, the architects also applied a number of individual, unique solutions, inspired mainly by vernacular architecture. One of the most important conclusions is that the Çinicis followed some ideas of the New Brutalism, an architectural theory created in England by Alison and Peter Smithson.

Keywords:

    theory-of-20th-century-architecture

    brutalism

    islamic-countries

    altuğ-çinici

    behruz-çinici

Magdalena Wąsowicz - Strategy of the Void by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture in the light of Gestalt psychology

doi:10.37190/arc220304

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the usefulness and versatility of a design method, called by the authors from the OMA studio The Strategy of the Void, and its application in the broader context of architectural and urban design. The study of this topic was carried out using a qualitative analytical method and a bibliographic research method. In order to analyze the projects and their broad context, conceptual apparatus borrowed from the gestalt psychology in architecture (in particular the works of Arnheim, Rubin and Żórawski) has been applied. It allows us to point out the connections between the formal operations carried out in the The Strategy of the Void and the impact on visual perception assumed by the architects. So far in the literature there has been no detailed analysis of how the graphic tools that Koolhaas used in his OMA projects are related to the gestalt psychology. The conceptual formal-functional scheme called by OMA architects the Strategy of the Void is presented in this paper using two projects as examples. At the urban scale, it is discussed on the basis of the 1987 Melun-Sénart new town project, which established a strategy based on connections between strategic voids in the layout. At the architectural scale, the strategy is developed in a 1989 competition project for the Grand National Library of France in Paris.

Keywords:

    architecture

    psychology-of-vision

    gestalt

    architectural-space

    architectural-graphics

Joanna Jadwiga Białkiewicz - Contextualism as a contemporary architectural design philosophy. The issue of the role of the architect based on examples of public buildings in Krakow

doi:10.37190/arc220305

The paper presents the selected examples of public buildings in Kraków, constructed between 2000–2016, which gained recognition from both local community and the architectural society. These are cultural facilities: Małopolska Garden of Arts, Centre for the Documentation of the Art of Tadeusz Kantor Cricoteka, MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art, Józef Czapski Pavilion, and Polish Aviation Museum. The common feature for all the described buildings is the contextual philosophy of designing. According to this philosophy, the context of place and the conditions deriving from it (including legal protection of historic buildings and areas) are perceived not as limitations but the source of inspiration for an architectural idea. The new building can be context-dependent on many levels, from the most literal to the metaphorical ones, both within the area of architectural form and the symbolic meanings. Thanks to the use of contextual architectural philosophy, the new buildings are raised both valuable as a contemporary contribution to the urban space and also respecting its historical character and genius loci. Contextual architecture is thus the best solution for urban spaces nowadays, especially within the historic cities with numbers of monuments protected by law, such as Kraków.

Keywords:

    contextualism

    recent-architecture-of-krakow

    design-philosophy

Rafał Oleksik - Possibility to transform a housing complex built in industrialized technology in the context of the Local Spatial Development Plan on the example of the Władysława Łokietka Estate in Wolbrom

doi:10.37190/arc220306

The aim of the article is to present a research tool, and then, based on it, to analyze the local plan in terms of transformations of a selected housing estate erected in prefabricated technology from the 2nd half of the 20th century. To create the tool, three plans were selected for cities of similar size with housing estates built in industrialized technology. It was important that they had not yet been significantly transformed. Władysława Łokietka housing estate in Wolbrom, where the Local Spatial Development Plan for the Town and Commune of Wolbrom is in force, was selected for a detailed analysis. The existing layout is neglected, however, with the potential resulting from the large number of open areas. The conclusions from the analysis allowed us to outline a vision of possible changes in the estate. Some of the provisions of the plan were criticized due to the risk of deterioration of the quality of the housing environment. The article also presents contemporary trends in the transformation of housing estates in France and Germany due to the extensive experience of these countries in this aspect. As indicated by the analysis in terms of local development plans, similarrevitalization actions could also take place in Poland.

Keywords:

    local-spatial-development-plan

    housing-estate

    revitalization

    industrialized-technology

Julia Pogoda, Joanna Majczyk - Educational spaces for students with autism spectrum disorders

doi:10.37190/arc220307

This study aims to present the relationship between the architectural surroundings and the needs of children with autism spectrum disorders in the educational environment. Therefore, it began with identifying the special needs of children with ASDs (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and the ways in which these needs are addressed in school designs carried out in the USA and Great Britain. The study also shows a few Polish attempts to create autism-friendly schools. Finally, an attempt was made to extend the paradigms of “universal design” with activities necessary to increase the comfort of using educational institutions by children with autism spectrum disorders.

Keywords:

    education

    school-design

    autism-spectrum

    inclusivity

    universal-design

Ewa Łużyniecka - The use of 2D vector studies as an architectural research stage in the era of digital spatial models

doi:10.37190/arc220308

The article tried to prove that in architectural research we will use two-dimensional linear drawings for sometime. The considerations were based on materials from research conducted in 2017–2022. Most of them are studies made under the author’s direction by a team consisting of doctoral students and students of the Faculty of Architecture of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology.      The summary states that in scientific research the basis of the message should be communicativeness and understandable publication of intermediate stages of research. In this case, avery good form of presenting indirect analyses is a two-dimensional recording of stratigraphy. To facilitate this, the term “architectural stratigraphic unit” was introduced.     Such a unit includes all architectural elements – both the building material and other parts of the building. The basic criterion for determining one architectural unit is the simultaneity of the formation of components.

Keywords:

    education

    school-design

    autism-spectrum

    inclusivity

    universal-design

Małgorzata Bartnicka - Determining the optimal distance between buildings based on the solar altitude angle to facilitate appropriate illumination in residential interiors in accordance with current legislation

doi:10.37190/arc220309

The article touches upon the subject of the availability of sunlight in residential interiors. The distance between buildings is one of the crucial factors responsible for the penetration of sunlight into interiors. The optimal distance can be calculated algebraically and to determine the output data it is sufficient to know the location of the obscuring building in relation to the north.      The aim of the article is to propose an alternative way to check the access of sunlight without the need to create a 3D model and computer simulation. Using the presented method, it is possible to determine the optimal distance between buildings, which will guarantee no shading to the existing building.     The proposed solution derives from the graphic approach to this subject presented in Mieczysław Twarowski’s book Słońce w architekturze [The Sun in Architecture], i.e. to the so-called sun ruler. The author proposes to change the graphic plotting of the shadow into an algebraic conversion of the distance between buildings. For the calculations, known formulas for the height of the sun (α) and for the azimuth of the sun (γ) were used. As a result of the analysis of spatial layouts of buildings and the possibility of shading, original formulas for calculating the distance between buildings were derived. The obtained result reflects the proportion between the distance and height of the building (W = xH) at a specific time for the selected latitude.     The publication proves that it is possible to determine the optimal distances between buildings in an algebraic way without the need for CAD programs. The presented formulas may be used as an instrument for checking the correctness of the non-shading charts presented by investors in multi-family housing projects. At the same time, these formulas can be used to calculate the approximate height of the proposed building depending on the expected distance between that building and existing buildings.

Keywords:

    distance-between-buildings

    n–s-orientation-of-the-building

    solar-altitude-angle

    h/w-ratio

    access-of-sunlight

Anna Jaruga-Rozdolska - Artificial intelligence as part of future practices in the architect’s work: MidJourney generative tool as part of a process of creating an architectural form

doi:10.37190/arc220310

The article presents an overview of how the MidJourney generative script based on artificial intelligence works for its potential use in architectural practice. The purpose of the research is to present the potential of the tool in the context of supporting creative processes. The discussion of the performance of the script was carried out on the basis of the author’s research resulting from work conducted with the tool; clear examples are the basis for introducing the reader to the mechanics of the script’s operation and pointing out cases in which the process bears the hallmarks of the ability of correct autonomous thinking. The result of the research, not merely a description, but visible also in the digital images generated by the script included in the article, shows the full potential of the tool. On the basis of these findings, its usefulness in architectural design practice was analysed.

Keywords:

    generative-art

    artificial-intelligence

    architectural-concept

    midjourney

Kees Christiaanse, Joanna Jabłońska - The diversity and porosity in urban design – works by Kees Christiaanse

doi:10.37190/arc220311

Contemporary urban design deals with numerous challenges ranging from providing an interactive and sustainable living environment to addressing social disparities and disruptive conditions, like the post-Covid condition or the energy transition. Architectural and public space quality should focus primarily on fostering community-building and social interaction. Another challenge poses the inability of government bodies and building legislation to keep up with the expedited innovations in mobility systems and construction and material technology by the private sector. In the work of Kees Christiaanse and his office KCAP, through projects like the GWL-housing project in Amsterdam, HafenCity in Hamburg, the Olympic Legacy in London and Jurong Lake District in Singapore, these challenges were synthesized in an inclusive way. This article is based on talks with the architect and urbanist and reveals specific design and procedural approaches to equip the urban fabric for today’s and future users’ needs.

Keywords:

    kees-christiaanse

    hafencity

    urban-design

    city-planning