<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The geometry of organic forms shows that nature is an expert in the field of form, architecture, art, and construction. The analysis of forms found in nature allowed architects, engineers, and mathematicians to transfer the language of nature into engineering and architectural structures. The article presents solutions for geodesic domes made of an innovative system of self-supporting structural and architectural panels for the ReSa mobile recreational facility, which is the subject of research work by a team of scientists from the Faculty of Architecture of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology. Furthermore, an analysis of geodesic domes based on the construction of self-supporting sandwich panels was presented in correlation with the geometric heritage of Richard B. Fuller and contemporary trends in the construction of lightweight portable structures with a recreational function. The functional systems of geodetic panel shells were reviewed and the research was based on the creation of an original system of geometric efficiency indicators using the comparative method.
</abstract>

Wrocław University of Science and Technology

Geometry and nature. The use of geodesic domes for mobile recreational facilities – modeling and prototyping

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During the lockdown period, the quality of the residential environment determined by accessibility of primary public services and green spaces became very important. In the global discussion, the concepts of chrono-urbanism, which define the optimal distance to different services per unit of time, have become widely discussed.
This paper aims to assess the quality of the residential environment of selected Warsaw housing estates regarding accessibility to primary public services and green spaces in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and the 10-minute neighbourhood concept. The study analysed 21 Warsaw housing estates in terms of accessibility to public services, commerce and green space within a 10-, 20-and 30-minute buffer. The results indicate that housing estates built before 1989 have better accessibility to selected services than newer ones. The most differentiating criterion for housing estates was the provision of internal greenery. In contrast, accessibility to facilities and green areas was, apart from the two housing estates, good or very good. This conclusion demonstrates the importance of conducting analyses on the provision of internal greenery in housing estates.
The high rates of Biologically Active Areas (BAA) in the newly adopted local development plans may indicate positive change, although we cannot yet speak of a trend. However, they may suggest a growing awareness of the role of green spaces in maintaining the health and well-being of residents, and the lessons learned from the pandemic will further reinforce this process.
</abstract>

Ph.D. Eng. arch., Department of Geodesy and Cartography

Ph.D., Department of Geodesy and Cartography

Accessibility to public services and green areas in Warsaw housing estates in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and the 10-minute neighbourhood concept

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In recent years, a slow change towards prefabrication has been observed in the construction sector. An increasing amount of construction work is done off site. The benefits of such arrangements are noted, as it results in the construction of better-quality buildings and can lead to lowering a project’s overall carbon footprint. These changes concern every stage of construction and nearly every material solution, including external walls made from concrete panels. The objective of this study was to develop and present a classification of concrete prefabricated elements in terms of their structural properties and to determine which of these elements are most often used in the design of housing. The study found that structural sandwich elements and cladding panels were among the most popular technologies.
</abstract>

L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University

PhD. arch., Department of Architecture and Urban Studies

Classification of Precast Concrete Façade Elements Used in Contemporary Residential Buildings

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This paper presents the results of a study on the perception of the ideal place of residence for modern man, based on a multi-faceted analysis of the competition entries submitted to the international urban planning and architecture competition <italic>Re-Imagining the Garden City Design Ideas Competition</italic> organised in 2018 by the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation in Letchworth (UK), as an attempt to search for a modernised version of the garden city, but analysed and evaluated through the prism of contemporary knowledge of ecology, sustainability and urban self-sufficiency. The analysis of the conceptual work made it possible to identify what elements and directions are currently considered to be the main and most relevant to human and environmental well-being, and which of these will form the basis for creating a new quality of urban living space that meets not only the needs of people, as inhabitants, but also nature and culture.
</abstract>

Searching for a new quality of living - a contemporary vision of a garden-city based on The Re-Imagining the Garden City Design Ideas Competition

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As the number of construction projects increases, space in the city is becoming more and more scarce and a commodity in short supply. Historic areas are often the most saturated urban fabric, where there is no space for new development. Additional housing volume can usually be obtained as superstructures of existing buildings. Due to erection of new buildings in the areas valuable in terms of culture, a city may be plundered and devastated.
The article answers the question of how contemporary superstructures, conversions and adaptations of roof spaces are made for utility purposes. Various ways to shape roofs, as well as the main conditions of heritage conservation and spatial features that limit the freedom of development are discussed in the article. The article is supplemented with a specification of how the attic architectural layout influences the value of properties located on the top floor.
</abstract>

Transformations of the roof space of Warsaw tenement houses in terms of economic profitability and the issues of protecting the historic cultural landscape

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London was one of the most important centres for developing brutalist architecture. The ideas of the trend emerging here, including linking life and architecture, directed attention of architects to social issues and housing architecture. They developed many types of habitats and residential buildings, including skyscrapers. The main aim of the research presented in the article is to determine the impact of the aesthetic and social ideas of brutalism on the architecture of London’s high-rise residential buildings. The research consisted of analyzes of the seven most representative projects from 1955-1977. On their basis, characteristic formal and spatial solutions as well as aesthetic effects resulting from the principles of brutalism were indicated. In addition, the systematics of common spaces for establishing neighbourly relations was presented. The result of the research is also a typology of brutalist residential skyscrapers built in London.
</abstract>

London residential skyscrapers as an expression of the aesthetic and social ideas of brutalism

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This paper discusses the search for a new quality of housing environment in the housing estates designed and built by Witold Cęckiewicz in 1961–1983. This was a special period in the history of the formation of the urban fabric in Poland after the Second World War. It involved a departure from the prevailing Socialist Realist city planning concepts toward contemporary Modernist solutions. They were, on the one hand, ideologically open to residential development immersed in greenery and oriented to the needs of residents, but in practice were limited to impoverished spatio-functional layouts with lowered standards, caused by economic and technological determinants. Witold Cęckiewicz’s unique explorations are worth analysing, remembering and using in the further evolution of architectural thought.
</abstract>

Searching for new spatio-functional housing estate solutions of Witold Cęckiewicz’s designs and projects

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The coordinated experimental and design activities presented in this article are dedicated to the topic of design for people with disabilities. They involve two dimensions. The first and most significant is to draw the attention of future designers and current Interior Design students to the challenges in using space encountered by people with disabilities. To achieve this, sensitization training (workshops) was conducted through simulated disability experiences. Personal experiences and the identification of real difficulties in accessing the surrounding space served as a starting point for design activities: solutions for residential spaces intended for use by people with disabilities in Milan along Via De Amicis. The projects were carried out in collaboration with the Politecnico di Milano as part of the Collaborating Classroom initiative, aimed at jointly achieving educational goals in different parts of the world using a shared digital environment and information and communication technologies (ICT). The basis for interior development was architectural projects created by students within Design Lab1 under the guidance of Prof. Marco Lucchini. The subject of the architectural project was a five-story residential building, in which some units were fully adapted for wheel-chair users, crutch users, or blind individuals. Changes, modifications, and improvements made by the students were based on individual experiences of simulating disabilities through the execution of organized tasks outlined in a proprietary accessibility questionnaire (Table 1, 2). Observations of movement, overcoming obstacles, using toilets, and other pieces of furniture were used to create non-obvious functional-spatial solutions linked to design solutions from the field of interior design and design.
</abstract>

prof., Dipartimento di Architettura e Studi Urbani

Sensitization of designers to the needs of people with disabilities. Application of experiences in residential interior solutions in Milan

AHEAD OF PRINT

Volume 46 (2024): Issue 1 (March 2024)

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Środowisko Mieszkaniowe/Housing Environment

The journal 'Housing Environment' is an international periodical that has been published since 2003. It focuses on research related to the housing environment, which is understood as the fundamental living space and activity area for humans, satisfying their psycho-physical needs. The journal's aim is to connect architectural and urban aspects of living spaces with spatial planning, urban sociology, aesthetics, information technologies, and other scientific fields that influence contemporary housing environments. The housing environment is described as a space composed of both living and non-living elements that impact and are processed by humans. The physical shape of this space influences the well-being of its residents, addressing their need for safe shelter, psychological and physical comfort, hygiene conditions, a sense of belonging, a clean environment, and contact with nature. The journal is particularly interested in research concerning new phenomena in the architectural and urban design of living spaces, multidisciplinary activities that support research on the quality of the housing environment, the functioning of residential areas in modern cities, and solutions to dysfunctional problems related to the housing environment, such as those associated with climate change. The editorial team encourages the involvement of students in scientific work, and each issue of the journal publishes student design projects  Archiving Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections. Plagiarism Policy The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process. 