Past and Present Applications of Lightweight and Heavyweight Construction in the Housing Industry in Poland and Sweden: Future Prospects for Sustainable Development of Civil Engineering

The main aim of this article is to present the genealogy and prospects of the ecologically sustainable housing industry in Poland in lightweight construction such as wood, which is considered to be the most ecologically sustainable according to the Life Cycle Analysis methodology. The specific objective of the text is to present model solutions for Poland for sustainable housing industry. The research was carried out using historical analysis and a case study strategy. The article describes the pioneering ideals of housing development in lightweight technology, with designs examples from Polish architects of early modernism Leon Dietz d’Army, Helena and Szymon Syrkus and their inspirations drawn from Western Europe. The second part of the article presents modern methods for balancing the environmental impact of concrete, which currently dominates the Polish multi-family housing market. Sweden is indicated as a model for the development of the Polish housing industry in wooden technologies.