The article presents the first pioneering attempt to shape the architectural form in the mountains on the basis of traditional architecture and its further evolution to neoregional modern form. Important here is capitalizing on the tradition and the search for new meeting methods of mountain architecture. This evolution should take place at different levels of development - from research on the forms of the original, by drawing on traditional solutions and prospecting for new solutions. In this methodology became famous Cracow design school in the landscape under the direction of Prof. Włodzimierz Gruszczyński and generations of his students, who in later years, despite the difficulties emphasized the seriousness of the debate on items subject.

This paper introduces a compelling new way to think about the education and practice of architecture. “Intelligent architecture” is founded on the basis of how the human mind perceives and interacts with the material world. Perhaps surprisingly, this scientifically-conceived process for architectural design and building leads to a more human architecture, one with a renewed respect for traditional systems of architectural design. Scientific insight into architecture’s origins and manner of conception gives us a profound appreciation of useful solutions embedded in our architectural heritage. This development reverses a century-old practice in industrial-modernist architecture, which advocated erasing the past rather than learning from it. By understanding essential human engagement with the built environment, architects are able to foster greater human wellbeing in the material structures they build.

The article discusses the architectural expression of houses built on water, based on the design process of the floating house in the Czerniakowski Port in Warsaw, designed by Mai Bui Ngoc and Rafał Mazur. The question of the form of the floating house was the starting point of the work on this project. Usually buildings are designed in a specific location, which gives architects an inspiration for the design of the new form. In the case of the floating houses the goal was to make a universal artefact as a car or a phone. This artefact should be more connected to the owner than to the landscape. This artefact should be also neutral to the landscape and it should not be destructive for the surroundings. The answer lays between two archetypes; a typical house and a boat. Analysis of the existing floating houses gave the conclusion that authors of these houses were usually very close to one of these two archetypes. It is a need to put a lot of effort to design an object which does not remind a real house and a yacht design.

The article presents the project and realization of Ivigna (in Merano, Italy) aerial cable car project designed by architect Roland Baldi. The boxed form has been boldly and confidently introduced into the surrounding mountains, despite distancing itself from standard references to genius loci of the natural landscape. This project presents an avant-garde, innovative and reliable approach to the composition of architecture in the context of a mountain landscape. Despite the severity of forms, a kind of architectural rhythm and lightness of shaping the object introduced in the context of an open space can be sense here. It is essential to seek new forms and technologies for communing with nature and culture, in order to shape interesting modernist architecture, entering the twenty-first century.

Kabbalah and architecture, dealing with quite different domains, seem to have nothing in common. And yet they often intertwine, interact, and complement one another, sometimes leading to unexpected conclusions.

Hamburg with the quantity of about 18 mlns m2 is, alongside with Berlin and Munich, the biggest office centre in Germany. The large-scale planning and urban operations with the aim of location this function in the centre have been carried out since the beginning of the '60s. The policy of deployment the ofiice sites has beez modified since then, from isolating the monofunctional area of the Modernism's spirit, to multifunctional structures interplaying with the other sites when it comes to activities' potentiality with the expansion of the large-scale urban structures. Many recent realisations abound with significant buildings that bring the avant-garde approach to the idea of an office building. The high level of building technology and the importance of ecological aspects are the important distinction. The mentioned realizations has been noticed by the architectural critics and mentioned in professional press. The pride of place belongs to the works of BRT (Bothe-Richter-Teherani), that has created many innovatory office buildings.

The essay presents an original application of using the coolhunting method to discover new trends in architecture and design. The ability to identify trends is tied in with the possibility of attaining an advantage over the competition with the use of new designs that can become hits on the market, gaining the favor of customers. The term coolhunting can be broadly defined as the pursuit of inspiration and the forecasting of the directions of development. Initially, the term was applied to fashion, but quickly spread to other spheres of activity, like music, the arts, lifestyle and finally, to architecture and design. The essay is a slightly altered and improved rendition of the author's article published in Zastosowania ergonomii. Wybrane kierunki badań ergonomicznych w roku 2014 . (ed. Charytonowicz J.), Publ. Polskie Towarzystwo Ergonomiczne PTErg, o/Wrocław, 2014, p. 289-304. The method outlined therein is the result of research conducted under the author's supervision at the Institute of Architecture and Spatial Planning of the Poznań University of Technology between the years 2012 and 2014.

Since the ’70 Vienna has taken up the political, economic and planning actions heading to make the city the significant European business centre. The mentioned above has been realised by development of the modern workplaces connected with generating, transforming, distributing and commercialising information, it is to say by developing the office and conferencing functions. The first was built the Uno-City, then it was recreated into the multifunctional business plot with the office function as the main, namely the Donau-City. With the business area of more than 11mln squaremetres, Vienna is the biggest centre of this type in the eastern part of the European Union, and within the limits of Donau-City there have been risen many interesting architectural objects. The six of them are presented in the article.

The text attempts to show the forgotten beauty in architecture. It seems, that the “drawn” architecture can reveal more than the real — built one. The avant-garde of the early 20th century killed in art the need to strive for beauty. Novelty and contemporarily advertising form of architecture are becoming the most important. However, the problem of beauty seems to be still interesting in art. Architecture is slowly departing from the functionalist way of creating, yet it cannot return to the beauty, that once was so important. It is the drawn one, carrying the message of unreality, that makes it possible to return to the forgotten approach to creation. Architects’ drawings can bring back a visionary and idealistic message.

Architecture is a discipline combining aesthetics with technology. This paper is focusing on the relationship between aesthetics and energy efficiency in architecture with special interest in solar collectors and photovoltaic panels as technological equipment of the buildings. The paper takes into consideration the present situation and architectural development in northern Poland, with some input basing on European experiences. The paper defi nes aesthetics and effi ciency in the field of architectural design as well as the use of public and urban spaces. Authors present also some case studies regarding the use of solar panels in selected architectural examples. The paper ends with summary and some conclusions including the need for further research in the field of architectural design, technology and product design, as well as the perception of urbanised spaces and the important field of economic and financial factors connected to the topic.

The paper gives an evidence that construction of contemporary objects at the interface with the historic urban space, may be a way to renew and revitalize areas which require it. Such action may be a strong and valuable catalyst for the functional and visual transformation of a given fragment of urban space. It can also contribute to the increase of social activity within it. Research shows that public facilities from the turn of the 20th and 21st century, which were built using innovative architectural technologies and constructional solutions, are the buildings which provide great opportunities to contrast with historical architecture. This can be achieved due to their significant scale and rank in the urban space. The analyzes show that design based on the principle of contrast is the right solution for the degraded historic urban space. The replenishment of the old tissue should be carried out with the emphasis on the identity of the times in which we live, without creating architecture which could literally imitate historical objects or compete with them. Because of this contrast and diversity, new fragments of the city can become a counterweight or a valuable background to the existing historical tissue. Contemporary buildings located in a historical context are not only enhancing the values of cultural heritage but can also become a grateful element of the urban space and a strong accent of modernity and innovation in the city.

The article presents the architectural heritage created as a part of the Central Industrial District in the context of the need for its preservation and protection. Presented are selected topics and problems associated with the current technical condition of both industrial and residential buildings. The analysis contain also the impact of modern conservation doctrines and their ability to preserve works of COP’s architecture with the specific conditions of ownership, poor awareness of users and owners, and a large shortage of historical planning sources.