The main purpose of the author was to determine the spatial diversity of hotel base development in the regional (voivodship) system. Assuming that many factors determine the level of hotel base development in a given area, the author has used a multidimensional approach, or more precisely – a multidimensional comparative analysis in its dynamic variant. Following the adopted algorithm, a potential set of diagnostic variables was identified on the basis of secondary information sources (date of CSO local data bank), then using factor analysis to reduce it to the final set of quasi-variables (four main factors). Based on them, a synthetic measure of the development of the hotel base of particular voivodships was constructed. This in turn allowed to determine the voivodship hierarchical structure due to particular main factors and synthetic variable, with its changes in the years 2002–2017. The voivodship were also divided into homogeneous groups, according to the value of the synthetic measure of development, as well as the direction and intensity of its temporal changes.

The paper presented intends to fill up a gap in surveying the Hotelling Rule by taking a company based, microeconomic approach based on analyses of annual reports. Using selected data three fundamental hyphothesis are tested:
1) growth rate of margins (“net margins” including a capital charge) per unit realized by mining companies must exceed a rate equal to their cost of capital,
2) output shall follow deviations from the Hotelling growth line,
3) margins shall follow a path set by individually defined expected rate of return.
The analysis was based on 5 leading gold producers, responsible for ca 15–20% of global primary production, all of them public and listed on a stock exchange for the entire period of 2004–2019/2020. As margin shall grow at a rate compensating individual risk of a company in consideration, they shall not be homogenous. At 1st step industry WACC was adopted to calculate a normalized capital charge. The calculations revealed no support for Hotelling Rule. There is no evidence that over a period of above 15 years margins follow any path determined by a growing expotential function, following a compound rate. Subsequently it was checked whether output volume is corrected due to development of actual versus expected (resulting from the Hotelling Rule) margin values. Selected companies were near indifferent to this parameter while taking decisions in area of volumes supplied. Neither there is no evidence of relation between changes in output and margins. Finally, it was checked whether differences between expected and actual margins’ growth paths could be described by a linear function, resulting from consequent adoption of a risk rate component. Here neither any evidence was found. In conclusion no support for the Hotelling rule was identified.

Since the beginning of the 21st century floating buildings have been growing in popularity in Poland. According to market research and quantitative studies, the majority of operative Polish floating buildings serve for commercial purposes, such as short-term rentals, vacation houses and floating marinas. Simultaneously, despite the increasing demand, the development of floating buildings in Poland is limited by the inconsistent legislation, government policy and, most importantly, natural conditions of Polish inland waters. The most attractive sites for floating architecture are the semi-natural lakeshores and riverbanks. At the same time, low water levels and poor maintenance of many Polish basins require special architectural and engineering solutions. The article presents our experience with meeting the market’s demand for small cost-effective floating commercial buildings despite the local shortcomings of inland waters on the example of the floating apartment built in 2019 on the Roś Lake in Pisz, Poland. The presented building was intended as a water-based extension of the existing hotel on land. It was designed as a “modern barn” with all-glazed gable wall allowing for a spectacular view to the lake. With a 50 sqm footprint, the one-story house with a mezzanine has a small draft of 33 cm and meets the stability criteria defined for inland waters. The presented case study shows that integrating the naval architecture theory, Building Information Modeling simulation along with cutting-edge construction techniques such as Scottsdale Construction System (SCS) and polyurethane spray insulation, can bring significant progress into the development of the floating buildings market in Poland.

The paper presents results from social research on the Polish business representatives potentially interested in using the floating buildings. The main purposes of the study were to assess the level of knowledge about floating buildings and diag-nose stimulants and inhibitors of their development in the hotel, catering, and water tourism industry.

Combining the quantitative and the qualitative methodology, research was conducted using an on-line survey (CAWI)and Focused Group Interviews (FGI). Both involved a non-probabilistic, purposive sampling to reach a specific subgroup of the industry: owners or employees of catering, hotel or water tourism companies having or considering having a floating building. The group included both new and long-standing companies using facilities on water or with direct and indirect access to the water.

The study identified stimulating and inhibitory factors broken down into internal (context-independent) and external (context-dependent) conditions. Results show that in Poland floating commercial buildings are a niche topic but also a de-velopable one. Although 71% of the respondents notice difficulties resulting from the insufficient infrastructure and 66.5% of them indicate the lack of legal regulations, they also see the potential of floating buildings: depending on the industry, from 90 to 95% respondents find them “definitely attractive” or “rather attractive”. The most common reason for rejecting floating development is the lack of attractive moorages in the area (43.5% answers).