The process of transformation of the living environment is continuous. The evolution of civilisation brings new challenges, opens up previously unavailable opportunities, is an impetus for change and a field for experimentation. The development of urban structures/networks in the near future will be determined by the continuing population growth on a global scale and the climate change scenario, which may trigger strong waves of migration. These phenomena will require interventions, including the creation of temporary habitats.
At the global level, the sustainable development goals for housing are to ensure the availability of housing in the broadest sense and to improve the quality of the housing environment in all its elements. The idea of a sustainable housing environment is to strive for a balance between all factors relevant to the process of shaping living conditions in the place where people live. These are spatial, technical, economic and socio-cultural factors, the nature and extent of which vary from one country/region to another.
In response to these objectives, a new canon of design has been created, a series of technical, technological and material solutions have been developed that enrich the language of architectural form and detail and, importantly, reduce energy and water consumption, waste and pollution in buildings. Social relations are also changing at all levels. In recent decades, the idea of sustainable development has led to significant achievements in the fields of construction, urban planning and architecture.
The aim of the conference is to discuss the current problems of creating a sustainable housing environment and the ways of influencing the factors that determine it, against the background of the research achievements of the Chair of Housing Environment at the Cracow University of Technology. The conference will be divided into two sessions: the first session will be devoted to the aims, methods and results of the research on the housing environment carried out by the current team of the Chair of Housing Environment over the past 50 years, and the second session will be devoted to the ways of transforming the housing environment in the face of contemporary challenges.
SESSION 1:
Presentation of the research results on the quality of housing environments run by the Institute and, later, by the Department of Housing Environment.
Starting from the 1970s, the Institute and then the Department of Housing Environment conducted multi-aspect research on the quality of the housing environment. A group of practising architects and researchers led by professors Witold Cęckiewicz, later Wacław Seruga and Grażyna Schneider-Skalska, focused on the problems outlined in this way. As a result of the team’s work, many innovative studies, expert opinions, scientific publications and experimental architectural designs were created.
During the conference, a study prepared by a team of researchers from the Department of Shaping the Housing Environment of the Faculty of Architecture of the Krakow University of Technology in 2022 will also be presented and discussed: Study on the Quality of the Residential Environment of Krakow Estates, which is the first model project whose authors have undertaken such a broad topic for the entire city of Krakow.
SESSION 2:
Redefining the concept of sustainability of the housing environment in the face of contemporary challenges.
Residential environment transforms according to the interconnected set of factors influencing it. Today, these processes run dynamically: climate change and environmental threats, as well as economic, social and technical factors influence human habitats and challenge changes. Moreover, residential needs and preferences exceeded the frames of a flat/apartment and now also refer to the neighborhood, district, and a city in general. Public spaces so play an important role as multifunctional areas that offer attractive services and meaningful anchors of local identity.
The session aims to discuss 1) current trends in residential architecture: sustainable solutions for flats and settlements 2) ideas for satisfactory public spaces 3) social aspects of living in a city today.
