This paper discusses the issue of a physical interaction with the heritage of the past. Writing about monuments, the leading English theoretician of conservation John Ruskin stated that “we have no right whatever to touch them”. At the same time, the French restorer Violet le-Duc took a contrary stand encouraging his contemporaries to establish a creative interaction with the relics of the past. This controversy, which appeared more than 150 years ago, remains a key question – throughout history, societies claim their right to touch things motivating it in various manners. At the beginning of the 21st century, when traditional reality starts intermingling with the virtual world, we experience new dilemmas: do we really need physical contact with an authentic object if our perception can be satisfied by means of the multimedia? The human need for creation and experimentation may be realized outside physical reality. Perhaps it is the right time to resume the old dilemma. After all, we have the experiences of the 20th century behind and the pressing need to define our relation with historical objects ahead as long as we are willing to understand them. These ruminations will be illustrated with examples of the changing attitude towards the heritage of the past and such recent phenomena as commercialization or virtual reality.

The paper presents selected issues on architecture in Lebanon during the 60 years of existence this State starting from 1943. The outstanding Polish modernist architect Charles Schayer, was very important person for shaping the architectural identity in Lebanon, we presented one of his works – Dar Al Sayad building from 1954. The Cathedral in Harrisa by Pierre El Khoury, Mohammad Al Amin Mosque in Beirut by Azmi Fakhuri and Resistance Museum in Mleeta, are characteristic public buildings for 3 major Lebanese religious groups: Maronite, Sunni and Shiite. The Reconstruction of downtown Beirut after the civil war in the years 1975–1990 and the role of the company Solidere in this endeavor, is shown in the following part of the work. It presents for example design of the New Beirut Souks by Rafael Moneo, the work of sculptors and landscape architects such as Xavier Corbero and Vladimir Djurovic, as well as a discussion related to the recent execution of Steven Holl design called Zaitunay Bay and its impact on designed in the 30’s of the XX century, the Hotel St. Georges designed by August Perret. Next on selected examples of Zaha Hadid designs and Bernard Khoury presents the architecture of the Christian East Beirut and Muslim West Beirut. Finally at the end of the work presents the realization Fair in Tripoli called Rashid Karami designed by Oscar Niemeyer and architectural experimentation in the region of Mount Lebanon.

This article describes an international exhibition of contemporary art which took place in Istanbul, Turkey from September 14 till October 20, 2013. It also presents the extraordinary circumstances of this event.

New York is a City of endless changes which are visible on every step; numerous of cranes visibe in the panorama shows that the economical crisis is a history. A lot is being built but the most spectacular architecture comes from the public utility creations. What is modern public utility architecture of New York City? What defines that architecture? Towards which direction does it tend? What is the mainstream function? Do buildings designed by leading architects set trends or maybe it is only demonstration of power and abilities? Does the confrontation of buildings from other parts of the world with New York City architecture give characteristics of resemblance or dissimilarity?

This paper presents the historical development of ancient towns exemplified by Pula. It analyzes political, social and geographical relations which play the dominating role in urban life. It also characterizes the impact of these factors on the formation of the spatial and visual structure of a given town.

This article presents the story of the construction of the House of Stone – Steinhaus designed by Günther Domenig. This rather little building became an icon of twentieth century architecture. Its revolutionary shape influenced next generations of architects and contributed to the development of new trends in contemporary architecture.

This article presents changes which occurred in the urban structure of Rome in the Baroque period. The initiator of the redevelopment of this city, dictated mainly by ideological concerns, was Pope Sixtus V who commissioned one of the greatest creators of that epoch – architect Domenico Fontana – to redesign the urban structure. The redevelopment was expected to become a symbol of the popes’ return to Rome as well as to improve transport between the most important basilicas in the city: S. Trinita dei Monti, S.M. Maggiore, S. Giovanni in Laterano and S. Croce in Gerusaleme. The construction of the most important urban enclosures in that period – the square outside St. Peter’s Basilica, Navona Square, the Spanish Stairs and Del Popolo Square – was planned then, too. Changes which occurred in the tissue of Rome in relation to Fontana’s plan are still legible in the urban layout of the city, whereas squares designed at that time make the centre of cultural and tourist life these days.

This article describes some examples of contemporary architectural realizations in Barcelona and Madrid where the finishing materials, which determines the final aesthetical effect on the façade, are precast concrete elements. The author analyzes potential within the scope of the manners of composing elevations and limitations imposed by the applied technology. He also presents issues related to the impact of selected façade solutions on the reduction of energy consumption as well as the formation of the function of a given building. Development observed in this field has given contemporary architects a very wide range of possibilities while shaping the form, the colour, the texture and the durability of prefabricated units which means a considerable number of interesting objects raised in recent years.

This paper presents contemporary ideas of shaping residential buildings in relation to nature, mostly the climate and the sunlight. On the basis of authorial studies, it describes some objects recently realized in Austria. In this country, actions for the sake of sustainable architecture and urbanism are taken in various scales – from the implementation of entire districts and extensive housing estates to small residential complexes and single buildings. They are characterized by the promotion of economical and compact urban structures which combine their inhabitants’ comfort with the comfort of nature.

The process of redeveloping historical city centres and adjusting them to the requirements of the contemporary law and new utilitarian functions is of continuous character. Heritage protection brings along responsibility for design decisions concerning the choice of solutions so that they would serve the owners of objects, their users and mankind in general. More and more frequently, we encounter realizations which apply the latest achievements in the field of building technologies and materials, such as glazing or glass constructions. They make it possible to limit the mechanical impact on a protected object making a full barrier to the atmospheric conditions, pollutions and many other threats with guaranteed insight and the access of sunlight. Architectural details and additional elements are reduced, too, therefore the visual influence of such solutions on the existing tissue is weakened. In this article, issues related to the possibilities of applying glass divisions and elements in such realizations are exemplified by selected objects located in Rome.

This paper draws the reader’s attention to the timeliness of the problem of developing office functions and its influence on the space of a city. It also presents the contemporary manners of locating office functions exemplified by selected designs realized in London. This paper briefly characterizes specific implementations as well as indicates directions for the development of the agglomeration in the context of office functions.

The direction of the search for objects described in this article resulted from ruminations related to a theory which sets on the trail of the distinctness of the method or the way of creating contemporary architecture in the conceptual phase. What guides the twenty-first century architect while looking for solutions? Let us try to notice differences in the approach to the formation of a space and the visual means applied within. The visual function and tools, i.e. the form, the colour, the texture and the light, make a homogenous entity at the stage of the formation of an idea. Since visual perception is not just a sensory process, we can arrive at the conclusion that architects’ creativity involves a wider range of tools than before. Several selected and analyzed examples offer some kind of proof of the above thesis. This increases the dose of the interactivity of architecture itself – it becomes more demanding and didactic yet not devoid of beauty. It is an art.