Ewa Węcławowicz-Gyurkovich

The article deals with the issues of the formation and functioning of monumental postmodern churches as strong forms in the space of housing estates from the 1970s and 1980s. The aim of the research presented in the article is to diagnose the needs of local communities regarding the presence of the church in the context of its form, in the living environment. The research was carried out on the basis of formal and spatial experiments representative of the Polish religious architecture of those years. Among the research methods, the comparative analysis of examples dominates, next to the literature query and in situ research. Three sites were analyzed: in Warsaw, Wadowice and Wrocław.

For several thousand years, cities in different scales – small and big – have been created and built by various civilizations on our planet. Beside the realized ones, drawn cities – constructed in the imagination of designers and artists, poets and writers – have sprung up. Nonexistent cities, which have never been created and will never be created, carry some emotional values which are important to contemporary man. Drawn “paper” architecture is not just an art in itself and for itself – it makes a testing ground and a research field for the development of new forms, for the creation of new worlds. Unhampered by the conditions of living “here and now”, it facilitates a freer flow of thoughts, the realization of dreams, the implementation of a creator’s inner world.

Vivid colours in external views of the latest works of architecture are not commonplace. Le Corbusier introduced basic colours delicately, on small fragments. Architects inspired by his work most often select rather small fragments, marking with only a single colour that is clearly contrasted with the entire composition. The construction of massings with vivid colours is the domain of either young and bold or experienced architects who can convince decision-makers about their proposals and rationale. The author presents structures with elements of various colours, as well as single-colour structures that feature surprisingly striking colours, completed by outstanding contemporary architects.

In each historical period light played an important, mystical role in sacral buildings. In the sacral architecture of the second half of the 20th century the search of diversified methods of adding light to interiors so as to reach the atmosphere of concentration and silence necessary to introduce a different climate than in other public utility buildings can be observed. Already Le Corbusier in his three sacral projects preferred dimming rather than over-illuminating interiors. Contemporary methods of composition and new materials enable to search for reflections of the natural light, frequently for its specific proportioning and gleam, evoking the unique experiences of being separated from the reality, so desired by designers. Well considered illumination of sacral interiors provides the atmosphere of concentration and meditation, appropriate for contemplation and prayer.

The necessity of remaining the authentic historic substance and also the traditional cultural climate obliges to analyze the extension of adaptation works in detail. It mainly refers to historic buildings of unique cultural and artistic values; however, it does not stand for a full limitation of intervention of modern architecture into the historic substance. Such a conclusion is drawn on the basis of an analysis of many European examples connected with the establishments of the Venice Charter from 1964 and subsequent supplementary additions, such as Nara Document 1994 and others.

In the spring of 2011, David Chipperfield – an architect from London – received the prestigious Mies van der Rohe Award for the best architectural object implemented within the previous two years in Europe for conserving and rebuilding the Neues Museum on the Berlin’s Museum Island. First and foremost, the British architect’s manner and method of rebuilding this object were appreciated. The Neues Museum – built in the mid-19th century, ruined during World War II – includes a number of elements showing the effects of military operations: traces of bullets fired from Soviet soldiers’ rifles in the last days of the war found in the external elevations, destroyed fragments of walls with polychromies in the interiors, fragments of plaster peeling off, destroyed columns or structural ceilings, dirty, unpainted walls. Contemporary interventions, concrete pillars, columns in the Sarcophagus Hall, new entrance openings, new concrete structural ceilings, floors and rooms were clearly separated. The destroyed parts of this building were not reconstructed but rebuilt in a brand new contemporary setting. This is the main principle of conservation works in this object.