Wojciech Sumlet

This paper presents the results of an interdisciplinary study conducted in 2018–2019 by a team of researchers from the CUT FA in collaboration with specialists in environmental psychology. The aim of the research was to discern the boundary values of the dimensions of a selected urban interior model in a multifamily housing environment in terms of the statistical user preferences. A research experiment was used in which a series of 18 virtual urban interiors were developed, which were observed and evaluated by respondents, who were administered a pre-prepared semantic differential questionnaire. The observation was performed in a VR environment for maximum research environment parameter control.

AR technology makes it possible to compare dynamic 3D models with a real-world physical context. The technology has been readily accessible to the wider public since 2015, thus constituting a new and dynamically developing field with significant—in the authors’ opinion—potential for all participants of the construction process. The article familiarises readers with the main principles of the technology’s operation and discusses the tools that it employs. Three main methods of generating 3D models were analysed and their potential for evaluating architectural conceptual proposals in reference to urban context was discussed.

This paper discusses the experiences of the Housing Environment Amendment Laboratory of the CUT FA in the area of generating visualisations in an augmented reality (AR) environment, based on module assignments prepared by students. The objective of the study was to verify the quality of the application of the tool for the purposes of evaluating student projects. As a part of the study, AR visualisations of five selected student projects were developed and compared with the original project sheets prepared by students. As a result, the author obtained material for discussion on the potential of the technology and the conditions of its use in education.

The article points to the possibilities and perspectives of using BIM technology in the organisation of spatial and numerical data used in the management of space on the urban scale. The current use of BIM technology in urban planning has a selective character and is oriented towards providing data useful to the needs associated with carrying out specific construction projects. The postulated model, called the BIM Urban Mock-up can function as a database managed by the public administration, constituting a form of access to public information to citizens on the one hand, while on the other as analytical material supporting decision-making processes. The article’s goal is to justify the assumption that systematised spatial data in the form of a BIM Urban Mock-up can exponentially increase the effectiveness of the management of space on the urban scale.

Human scale as a technical term does not have an axiomatic and unequivocal definition; it is used intuitively, predominantly to describe buildings which do not have it. As a feature, human scale has a positive connotation; it is usually associated with friendly design and it indicates its right proportions. This article presents a short overview of various definitions of human scale and an outline of development of the concept. Furthermore, the article presents some practical recommendations and advice which could prove useful in architectural design and describing architecture. The focal point of this paper is the psychological aspect of human scale i.e. the influence of the size of buildings and its parts on the human psyche in the setting of residential settlements.