Tall buildings, which refer to spiral, pyramid or obelisk shapes, or the shape of a gate or triumphal arch, may resemble old buildings of symbolic importance. Tall buildings that relate to these shapes and forms and are associated with them are still being designed. The relatively easy recognition of these building shapes is used to create distinctive large-scale landmarks.

In this paper the architectural competition for the seat of the authorities of the Regency of Opole of 1929 is presented, its formula, participants, the jury are indicated on the background of examples of German competitions of the interwar period. Analysis of the competition entries enabled definition of their style inspired by the ideas of interwar modernism and also architectural tradition. The jury declared decisively on the side of modern architecture, guaranteeing the new edifice the required representativeness and monumentalism.

The architecture of contemporary educational facilities is a field of the search for innovative learning spaces. School buildings, along with other facilities and solutions which serve the purpose of permanent informal education, create a varied learning landscape in the public space of the city. This article attempts to see this issue from the angle of ludic culture and discusses its impact.

The essay discusses the issues related to the phenomenon of inspiration in the process of creating architectural forms. The sources of such inspiration are particularly evident during the process of developing temporary architecture, or architecture which does not have a clear function, or in fact none at all, being more of a sculpture than a building. Structures of this type usually reflect the idea behind them in the most vivid manner – the idea that first settled in the mind of its creator.

Light is at its best in the presence of darkness. Information about the object illuminated by the light is conveyed by two kinds of shadows, its own and those cast. Shadows come into play with architecture in the form of chiaroscuro created by a solid object or some other additional elements constructed especially for this purpose. The cast shadow, which is very susceptible to deformation, can also be used to create some fun projections on surfaces.

The scope of the research is the relationship between architecture and the performing arts and their transformation in the works of Peter Behrens in the Darmstadt Artists’ Colony Mathildenhöhe and Oskar Schlemmer’s later Bauhaus-Bühne in Weimar and Dessau. The stage concepts were compared with the model “Haus Behrens” and “Haus am Horn”, with theoretical underpinning of the source text. The result of the study is a scheme illustrating a gradual evolution of architecture and scene arts at the beginning of the 20th century.

Nature is a perfectly functioning system. Biomimetics (biomimicry) is based on analysis and transposition of processes occurring in nature to the level of technology. Architecture is a search of forms which are complementary to functional and structural solutions. There is a noticeable play with geometry, a play of shapes, and space for multiplication between these processes.

While shaping things, architects frequently seek pretexts in the world of art, to justify the originality of the accepted solutions. Such pretexts are also spatial games and play with the form of the object devised by architects. They are based on rules and guidelines, which have a direct impact on the idea, composition or implementation plan of the designed facility. Architectural games and play are also repeatedly used in the process of educating future architects.

The subject of the article is to discuss the role of manifestos, books and other publications in the creation of the radical architectural vision of the nineteenth century and the beginnings of modernism in the twentieth century. T he theoretical basis of avant-garde architecture, which in time became mass architecture, was developed in the main part by theorists. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the nature of architectural manifestos has changed, and deviated from the formal description of ordinal architectural solutions towards promoting the idea of cities of the future associated with social issues. P articularly noteworthy is the increase in the importance of schematic idea diagrams and constant radicalization of the vision.

The article presents the project “Science in Space”, which was implemented in secondary schools in Wielkopolska in the second half of 2014. It discusses the realization of scenarios proposed in the project, points to the successes and difficulties in conducting workshops on architecture, and presents the author’s conclusions drawn from the experience gained through those workshops.

Art glass has a privileged position in the architectural space. This is due to its basic property of transparency, and its close relationship with light as a factor which determines form, texture and colour. Therefore playing with architectural glass in architecture is related to the most fundamental matters. This article presents several issues related to the effect of art glass on the architectural space. Each of the façade glass examples has been made using a different technique.

Creating a relationship between space and the matter of a work of art has resulted in the fact that the relationships between the exterior and the interior are more important than ever before during the development of modern architecture. Together with the modernist revolution, the engagement of creators in surpassing the threshold of the visible exterior to enter the purely internal plane became the basis for the most radical manifestation of freedom and everything that is connected with defining the new architecture.

The 20th century was a period of many revolutions, including in architecture. On the one hand, public engagement with the second search for a new aesthetic led to a social experiment with all its consequences and subsequent criticism. During this experiment the Demiurge architect, the artist, the practical joker, and many other roles appeared. Now the question is whether the role of the architect is to save or to play.

Contemporary architecture, perceived as a work of art, uses the abstract language of geometry in search of completeness, harmony of proportions, contemporary concept of beauty and, above all, novelty, and originality of forms and architectural composition. The architecture of contemporary single-family houses is based on Euclidian geometry, as well as its transformations and decomposition. The character of the architecture is also created by the material, in case of the houses discussed here – concrete. The architectural form of a h ouse, enhanced by construction and plastic qualities of the building material, often creates high quality architecture, representing architectural poetry.

This article attempts to organize the activities that have been carried out in the recent decades in relation to historic barracks located in Poland, in comparison to the analogous processes taking place abroad. It presents examples of old post-military complexes whose function has recently been changed. There are two approaches to the adaptation of these buildings: enclosing in the historic context (“playing at barracks”) and contrasting with the historic background (“playing with barracks”).

Each region has its own individual approach to shaping architectural and spatial forms. It has many patterns that attest to its distinct identity in the country. In small towns, new buildings and developments negatively affect historical buildings. Many designers and building owners seem not to notice the risks to the urban structures of small towns and their physiognomy.

In this article the issue of architecture as fun or having fun with architecture will be discussed on the basis of some concrete architectural examples, namely the Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna, the “Crooked House” in Sopot, the “Baj Pomorski” Theatre building in Toruń and the so-called “Spider” in Gorzów Wielkopolski. Notwithstanding the positive or negative result of the design, we shall consider the issue of having “good” fun in the process of creating a building.

In the twenty-first century “programming” is a key word that opens up unprecedented opportunities for the design and materialization of geometrically complex architectural objects. From the digital designer’s perspective programming geometry can be seen as creative play with form and a process of generation/exploration, as well as the possibility of applying computing power as a co-designer in the process of finding solutions for complicated architectural design tasks.

The facades of palaces of justice (not always intentionally) reflect the meaning attributed to those buildings. Judicial pride aims to immortalize power, administrative efficiency and humanistic openness here gains a specific expression. Despite the fact that justice procedures seem difficult and obscure, one of the fundamental principles of a fair trial is the principle of democratic transparency of proceedings, embodied strongly in the architecture of constitutional courts.

In this paper we describe the connection between theatrical scenography and urban design of the public space. Reference is made to the contemporary transformation in culture – especially post-modern trends which promote a narrative attitude to the creation of a place’s identity and also changeability, flexibility, temporariness, and ephemerality in contemporary architecture.

On the basis of Józef Pius Dziekoński’s projects: a house for the Industrial “Saturn” Society officials in Czeladź (1907), transformer building for the “Saturn” mine in Czeladź (1907), the administration building for the “Saturn” Society in Czeladż (1910), industrial architecture that is not just a package for technology, but creates a new aesthetic and functional qualities, is shown. Such architecture also provides added value to the technology. Analysis of the projects can lead to the conclusions that the work of architect can create the origins of new concepts, ideas and styles.

Sight is the main sensory channel that determines access to the world of architecture. Any deficit in this sense constitutes a serious obstacle disrupting the physical, mental and emotional relationships with the developed environment. The idea of equal access for visually impaired users of architectural space requires consideration of all of these. The author’s statement is an attempt to draw attention to the need to develop methods that would open the way for emotional reception of architecture conditioned by visual dysfunction.

Playing with transformations of a simple cube or plain sheet of paper using generative forming and folding is an exercise performed by first-year students at the Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology in classes on single-family house design. The purpose of this architectural exercise is the search for inspiration and to stimulate students’ creative thinking. It is a kind of initiation for young people who from the school bench in high school go to study architecture. Young people surprise themselves with their inventiveness and creative maturity while maintaining a fresh outlook. How to use this potential? What tools can be used in teaching so that they can effectively assimilate new ways of working and master new tools? How can we help the adepts of the profession to find the moment of transition to a higher level of creative initiation and how can we motivate them towards further research? The first year of study at the Faculty of Architecture is a very important experience for young people and a responsible task for teachers.

Frequently the built-up environment, including historical, becomes the venue of creative activity for an architect. The environment requires an architect to have the relevant conservation background, the ability to assess the value of a historical monument and its cultural context, and above all humility in his/her design work. This article presents the rules of the game applicable to the cultural environment, rules which are defined by conservation theory and the doctrine shaped by the Venice Charter.

The text discusses architectural games related to the conservation of historic monuments. Two museum designs are presented connected by an innovative design approach despite being fifty years apart. Between 1957 and 1974, Carlo Scarpa began an architectural game with the museum building in Verona. In the twenty-first century Daniel Libeskind continues Scarpa’s unusual approach to design, but does so in an even bolder way, abandoning modernism and creating his own unique style.

Architectural forms of the digital age are based on games and computer simulations: formation, information, transformation. Formation means creation of structures as extensions of the kinetic potential of the human body (form as skin or wrapper). inFormation is based on the active power of information (interactive and intelligent structures). transFormation means sequences of forms as mutations of primary structures in topological space (metamorphic forms).

The architectural object may arise as a result of inspiration from Nature. But firstly, the idea appears in the mind of the architect, which is then realized in the form of a drawing. The first concept sketches that support the idea of the project are the base of a project, and thus an architectural object. This paper briefly describes the design process based on selected buildings by S. Calatrava.

The city is a multilayered structure composed from multiple pieces, each of which has been subjected to the individual influence of history and changes of time. The city is a game board where architects play at refilling empty fragments. The rules of the game allow geometric deformations of space, in order to establish the context of the concealed history of the place. The goal of the game is to bring what is most valuable and precious from the existing urban structure, or build a new value that will last the test of time.

The experience of playing during the process of drawing alters our mode of thinking. Then the resulting interaction between the drawing and the author is helpful in developing his working methods and creativity, discovering new truths, stimulating the production of more design alternatives. It can be a kind of individual game or others can participate in it, influencing the presentation and its truth.

This paper is focused on reflections concerning games and play of architecture with art, taking place in the context of a new paradigm of interactive perception of sensual space, analysed on selected representative examples. In the face of globalization, games and play with architecture in the form of ironic or whimsical designs offer diverse aesthetic perceptions, bordering on kitsch and consumer and commercial mega-gadgets.

The most prestigious architectural prize is the Pritzker Prize. However, competing for it there is an awareness of participation. In recent years, the award has been given to architects who in their work referred to ecology, sustainable development, regionalism, and natural and cultural values. Has this architectural game explained the principles and aimed towards highlighting those whose work concerns cooperation with nature rather than negation?

The title of the conference Defining architectural space – Games and play of architecture should be regarded as a kind of intellectual provocation, given that without a profound comment, these “games and play” should above all be understood as extremely costly ones. However, taking for granted the “game” motif (in the sense of artistic manipulation of the structure’s shape and detail embedded in space), the author has decided to raise the subject of the role that building and finishing materials play in the design concept and practice of the architect.

The text describes play with architecture in the work of the Danish artist Per Kirkeby. His spatial installations, bordering between sculpture and architecture, show the interaction between the obvious and elusive, real and fictional, abstract and archetype.

The process of designing an Orthodox church includes several conditions which significantly affect the final outcome. Only two groups of aspects mentioned in the paper, theological and construction, considerably narrowed the array of solutions. This shows that the designer is limited in his choices to a confined portfolio of solutions. This again explains why the architecture of Orthodox churches, irrespectively of their location or architect, is similar and distinctive.

Brutalist architecture is widely regarded as gloomy and unfriendly. At its origin was the post-war austerity, but also a fascination with the child and its way of seeing the world. Therefore it is not surprising that the space and forms of brutalist buildings should be perceived by people moving along the routes designed by architects and discovering new views in a dynamic way. This peculiar spatial game is full of surprises and even jokes.

The contemporary image of shaping modern architectural designs increasingly entails a synergy of design solutions in terms of form and structure. As a result, shaping integrated structures in the form of structural surfaces takes on particular importance. Modern trends are increasingly looking for analogies to the natural world. Playing Nature are projects inspired with cylindrical shapes, referring to the forms found in nature or using a bionic structure.

The contrast “old architecture” – “new architecture” is the result of consolidating fine relics of the past with the beauty of contemporary architectural forms. The game of contrasts: is the expression of an old building with the perfection of new elements a problem or an art?

Traditional fields of visual arts – sculpture and painting – have been connected with architecture in different ways. At the end of 20th century, artistic practices within these arts intensified efforts aiming to incorporate architecture in an unprecedented manner into the area of interest as a source of inspiration. The contemporary phenomena have not only expanded, but very often introduced new actions and experiences of space perception that escape classical classification of fine arts.

Architecture very often interacts with people by showing them different types of behaviour and provoking specific actions. This article discusses public spaces of various specificity whose shapes, textures, and hidden values and symbols exert an impact on people’s mood, their ways of spending free time, and even on the formation of social relations.

The notion of labyrinth is often a subconscious reference to the perception of a path travelled by a human across space. The labyrinth game played by an architect with the architecture’s user relies on sensibly leading the user’s steps towards the intended direction, on inviting him to enter certain spaces and on refusing him access to those which are reserved for another group of users. Becoming conscious of this game’s full potential is crucial as it helps to guide the user’s steps in a far more discreet way than placing signposts.

The very word “game” has a very wide meaning. As a game can be considered a prototype of culture as well as a metaphor, a simulacrum, and a simulation of the real world, the article is a reflection on architecture seen through the prism of three very old games: hide-and-seek, musical chairs and the goose game.

Meaning is an element of form wherever it manifests itself as an aesthetic aspect. Playing with symbols and allegories and the game of intentions and inspirations is an intrinsic element of art, so also of architecture which, too, needs meaning to become a valuable cultural element in the surroundings and a quality mark of perceptible form. Two interpretations: that of the author and of the observer seem to be its most prominent indicator.

Modern technologies so willingly used in the creation of image of the modern architecture strengthened the primacy of the vision above other senses. The elementary sensory feeling – the main attribute of seeing sensations – is the phenomenon of colour. Colour ideally corresponds to the modern activity of change – itself a factor with high dynamics and variation – it is both a value in itself and a value creating various special relations.

The paper deals with the issue of the influence of daylight on the creation of architecture in the terms of designers` play with light in the architectural space. Using the examples of contemporary realizations of some art museums, the work demonstrates the impact of exploration and experimentation conducted by the creators of visual arts on the design styles and architectural solutions. It also reveals the historical continuity of the use of light manipulation in architecture.

Street art is a particular kind of art, not only because of its spatial context, but also due to its ability to redefine the character of a place. The artistic actions related to street art influence the reception and form and function of a space. This article discusses the image, sculpture and performance as fields of a kind of game between the artist and recipient in the public space.

The introduction of a new museum space in the vicinity of the relics of the past is associated with the erection of modern conceptual architectural monuments. The stronger the contrast between the old and the new, the stronger the expression of the work on the environment. The author undertakes an analysis of the New Cricoteka in Krakow as an example of architecture that represents, collects, and that is art – a game, an intellectual dialogue, a spectacle engaging the viewer into the action.

The play of architectural emblems that is cited in the conference thesis often seems to lead to a revaluation of the visual realm of architecture. This text therefore deliberately manipulates the concept of post-structuralism as a general cultural trend, avoiding reference to any architectural styles. The author, however, attempts to draw up a classification of post-structural architectural games, including the interdisciplinary.

In an era of ever more perfect digital tools, the ability to draw is no longer regarded as necessary in the execution of the architectural profession. Yet it is precisely the hand drawing that continues to be regarded as the irreplaceable instrument of creative intuition which surpasses even the most user-friendly “procedures”. A rediscovery of its advantages for both didactic purposes and architectural creativity is becoming an urgent need.

Meanings recorded at different levels of possible connotations become a pretext for the game between the designer and the user of the building. The studies relate to possible levels of connotations of these signs and a game, also the search for them by recipient, which – deriving pleasure from the perception of the art of architecture – can also be described as fun.

The technical representation of architectural drawings, as the value of a spatial composition, based on the harmony of form and function, may be applied to the ground of painting. The prescriptive character of architectural notation is an excellent pretext for the creative and exploratory activation of multicultural environments, at the same time being used to transfer architectural ideas.

The paper presents the joke as a means of expression used in architecture. The author debates whether the architecture should always be serious. The paper describes and gives historical and contemporary examples of how the comical effect is achieved in architecture. The paper is also an attempt to explain and understand what the jokes in architecture are used for.

Architecture as a discipline tends to be understood differently in different environments. Le Corbusier “lines, solids and surfaces are elements through which architecture manifests itself. A thought through, flawless, wonderful game of solids in the light”. The architecture of the 21st century has become a compilation of developed exemplars, from the simple to the organic. The value comes from the idea, the concept of combining all the elements in such a way that the resultant game is both aesthetic and original. Such a game can be seen in the projects of Vincent Callebaut.

The article presents the results of a search for aesthetically comic elements in contemporary architecture, based on the aesthetics of Mieczyslaw Wallis and Henri Bergson’s theory of humour.

In the paper, the phenomenon of the urban game is presented in the context of its applicability to architectural education. In the perception of the average inhabitant, the town is only a background for daily activities, and architecture is designed to secure his basic needs. The recent crisis in spatial interactions, analogous to the crisis in social interactions, can be overcome through skilful use of non-standard methods of activating inhabitants – fun and games.

The article discusses different ways of implementing architectural colour games in space. The author has selected examples of “colourful games” in which colour composition plays a key role. Colour is also presented as an element of the conscious, oftentimes dynamic game, played between architect and spectator. Finally, colour becomes the game itself, part of the experiment in space – architectural performance, as well as a representative of the “fun and game” aesthetic.

The beginning of the 20th century brought discourse on the issue of a new “culture of recreation” and the phenomenon of a relatively new invention – the playground. Play – caring for the body and the spirit – interacted in the work of all the great modernists, and the pope of modernism himself, Le Corbusier. Non-existent now, brutalist playgrounds have become a subject for exhibitions: the play of the new creators-artists, and their game with their antecedents and the contemporary audience.

The paper elaborates on a certain way of describing an architectural space by means of a physical model, along with a project exercise realized as a part of the course in Descriptive Geometry which is an element of the program of the first year of studies in the Faculty of Architecture. The intent is to incorporate a component of entertainment to break out of the “rigid” and “dry” way of teaching this subject.

The game is a particular aspect of human activity, organized and limited by rules, with a result, though not a material outcome. In the process of creating architecture we undertake activities associated with the notions of fun and game. This also, or primarily, applies to architectural education, which, in short, free forms seeks experience and inspiration for further, serious design solutions.

Architecture is a complex discipline, and works of architecture are diverse and constantly changing. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the range and essence of architecture and create a definition. This paper analyses the problem with definitions of architecture on the basis of semantics, aesthetics, and metaphysics. It considers the question of identity and essence, and the cause, purpose and consequence of defining.

A game of the multistability of the solid and void based on turning an interior inside-out reveals the properties of a building or a room. The inside becomes an object, surfaces of walls that surround the internal void are revealed to the outside like the inner lining of a piece of clothing would be unveiled. A game that changes void into solid serves as a model of analysis of the architectural space, or as a method of immortalising nonexistent spaces.

Unique architectural details may sometimes act like a lens or hologram, allowing better understanding of the general principle ruling the entire architectural concept. It shows both the game of intrinsic geometric transformations, and the game as diversion or entertainment. This is illustrated with examples from Parc de la Villette (1982–1990) in Paris, designed by Bernard Tschumi.

The natural landscape provokes artists to revive one. Architects overcome technical, physiographic, and custom limitations and they picturesquely blend their works in with the richness of nature. Many benefits may accrue for the region and tourists from this bravura, but at the expense of losing some of the innate values. In this article, the problem is presented intentionally in an exaggerated manner, recalling extreme locations.

The article is a contribution to the discussion on Polish postmodernism viewed against the background of changes in world architecture as well as the political transformations taking place in Poland. Postmodernism is regarded as a trend enriching architecture with elements of freedom, fun, joke – in other words, with the joy of designing as well as those of the use and visual perception – all absent in the modernist dogma. A brief history of the trend has been included along with the selection of literature and the outline of the early Polish postmodernism. Some selected examples of Polish postmodern accomplishments before and after 1989 have been evaluated. The article ends with some thoughts about the essence of postmodernism as expression of joy.

The article describes a little-known fact about the very well-known building that is the Paris Pompidou Centre. In an era of social revolution, the project was a kind of revolution in the world of architecture. Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers changed the story of architecture almost unwittingly by playing with it.