Journal 2013/8 by APF RTU

ISSN 1691-4333 (Print) ISSN 2255-8764 (Online)

SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL OF RIGA TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY RĪGAS TEHNISKĀS UNIVERSITĀTES ZINĀTNISKIE RAKSTI

ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING ARHITEKTŪRA UN PILSĒTPLĀNOŠANA 2013 / 8 Editor-in-Chief Jānis Krastiņš

RĪGA, RTU IZDEVNIECĪBA, 2013

Editor-in-Chief – Galvenais redaktors Jānis Krastiņš, Dr. habil. arch., Professor, Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia Editorial Board – Redkolēģija Uģis Bratuškins, Dr. arch., Assoc. Professor, Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia Jānis Briņķis, Dr. arch., Professor, Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia Claes Caldenby, PhD, Professor, Chalmers University of Technology, Gotheborg, Sweden Frank Eckardt, PhD, Professor, Bauhaus Universität Weimar, Weimar, Germany Helka-Liisa Hentilä, PhD, Professor, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland Mart Kalm, PhD, Professor, Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn, Estonia Avelino Oliveira, PhD, Professor, Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Porto, Portugal Ojārs Spārītis, Dr. art, Professor, Art Academy of Latvia, Riga, Latvia Gintaras Stauskis, PhD, Assoc. Professor, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Vilnius, Lithuania Sandra Treija, Dr. arch., Assoc. Professor, Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia Jānis Zilgalvis, Dr. arch., Assistant Professor, Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia Secretary & Layout Designer – Sekretārs un salikuma autors Arne Riekstiņš, Dr. arch., Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia Address of the Editorial Board – Redkolēģijas adrese Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning Riga Technical University Āzenes iela 18–405, Riga, LV-1048, Latvia Tel: +371 29235265 E-mail: arne.riekstins@rtu.lv The submitted articles are peer-reviewed according to the rules of «RTU Scientific Journal». Rakstus recenzē saskaņā ar izdevuma «RTU Zinātniskie raksti» recenzēšanas noteikumiem. Reviewers: Dr. arch., Prof. Uģis Bratuškins; Dr. arch., Edgars Bondars; M. arch., Prof. Jorge Lobos; Dr. habil. arch., Prof. Jānis Krastiņš; PhD, Prof. Avelino Oliveira; Dr. arch., Assoc. Prof. Gintaras Stauskis; Dr. arch., Prof. Sandra Treija; Dr. arch., Prof. Martina Zbašnik-Senegačnik; Dr. arch., Prof. Aija Ziemeļniece; Dr. arch., Full member of Latvian Academy of Sciences, Jānis Zilgalvis.

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Architecture and Urban Planning 2013 / 8

Contents Preface . ............................................................................................................................................................ Pavel Gregor

Banská Štiavnica – Educational Space for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage . ..................................

5 6

Eglė Navickienė

Architectural Tendencies of Recent Infill Buildings in Kaunas Historic Centre ...................................... 10 Martynas Valevičius

Local and Global Tendencies of the World Expo Architecture: The Case of Lithuanian Pavilion at Expo 2012 Yeosu, Korea ....................................................................... 16 Gintaras Stauskis

Adaptable Landscapes in Housing Renovation: A Tool for Activating Local Territorial Communities ................................................................................. 22 Constantine A. Caradimas

Analysing and Understanding the Construction of Vernacular Buildings at the National Technical University of Athens ........................................................................................... 28 Evaldas Ramanauskas, Liucijus Dringelis

The Impact of Urban Planning on the Development of Territorial Land Resources: Experience in Lithuania ................................................................................................................................... 34 Helmut Eirund, Martin Koplin, Carl Skelton, Thorsten Teschke

Think BETA – Systems for Participation in Urban Development .................................................................. 40 Agnieszka Rumież

Fractal Architecture ...................................................................................................................................... 45 Rasa Čepaitienė

The Patterns of Urban Landscape Commodification ...................................................................................... 50 Dalia Dijokienė

Challenges of Designing New Urban Quality in Historical Environment: Based on Final Projects of BA Students of the Department of Urban Design, FA, VGTU ........................ 60

Architecture and Urban Planning 2013 / 8

Preface

Priekšvārds

The scientific journal of Riga Technical University (RTU) Architecture and Urban Planning, starting with 2013, will be issued twice a year. It reflects constantly growing scale of international scientific cooperation of Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning (APF) of RTU. The articles in this issue are represented by international researchers from Slovakia, Lithuania, Greece, Germany and Poland. Problems of the quality of built-up environment, education, urban planning, and conservation of cultural heritage, as well as these of the history of architecture and urbanism are examined. This volume of the scientific journal is entirely in English language, but the works of Latvian scientists will always feature full manuscript texts in Latvian language as well. Successful practical work is impossible without reasonable theoretical basis. Therefore the information presented in this edition may be useful in professional creative work to architects, who perform practical designing tasks, and urban planners, as well as to institutions responsible for preservation and protection of cultural heritage.

Rīgas Tehniskās universitātes (RTU) zinātniskais žurnāls Arhitektūra un pilsētplānošana, kuru, sākot ar 2013. gadu plānots izdot divas reizes gadā, atspoguļo RTU Arhitektūras un pilsētplānošanas fakultātes (APF) starptautiskās zinātniskās sadarbības aizvien pieaugošo mērogu. Šajā izdevumā publicēti starptautisku pētnieku raksti, kuru autori ir Slovākijas, Lietuvas, Grieķijas, Vācijas un Polijas speciālisti. Rakstos analizētas vides kvalitātes un izglītības, pilsētu un teritoriālās plānošanas, kā arī kultūras mantojuma saglabāšanas un aizsardzības problēmas un iztirzāti arhitektūras un pilsētbūvniecības vēstures jautājumi. Šī izdevuma pamatvaloda ir angļu, bet zinātnisko rakstu krājumā Latvijas pētnieku darbu teksti tiks vienmēr pilnā apjomā pievienoti arī latviešu valodā. Sekmīga praktiskā darbība plānošanā un radošums projektēšanā nav īstenojams bez zinātniski pamatotas teorētiskās bāzes. Tāpēc rakstu krājumā publicētais var noderēt profesionālajā darbā gan arhitektiem – praktiskajiem projektētājiem, gan pilsētplānošanas speciālistiem, gan par kultūras mantojuma saglabāšanu un aizsardzību atbildīgajām institūcijām.

Editor-in-Chief

Galvenais redaktors

doi: 10.7250/aup.2013.012 2013 / 8

Architecture and Urban Planning

Banská Štiavnica – Educational Space for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage Pavel Gregor, Slovak University of Technology heyday as the third largest town in Hungary with approximately 24 000 inhabitants. The town is not only famous for its historical, architectural, natural and technical values but also for one of European centers of education, science and technology since the 18th century, with the Mining Academy, the first university of its kind in the world. This fact resulted in a decision made by the Faculty of Architecture (SUT) in Bratislava to establish one of its departments in a historic building near the town hall in 1986.

Abstract – The historic town of Banská Štiavnica is not only famous for its architectural value, but also for one of European centers of education and science since the 18th century, with the Mining Academy, the first university of its kind in the world. The Faculty of Architecture at the Slovak University of Technology (SUT) in Bratislava established one of its departments in a historic building near the town hall in 1986. This building itself has become a training place for more than 400 students, who took part in its restoration. In 2000, the Research and Education Center of the Faculty of Architecture (SUT) was opened in this building. Since that time it has become a place of experimental research and educational activities. Keywords – Architectural conservation, Banská Štiavnica, education of cultural heritage preservation.

The historic mining town of Banská Štiavnica is one of three historic towns in Slovakia included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Štiavnica (originally Schemnitz in German) obtained its town character before the attack by the Tatars in 1238. The town began to develop quickly. By the year 1230 Banská Štiavnica boasted two 3-naved cathedrals located 500 m apart each other. Aesthetically attractive and artistically, historically and culturally important buildings, mainly of Late Gothic and Renaissance origin, still constitute the heart of the city at St. Trinity Square and tell of enormous income earned during the 15th and 16th centuries by the mining industry in Štiavnica. The representative centre of town is characterised by a city hall and Late Gothic Church of St. Catherine together with large houses of burgesses. In the same period of time, the fortification system was built. The system also included Piargská Gate that was preserved to present times with Baroque adaptation. The system was strengthened by the Old Castle, re-built from the original Romanesque church, and Renaissance New Castle [3]. The significance and picturesque of the town are also intensified by the surrounding protected countryside of the Štiavnica Mountains, which are one of the largest volcanic mountain ranges in Slovakia. This old mining royal town is important not only for its history (town was established already in the Romanesque period) and architecture, but also for large complexes of technical facilities related to exploitation and processing of gold and silver. The extraction of gold and silver reached its peak in the 18th century, when Štiavnica produced about 600 kg of gold and 23 000 kg of silver, i.e., four times as much as the Saxon mines and nine times as much as the Bohemian iron mines. The transition to such an increasingly intensive extraction from deeper and deeper mines demanded a new source of energy. In the 18th century, it was decided to construct an elaborate system of interconnected artificial lakes, whose waters not only propelled mining crushers but also the pumping facilities. The system consisted of more than 60 lakes with more than 72 kilometers of interconnected channels. During the mid 18th century, Štiavnica experienced its second

Fig. 1. Banská Štiavnica – historic mining town, since the 18th century it has been one of European centers of education, science and technology with the Mining Academy, the first university of its kind in the world.

Fig. 2. Research and Education Center of the Faculty of Architecture in Banská Štiavnica, a place of experimental research and educational activities of national and international character.

Architecture and Urban Planning Pavel Gregor, Banská Štiavnica – Educational Space for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage

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Fig. 4. Making objects of stone: it focused on short examples of basic tools and methods of surface adjustment.

Fig. 3. Forging: training was conducted in an original blacksmith’s workshop with an explanation of the technology and some examples of the steel shaping.

In fact, this building itself has become a training place for more than 400 students, who participated in its restoration during a five-year period. After the period of conservation and restoration work, in 2000 the Research and Education Center for Architectural Heritage Restoration (RECAHR) of the Faculty of Architecture was opened in Banská Štiavnica. Since that time it has become a place of experimental research and educational activities, as well as a place of workshops, summer schools and conferences on the national and international levels. In the same year (2000), the Faculty has obtained financial support from the Open Society Foundation within the framework of the project “Creation and Utilization of Progressive Training Methods for the Preservation and Conservation of Architectural Heritage”. Within this project, we organized more training activities for various study courses of bachelor’s and master’s study programs in architecture. The study course of Architectural Restoration (for the 3rd year students of bachelor’s study program) was one of the courses implemented in form of lectures and individual assignments. Training was focused on preparing work of conservation (inventarisation, measurement, documentation,

Fig. 5. Traditional plastering: training consisted of theoretical part (technologies, materials and tools), as well as practical exercises of preparation of various kinds of plaster mixtures on the base of lime, and wall plastering.

Architecture and Urban Planning 2013 / 8

Pavel Gregor, Banská Štiavnica – Educational Space for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage

technologies as the best way of authenticity conservation and creation of private relation to architectural heritage and craft work of their forefathers. All students could improve their forging, plastering [5] and carpentry skills [6]. This was possible thanks to collaboration with other educational institutions in Banská Štiavnica and with some craftsmen. The project “Creation and Utilization of Progressive Training Methods for the Preservation and Conservation of Architectural Heritage” was carried out for more than 3 years. Within this project, more than 300 students changed at the centre [7]. Based on the valuable experience gained, we have introduced this training module into the regular education of architectural conservation, and the Research and Education Center for Architectural Heritage Restoration in Banská Štiavnica has become part of the Faculty of Architecture in Bratislava, which is actually the only one university in Slovakia with a possibility of obtaining specialization in conservation on a graduate level. References 1. Gregor, P. Surveys, researches, analyses and evaluation in monument preservation. Priestorové plánovanie v územiach so špecifickým režimom (Spatial planning in areas with a specific mode). Bratislava: FA STU-ROAD, 2001, p. 315–323. ISBN 80-88999-05-7 2. Gregor, P. Education in Conservation – state of the art and perspectives : Faculty of Architecture, Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava, Slovakia. Workshop on education in conservation in Europe : State of the art and perspectives. Leuven, 2002, ISBN 2-930301-17-1 3. Dvořáková, V., Tóthová, Š. Banská Štiavnica, World Cultural Heritage. Bratislava: PÚ Bratislava, 1995. p. 6–10. 4. Gregorová, J. Prezentácia architektonického dedičstva II (Presentation of Architectural Heritage II). Bratislava: Perfekt, 2008. p. 100–120.

Fig. 6. Carpentry: training involved making objects of the natural wood and using the necessary tools. The next step was an exercise that was related to the creation of the truss construction model in real dimension.

5. Vošková, K. Tesárstvo a drevené konštrukcie v architektúre : Tradičné remeslá pre dnešok: historické východiská, súčasné podoby a perspektívy uplatnenia vo vidieckom priestore. Zvolen: Lesy Slovenskej republiky, 2012. p. 72–83. 6. Vošková, K. Stone in built heritage conservation. Banská Štiavnica: Spolok Banskej Štiavnice, 1991. p. 12. 7. Vošková, K. Technológie a špeciálne prístupy pri obnove pamiatkových objektov z Banskej Štiavnice. Eurostav, 12 (2008), p. 34–37, ISSN 13351249

analyses, research etc.) as well as on the architectural restoration methodology, concept and architectural design, paying special attention to an important role of the work in terrain. The students could undertake the outdoor activities in specific environment conditions of Banská Štiavnica – on the background of its architectural, historical and technical values. The training consisted of two parts, each one week long: • The first one concerned documentation, recognizing and interpretation of cultural and historical values of architectural heritage in terrain [4]. This part comprised an exercise of obligatory course “Monument Preservation” taken by the majority of students in classrooms at the Faculty of Architecture in Bratislava; discussions with the students as well as the questionnaire enables us to compare their experience, knowledge and opinions of this kind of “terrain” education. • The second part focused on the training of crafts used in historical architecture. Integration of craft training to the study program of architecture pursued two main goals: to broaden architects’ (creators of conservation concept) personal experience with historical materials and to enable better understanding of the original techniques and

Architecture and Urban Planning Pavel Gregor, Banská Štiavnica – Educational Space for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage

Pavel Gregor (Bratislava, 1956). MSc. Arch. (Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava, 1981), PhD (SUT Bratislava , 1986), Prof. Arch. (SUT Bratislava, 2010). He is an expert on methodology of architectural heritage conservation and design at historical sites, history and theory of architectural heritage restoration. He is a PROFESSOR of Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture, Slovak University of Technology (SUT), since 1987, Guest lecturer at the Bournemouth University, School of Conservation Sciences, Great Britain (2000), Faculty of Architecture of Cracow University of Technology, Cracow (1999), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Greensboro,USA (2004), Head of the Department of Monument Preservation, Faculty of Architecture, SUT Bratislava (1995–2002). Methodological works and expertise: Town Municipality of Nový Jičín (Czech Republic) – Regeneration Program of Historic Centre (1995–2002), Expertise for ICOMOS secretary Paris: nomination for the List of World Cultural Heritage – the Jewish Quarter and St Procopius’ Basilica in Trebíč, Czech Republic, 2002, Workshop of ICOMOS experts – Sibiu, Romania, 2008. He is a RESEARCHER in various scientific projects; Private ARCHITECT and owner of G+G PROJEKT – monument restoration (since 1993). He has participated in various scientific conferences and written more than 30 scientific publications and books. Previous publications: • Gregor, P. Surveys, researches, analyses and evaluation in monument preservation, In: Priestorové plánovanie v územiach so špecifickým režimom. Bratislava: FA STU - ROAD, 2001. p. 315-323 • Gregor, P. Obnova pamiatok (Restoration of Monuments.) Bratislava, Perfekt 2008, 110 p. • Gregor, P. Prezentácia architektonického dedičstva (Presentation of Architectural Heritage). Bratislava, Perfekt 2008, 270 p. Current and previous research interest: methodology of architectural heritage restoration. Awards: Prix European de la reconstruction de la ville – nomination for the Regeneration project of Nový Jičín (1995), CE-ZA-AR 2007 – award of Slovak Chamber of Architects. Memberships: expert of ICOMOS International Committee CIVVIH (for historic towns and villages) and CIF (International Training Committee), Monument Board of Slovak MInistry of Culture (vice-chairman).

Contact Data

Pavel Gregor Faculty of Architecture, Slovak University of Technology Address: Nám. slobody 19, 812 45 Bratislava, Slovakia Phone: +421 02 57276361 E-mail: gregor@fa.stuba.sk www.fa.stuba.sk

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doi: 10.7250/aup.2013.013 2013 / 8

Architecture and Urban Planning

Architectural Tendencies of Recent Infill Buildings in Kaunas Historic Centre Eglė Navickienė, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University

Abstract – The aim of the paper is to define architectural tendencies, contextuality and impact on the surroundings of recent infill buildings built in Kaunas historic centre since 1990. The design of new buildings in Kaunas protected areas is not based on a regulated purposeful course; it expresses architectural evolution with constraints not efficient to direct the evolution according to progressive international recommendations.

The main reasons for differentiation might be the capital factor and the UNESCO World Heritage site status of the historic centre of Vilnius followed by its elaborated regulation. Its specific preservation and development was discussed by the author in this journal in 2009 [2].

Keywords – Contextuality, infill buildings, Kaunas historic centre, Lithuanian architecture in the Independence period, new architecture in a historic environment.

Infill construction is a specific sphere of architecture since, apart from overall architectural tendencies and regularities, infill architecture faces specific requirements to preserve urban heritage. The legal requirements for its preservation are formed by state laws and documents in a general scope, by declaration of protection status on urban heritage sites, and confirming documents or projects for their protection and development. In the Soviet times the protection and regulation of development of urban heritage territories coherent with the status of architectural or urban monument started in the very beginning of 1960s and at first took place only in several Lithuanian medieval Old Towns. Compared to other European countries, the initial process of urban heritage preservation in Soviet Lithuania was rather early, progressive and well-allocated. After regaining Lithuania’s Independence in 1990 the situation changed, as in the scope of Lithuanian urban heritage, the attention was focused on Vilnius historic centre, which gained the UNESCO World Heritage site status in 1994 and afterwards had several conservation and development documents and projects accomplished and confirmed. However, the elaboration of legal background for protection and development of urban heritage in other Lithuanian cities is very slow and non-productive. Likewise in other Lithuanian towns, in Kaunas the Old Town had the status of architectural (1961) and urban (1969) state monument during the Soviet times. In 1996, its territory was

I. Legal Background and Recommendations

The paper deals with the problem of contextuality and the interrelationship between new architecture and its historic setting in the central parts of cities, where the problem is especially relevant and urgent. It is analysed concentrating on the case of the second largest Lithuanian city Kaunas, founded at the confluence of Nemunas and Neris – the largest Lithuanian rivers. Kaunas historic roots are special for the oldest stone castle in Lithuania and medieval, Renaissance and Baroque landmarks; in the 19th century the town grew in originally planned, volumetric and spatial composition as a military town; in 1920 Kaunas became the capital of the independent Republic of Lithuania for two decades wherefore the unique interwar Modernist architecture following Bauhaus school and “the essential point of which was a desire for self-identification through historicism embodied in national heritage and classics” [1, 8] was concentrated there. Two protected bordering areas in Kaunas historic centre cover territories of specific stages of development rooting Kaunas identity: 1) the medieval Old Town and 2) the Historic part of the city formed in the 19th century outstanding for interwar Modernist architecture. The research area cover the territories protected. The author aims to define architectural tendencies, contextuality and impact on the surroundings of recent infill buildings built in Kaunas historic centre after regaining Lithuania’s Independence in 1990. The architectural specifics and the contextuality of infill buildings are discussed according to the recommendations of that time, which embrace legal regulation of development in the protected areas of Kaunas central part, and tendencies towards the protection and development of urban heritage in the documents by international organizations. The development of general contemporary architectural tendencies predetermining architectural character and stylistics is also taken into account. The dynamics of evolution is revealed by the division into three characteristic periods: 1990–1999, 2000–2005 and 2006–2012. The periods are determined by changes in legal background and shifts in architectural tendencies. The review of infill architecture in Kaunas central part is relevant and provoking compared to Vilnius case as they develop in quite different ways in spite of rather close location in the same state.

Fig. 1. The change and growth of territories of urban heritage sites in Kaunas historic centre. Old Town: 1 – LSSR urban monument (1969), 2 – LR cultural monument (1996), 3 – LR cultural monument (2010); Historic part of the city: 4 – LR cultural monument (1999), 5 – LR cultural monument (2012).

Architecture and Urban Planning Eglė Navickienė, Architectural Tendencies of Recent Infill Buildings in Kaunas Historic Centre

revised as the status of state cultural monument was received; its boundary was revised once again in 2010 (Figure 1). In the Soviet times the status of architectural (urban) monument came along with Old Town Regeneration Projects; without deepening into qualitative aspects, the urban heritage, besides legal status, had documents for protection of values and guidelines for development. After 1990, when the legal basis for protected urban sites was concentrated on the historic centre of Vilnius – the UNESCO World Heritage site, protection of Kaunas Old Town was supported only by brief Main File of Cultural Property (1996). In 2010 the LR Culture Minister confirmed a Detailed Plan of Kaunas Old Town specifying levels and ways for protection of its material fabric [3]. The legal protection of Kaunas historic part of the city was set in 1999. Initially, its protection was supported by brief Main File of Cultural Property (1999). LR Culture Minister confirmed a Detailed Plan of Kaunas historic part of the city (2012) specifying levels and ways for protection of its material fabric in an expanded territory (Figure 1) [4]. As the last development project for urban heritage territory – the Old Town Regeneration Project (1977) is out of relevance, there are no objective elaborated legal documents, projects or guidelines establishing protection and development for further evolution of territories of Kaunas Old Town and historic part of the city. These territories were analysed as part of Kaunas in the works of urban heritage research (1993, 2006), master planning (2003) and allocation of high-rise buildings (2006). Anyway, these works state generalized recommendations for overall urban heritage sites without differentiation. Without elaborated documents and projects the protection and development of Kaunas urban heritage is not based on a regulated purposeful course. Moreover, regulation of evolution of Kaunas central part stands behind the contemporary treatment: conception of heritage preservation and development as constituent parts of the same process; the principle of preservation as prohibition turning to a principle of regulated development [5, 204-205] that should evolve from the genetic program, providing identity to a city that is enshrined in a specific storage – Old Town – and continued in further stages of historic evolution; any urban activities of community should implement this program for specific evolution to anchor the identity and oneness [6, 232-233]. Apart from a local legal background, the trends towards the protection and development of urban heritage in the documents by international organizations (UNESCO, ICOMOS and Council of Europe) are very important as the methodology basis for the design of architecture in protected areas and their positions – as criteria for its evaluation. During the period discussed, the evolution of the principles of urban heritage conservation developed towards territorial spread and heterogeneous multilayering. The preservation and continued existence of urban heritage “forms an essential element of the development of the city as a whole” [7]. Started with urban-structural and formal-compositional integration of a new object into urban heritage situation that ensures visual and compositional compatibility; reflection of character that embraces qualities of buildings, spaces, functions and social diversity; continuity of traditional building materials,

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Fig. 2. Dwelling building on Kumelių Str. (built in 1993) [a photo by the author].

Fig. 3. Administrative building “Omnitel” on Laisvės Alley (built in 1998) [a photo by the author].

technology and crafts using them in contemporary manner; later on following traditional patterns, continuity of a place’s intangible values, the spirit of place, and social experience was added [8]. Recent new challenge is high-quality architectural standards for contemporary architectural elements. Vienna Memorandum on “World Heritage and Contemporary Architecture – Managing the Historic Urban Landscape” (UNESCO, Vienna, 2005) emphasizes three major keystones for infill architecture: continuity of culture through quality interventions, avoiding pseudo-historical design [9]. II. Period of 1990–1999

Since 1990, the first decade has been a specific period in practice of infill architecture outstanding for several reasons. The regaining of Independence by Lithuania was followed by a deep economic decline that resulted in a small number of buildings erected facing the streets of Kaunas Old Town and the historic part of the city. After liberation from the Soviet pressure and dictate, the society was greatly concerned with heritage preservation as a national treasure and guarantee of its identity, and especially sensitive to what was happening in the urban heritage places.

Architecture and Urban Planning 2013 / 8

Eglė Navickienė, Architectural Tendencies of Recent Infill Buildings in Kaunas Historic Centre

Magnus University on K. Donelaičio Str. that interprets historic character in a geometric interplay with adjoining buildings. Two buildings: administrative building “Omnitel” on Laisvės Alley and hotel “Daniela” on A. Mickevičiaus Str. might form the other part of infill architecture in the historic part of the city that appeared in the very end of the period foretelling about coming changes. They were treated quite brave and radical at that time because of finish in colourful metal sheets and non-traditional elevation structure: slanted horizontal lines of hotel “Daniela” elevation in a deconstructive manner and its black-and-white colours create fresh contrast to neighbourhood; administrative building “Omnitel” features a rounded roof and is finished in blue metal sheets (Figure 3). Anyway, the buildings’ height, position, urban and architectural scale corresponds to the ones characteristic of environment; thus, the expression of mentioned buildings is equivalent to the neighbourhood avoiding declarative contrast and destructive impact on the surroundings. It should be emphasized that contextuality, cautious expression and tolerant relationship to the environment in architecture of buildings constructed in the central historic part of Kaunas during the period of 1990–1999 were not a pure result of legal regulation or methodical reference to theory and guidelines for infill architecture, they mostly represented a mainstream of contemporary tendencies in architecture reacting to social expectations that were overlapping with treatment recommended internationally. In comparison, tendencies of infill architecture in the historic centre of Vilnius were rather similar; however, the method of historical reconstruction had already been used (dwelling buildings on Didžioji Str., 1998).

Fig. 4. “ABP German Invest” building of offices for rent on A. Mickevičiaus Str. (built in 2001) [a photo by the author].

As V. Petrušonis notices: “first years after 1990 stand out by romantic will to continue an interwar tradition of Kaunas architecture“ [10, 16]. Moreover, the Post-modern style in architecture that was still on its peak at that time, declared contextuality and the use of architectural language based on a historical or regional origin. Certain postulates of Post-modern movement, such as contextuality, regionalism, reference to semantic and symbolic codes, and focus on historic tradition, overlap with contemporary positions expressed in international recommendations and theory for infill architecture. All these circumstances formed a specific background for infill architecture with a few possibilities for fast, numerous and radical changes to occur in the central historic area of Kaunas. The buildings that were erected were rather uniform in spite of the fact that the Old Town had a status of urban or cultural monument, and the historic part of the city did not have such a status. Buildings constructed in the Old Town of Kaunas at that time followed the same pattern: overall shape and height coordinated with neighbouring buildings; tectonic structure of massive wall and ordered openings; horizontal division into basement, main and cornice parts; small scale created by usage of relief, graphic cutout, framings of windows; details and elements associated with historic architecture. The architectural language was based on the transformation of historic elements in a Post-modern way: an ironic approach in reverse relief of framing of windows in a dwelling building on Kumelių Str. (Figure 2); play of distorted geometric shapes of portal and cornice part in an administrative building on šv. Gertrūdos Str. The architectural expression was low; the relationship to the surroundings was passive. Buildings of the period are similar in a contextual approach and tolerant relationship to the context as they were integrated into the surroundings in a harmonious and careful way. Social expectations and Post-modern style determined specific architectural tendencies of the infill buildings of the period in the historic part of the city before legal restraints were set. The architecture of part of the buildings of that time is rather similar to those built in the Old Town in architectural expression, relationship to the context, finish in plaster and colours characteristic of the environment, like in the architecture of the premises of Vytautas

III. Period of 2000–2005

The 21st century started with an economic growth in building sector up to the building boom that took place all over the Lithuanian cities, and in the historic centre of Kaunas (except the Old Town). The legal protection of the historic part of the city was established in 1999; however, it was not followed by detailed documents, projects or guidelines. Thus, it did not change the way new buildings were designed – as the contemporary representations of the city centre. Search for identity, obedient respect and nostalgia for the cultural heritage of Kaunas, especially for its pride – the interwar period architecture that dominated during the previous period was shrinking; the ambition to match up to European cities took over its place: during the period presented the Spanish architecture as the source of aspiration for Kaunas architects was turning to the Dutch one [11]. The tendency of previous period is continued only in two administrative buildings in the historic part of city, standing one beside the other on A. Mickevičiaus Street. “ABP German Invest” building of offices for rent respectfully transforms the main features of the key buildings from interwar period architecture in a deconstructive manner (Figure 4), while the building of Kaunas Department of the State Social Insurance Fund Board retains a conservative rational tradition of building structure and compositional scheme with a highly expressed horizontal and vertical division. Architecture of both buildings corresponds to the point of view of previous period as they were designed a few years before they were erected – that is why originally and

Architecture and Urban Planning Eglė Navickienė, Architectural Tendencies of Recent Infill Buildings in Kaunas Historic Centre

ideologically they represent the attitudes of the last decade of 20th century. A majority of newly built buildings in the historic part of city followed the architectural stream dominating in Lithuania: reduction of complexity of artistic expression, abstraction and purification of shapes. New priorities in design left aside history and past turned buildings to a uniform – once again – shape of minimalistic boxes of glass or concrete irrespective of building location. The objective for morphological simplicity and ascetics in exterior rejected any relief and small-scale elements in elevations; harmonizing compositional division was reduced to a graphic pattern of frames. Lack of elaborated details did not help to balance the architectural scale to the surrounding one; although the urban scale, position and height were contextualized due to the regulation. The general description of main architectural tendency confirms verbatim to several examples: glass walls of a commercial building and a commercial-administrative building on Laisvės Alley; glass surfaces in a more complex shape of “Swedbank” headquarters on Maironio Str.; combination of curved concrete and glass surfaces in commercial building “Sostinė” on Maironio Str. (Figure 5); combination of glass and brick in a flat surface in an administrative building on Jonavos g. – the only one located in the Old Town. Infill buildings featuring innovative expression, cosmopolite design ignoring local features, materials and architectural scale in contrast to the characteristic ones make an active but controversial impact on their historic surroundings. Their impact should be evaluated deciding what the priority for the development of the central part of Kaunas is – should it be treated as a contemporary cosmopolitan centre or as on-going evolution of urban heritage providing the identity for the city? The international documents and guidelines recommend the latter priority [7], [8], [9], and many examples confirm that both priorities might be combined successfully. Without elaborated background for the protection and development of the historic part of the city, the responsibility for the contextuality of infill architecture emerging there was left for architects and local officials. Thus, the lack of contextuality might be explained by the shortage either of specialists’ knowhow or the respect for urban architectural heritage. Infill architecture in the historic centre of Vilnius at the same time was taking another direction. Legal regulation was focused on the historic tradition with limited contemporary expression (motivated by preservation of the values of the World Heritage Site). In cases when an infill object was not based on the historic vocabulary, it became less and less a pure piece of contemporary architecture and more and more – a composite answer to a complicated regulation decreasing architectural quality.

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Fig. 5. Commercial building “Sostinė” on Maironio Str. (built in 2003) [a photo by the author].

Fig. 6. “Santaka” hotel extension on Gruodžio Str. (built in 2007) [a photo by the author].

and technologies, and liberal approach, part of them – even of destructive nature. Since 1990, the only reconstruction project has been implemented in Kaunas stone castle. Volumes of lost fragments – upper part of a tower and part of a wall have been recreated in red brick openwork. Modern technology leaves no doubt about its building time and is methodologically reasoned. Anyway, it raised hot discussions in the society whether it was purposeful and right. Other buildings in the Old Town adapt a characteristic urban and architectural scale, average height and typical roof shape, searching for and reinterpreting the spirit of place. Local features and patterns are not repeated directly in a retrospective way. In an apartment house on Karaliaus Mindaugo Str. they are transformed less, building elements are organized in almost traditional way and a small scale is achieved by play on surface relief. Other examples present an abstracted building shape eliminating or reducing structural elements like roof and base. Purified shape is divided by windows as in an apartment quarter on Santakos Str.,

IV. Period of 2006–2012

The last period covers the decline in Lithuanian economics from building boom to recession. The architecture of infill buildings of this period, compared to the earlier ones, is mostly heterogeneous. The difference depending on the heritage site (Old Town or the historic part of a city) emerged: the interventions into the Old Town were more contextualised, sensitive and based on traditional patterns; interventions into the historic part of a city featured innovative expression, use of non-traditional materials

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Eglė Navickienė, Architectural Tendencies of Recent Infill Buildings in Kaunas Historic Centre

Fig. 9. Business centre “Capital” on Putvinskio Str. (built in 2009) [a photo by the author].

Fig. 7. Apartment quarter on Santakos Str. (built in 2008) [a photo by the author].

this period by buildings ignoring respect for an existing urban situation and demand for the development of urban heritage place. The huge commercial centre “Akropolis” built on a bank of river totally changed the urban structure and scale of the historic part of Kaunas as it covered the territory of the size of whole quarter together with part of embankment street and put into its shade the Karmelitų church standing close to it; apart from heritage and urban issues, it distorted a social and economic life in Kaunas centre. Another drastic intervention was a 10-storey multifunctional complex “Bokštas“ on the boundary of Old Town that changed the balance of heights; the segment of medieval defence wall with a tower right beside it lost their marking silhouette and they were overshadowed in the background of active elevation design (Figure 8). Confusing urban invasions were conditioned by pressure of investors and enabled by missing institutional potency to withstand it. A. Lamauskas searches for reasons for aggressive changes in globalization influences and social liberalization [12]. It should be mentioned that Kaunas architecture experts are not unanimous as J. Bučas advocates the existence of multifunctional complex “Bokštas” as the reflecting glass background for exposition of heritage objects [13, 150-152]. The infill objects of less extreme relationship towards the historic part of the city are pieces of contemporary innovative architecture, active elements of environment like business centre “Capital” on Putvinskio Str. (Figure 9). Although most of recent buildings are finished in glass and metal, the approach declared is different from the one of the previous period due to efforts undertaken to contextualise the scale, harmonize a compositional scheme and colours that result in better relationship to the context in urban, architectural and compositional aspects. Meanwhile recent architectural realizations in the historic centre of Vilnius continue the course of a limited contemporary architectural approach in favour of historicist design restraining sustainable cultural evolution and freezing the image of urban structure at a certain historical stage.

Fig. 8. Multifunctional complex “Bokštas“ on Kęstučio / I.Kanto Str., (built in 2007) [a photo by the author].

or by prolonged stripes of openings like in the Kolping University of Applied Sciences on Raguvos Str., Jesuitical Gymnasium on Daugirdo Sstr., and “Santaka” hotel extension on Gruodžio Str. (Figure 6). Talking about “continuity of culture through quality interventions” as the essential requirement for infill architecture stated in recent international recommendations [9], the Jesuitical Gymnasium and “Santaka” hotel extension are the leaders as the first one attempts to catch the ascetic mood and rhythm of squeezed Daugirdo bystreet and the latter one interprets a character of Gruodžio Str. characteristic of higher and more decorative historicism buildings by an irregular play of prolonged shapes. Both infill buildings are non-conformist and active but sensitive imprints of high-quality contemporary architecture. The apartment quarter on Santakos Str. does not properly meet the requirements for its formal and stiff manifestation in especially sensitive location right beside the confluence in the very core of the Old Town; lacking of precise details and building quality, its architecture balances on impression of poorness rather then desired purity (Figure 7). Hardly any building in this period erected in a historic part of the city appeared without a notice in mass media for rejection of professional community, in oppositionto society or legal variance. The largest harm to the historic part of Kaunas was done during

Conclusions

Kaunas historic core and source of identity – Old Town and the historic part of the city lack an elaborated legal background

Architecture and Urban Planning Eglė Navickienė, Architectural Tendencies of Recent Infill Buildings in Kaunas Historic Centre

for protection and development as an integral sustainable process (the latter component has not been initiated yet) meeting the contemporary point of view. Present time of economic decline should be used to come up with a progressive outlook, strategy, documents and projects. To date the process of the design of new buildings in Kaunas protected areas is not based on a regulated purposeful course balanced with contemporary recommendations emphasizing sensitivity to the cultural-historical context and high architectural quality. It relies on subjective circumstances and human factor, such as the professional qualification and knowhow of architects and local officials, responsible for the approval of a project that leaves gaps for initiatives of the investors and unjustified decisions. Since 1990, the design of infill architecture in the historic central part of Kaunas little depended on legal status of urban heritage site and its protection; mostly it depended on contemporary architectural tendencies, as well as on professional competence, social expectations, pressure of investors, and culture standards. In the period of 1990–1999 infill architecture was uniform in a contextual careful approach, low Post-modern expression and passive impact on the environment. In 2000–2005 it was uniform in a cosmopolite design, innovative expression and active impact on the surroundings. During the period of 2006–2012 it is heterogeneous comprising harmonized contemporary architecture and active innovative buildings, part of them – aggressive radical interventions into an urban heritage site. The overall tendency of infill architecture in Kaunas central part displays rising contextuality due to gaining of know-how and experience, and growing diversity, including a negative practice. Compared to tendencies of infill architecture in the historic centre of Vilnius, process in Kaunas is rather different from the one in Vilnius as it expresses even and natural architectural evolution with constraints almost sufficient to avoid rough mistakes but not efficient to direct the evolution according to the guidelines pointed out by progressive international thought and recommendations.

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6. Rubavičius, V. Vilniaus senamiestis – gyvosios kultūrinės atminties šerdis. Urbanistika ir Architektūra, Vol. 35, Issue 4, 2011, p. 231–237. 7. Suzhou Declaration on International Co-operation for the Safeguarding and Development of Historic Cities [online]. UNESCO, 1998 [cited 27.07.2012]. http://whc.unesco.org/archive/suzhou.htm 8. The Quebec Declaration on the Preservation of the Spirit of the Place [online]. ICOMOS, 2008 [cited 27.07.2012]. http://www.international.icomos.org/ quebec2008/quebec_declaration/pdf/GA16_Quebec_Declaration_Final_ EN.pdf 9. Vienna Memorandum on World Heritage and Contemporary Architecture – Managing the Historic Urban Landscape [online]. UNESCO, 2005 [cited 27.07.2012]. http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/activities/documents/ activity-48-3.doc 10. Petrušonis, V. Kauno architektūra: dešimtmečio retrospektyva. Archiforma, 2 (2002), p. 16–24. 11. Tuleikis, L. Ką groja ir kuo serga Kauno architektai. Archiforma, 2 (2002), p. 68–69. 12. Lamauskas, A. Gobalizacija: gėrio ir blogio priešprieša (apie globalizacijos reiškinius urbanistinėje ir architektūrinėje aplinkoje). Archiforma, 3-4 (2011), p. 65–69. 13. Bučas, J. Demokratiniai proveržiai paveldosaugoje. Urbanistika ir Architektūra, Vol. 30, Issue 3, 2006, p. 143–158.

Eglė Navickienė (Šiauliai, 1974). B. arch. (1996), MSc. arch. (Vilnius Technical University, 1999), Dr. arch. (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, 2004), PhD research thesis New Architecture in the Historic Environment of the Largest Lithuanian Cities (1950–2003), tutor Prof. Dr. habil. Algimantas Miškinis. ASSOCIATED PROFESSOR at the Department of Architecture, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU). VICE-DEAN FOR RESEARCH at the Faculty of Architecture, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU). Guest lecturer at Kaunas Arts Academy, Kaunas Technology University, Kyungpook National University, South Korea. He is a participant of scientific conferences and the author of 10 scientific publications, including a monograph. Previous publications: • Navickienė, E. Nauja architektūra istorinėje aplinkoje: kūrimo patirtis (New Architecture in a Historic Environment: Experience of Design Practice). Vilnius: Technika, 2006, ISBN 9955-28-060-3. 180 p. Current and previous research interests: new architecture in a historic environment, protection of urban heritage, architectural composition.

References 1. Baužienė, M. Lietuvos moderno pastatai : Lithuanian Monuments of Modern Movement. Vilnius: Savastis, 1998. 80 p. 2. Navickienė, E. New Buildings in Vilnius Historical Centre: in Between of Replication and Innovation. Scientific Journal of Riga Technical University : Architecture and Urban Planning = Rīgas Tehniskās universitātes Zinātniskie Raksti : Arhitektūra un pilsētplānošana. Rīga: RTU, 2009, Vol. 10, Issue 4, p. 119–128. 3. Kauno Senamiesčio (unikalus objekto kodas 20171, buv. kodas U15) nekilnojamojo kultūros paveldo apsaugos specialusis planas. Aiškinamasis raštas [online]. Department of Cultural Heritage, 2010 [cited 27.07.2012]. http://www3.lrs.lt/pls/inter3/dokpaieska.dok_priedas?p_id=43191 4. Kauno Naujamiesčio (unikalus objekto kodas 22149, buv. kodas U30) nekilnojamojo kultūros paveldo apsaugos specialusis planas. Aiškinamasis raštas [online]. Department of Cultural Heritage, 2012 [cited 27.07.2012]. http://tar.tic.lt/getfile.aspx?AktoId=3D1C9D50-D858-4C87-9D86888ACF2A7B9D&doctype=2 5. Bučas, J., Čepaitienė, R., Gražulevičiūtė-Vileniškė, Mlinkauskienė, A. Paveldas Lietuvos statybų vizijos kontekste. Urbanistika ir Architektūra, Vol. 31, Issue 4, 2011, p. 201–212.

Contact Data

Eglė Navickienė Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Faculty of Architecture Address: Pylimo g. 26/1, Vilnius, LT-01132, Lithuania Phone: + 370 52745211 E-mail: eglen@vgtu.lt

Architecture and Urban Planning

doi: 10.7250/aup.2013.014 2013 / 8

Local and Global Tendencies of the World Expo Architecture: The Case of Lithuanian Pavilion at Expo 2012 Yeosu, Korea Martynas Valevičius, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University The exhibition was an overwhelming success. Every nation was invited to contribute to the exhibition, which constituted an inventory of all branches of human endeavour. The first building for an exposition purpose — the Crystal Palace — was built. The first expo pavilion was designed and constructed in Hyde Park, London, by architect Joseph Paxton (Figure 1). The figure shows the scope of the Great Exhibition: a structure made entirely of glass (the first of its kind) was built. The building was so high that it towered over elm trees (which were left standing and are still located inside the building), featured fountains, and many exhibits. The Great Exhibition of London in the Victorian Era was proposed to introduce the world to the great advancements in knowledge and inventions made during that period of time. Paris took over and organized brilliant exhibitions in 1867, 1878, 1889 and 1900. Soon, other large centres were also eager to welcome craftsmen and manufacturers from all over the world; exhibitions held in Vienna, Amsterdam, Brussels, Barcelona, St. Louis, Turin and Philadelphia were among the most successful international exhibitions. World’s Fairs excited and inspired millions of people around the world by expressing the hopes and desires of their times. Perhaps unwittingly, they also provided a fascinating glimpse into the realities of those times. Although the expo architecture was represented by temporary buildings, some of them were actually genuinely iconic, which made a huge impact on the history of architecture. Because of the limited scope, this paper will recall a few constructions: the Crystal Palace (mentioned above), because it was the first expo pavilion, one vertical and one horizontal example: the Eiffel Tower, built for the Exposition Universelle in Paris, 1889 (Figure 2), and the legendary Barcelona Pavilion (also known as the German

Abstract – The research focuses on the Lithuanian pavilion, which represented Lithuania as a country of amber in the “World Expo 2012” held in South Korea. Scientific problem of this paper belongs to the type of applied arts and is of practical approach. The paper explores local and global tendencies of architecture, taking into account the history of World Expo architecture and analysing the Lithuanian pavilion design process. These tendencies resulted in main ideas and objectives (including a narrative of space, national identity, etc.) which had an important role in architecture and could be more or less adopted in the future exhibition design. Keywords – Architecture, exhibition, global and local tendencies, Lithuanian pavilion, world expo.

This paper brings together the author’s interest in the World Expo architecture, in a narrative of space which it forms, and national identity, in this case, a content of this narrative. The author intends to present a case study of Lithuanian pavilion design process. In the beginning, some local and global tendencies of World Expo architecture will be described based on the history of the World Expo. The paper will conclude with some principles, which result from these tendencies and which were used by the author in the Lithuanian pavilion design. In the process of writing the paper, the Lithuanian pavilion has already been constructed. In the International Exhibition “Expo 2012” in Yeosu, Lithuania appeared as a country of amber. It is time of rethinking goals, which the author expected to achieve and the complex of tools and tactile actions (the use of symbol, lighting, etc.), which he used. The author will evaluate efforts undertaken and also draw conclusions in the current paper. I. History of the World Expo

World Expo is not an invention of nowadays. It dates back to the times, when large markets were regularly held in cities and attracted a lot of people, some of whom travelled great distances to visit these markets. These events, thus, provided an environment for exchanging and evaluating ideas and for demonstrating and comparing skills. Through these events a highly beneficial atmosphere of expedience developed between people of different nations and cultures. Tradespeople travelled to the cities from all over the world. Thus, the early commercial transactions paved the way for the world expo of today, which plays an educational role and promotes progress [1]. The first “universal and international” exhibition in the modern sense of the term took place in 1851 in London, the capital of England, the world’s leading industrial power, which with its vast empire had profited handsomely from free trade and the prosperity of the Victorian era [2].

Fig. 1. The Crystal Palace, London 1851.

Architecture and Urban Planning Martynas Valevičius, Local and Global Tendencies of the World Expo Architecture: The Case of Lithuanian Pavilion at Expo 2012 Yeosu, Korea

pavilion) by Mies van der Rohe at the International Exhibition 1929 in Spain (Figure 3). The Eiffel Tower was built for the World Exhibition in 1889, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The tower created by Gustave Eiffel was intended as a monument to the technical and substantive expertise in France, but also as an observation tower to the city and entrance arch for the expo. Several French writers protested against the tower in the magazine Le Temps on February 14, 1887, among them Alexandre Dumas and Guy de Maupassant. In the petition they stated that “the senseless, monstrous Eiffel Tower” would be ugly and give shame to Paris. It took approximately one year and nine months to build the iron tower — it started on January 26, 1887, and the tower was opened on March 31, 1889. The Eiffel Tower was the world’s highest building until 1930. After the World Expo, it was planned that the tower would be demolished, but as we know, it was left [3]. Mies van der Rohe designed one of his most famous buildings, the German Pavilion in 1927 [4]. For this pavilion he also designed the famous chrome and leather ‘Barcelona Chair’. Since 1929, when the Barcelona pavilion was built for the International Exhibition in Spain, it has become a magnet of spatial studies for architects everywhere. The design is constructed as a large horizontal roof-plane, under which columns and vertical planes of marble and glass are positioned. As a result of the apparently random positioning of the elements, one experiences the building as an assemblage of different parts and different materials. Because all surfaces heavily reflect the sunlight and each other, all materials are transformed in their appearance — marble becomes transparent, the steel columns become almost invisibly, the glass is so dark that it becomes a mirror, etc. The fragmentation and distortion of the space is total. When visitors move through the building, these elements are in an ongoing flux. The building itself becomes an event that is continuously being reproduced. These examples show that from the beginning of World Expo architecture had a new function – it entertained people. As times change, world expositions have changed to fit those times. World Expo architecture evolved over time. Ever since the first world’s fair in London in 1851, the goals of world’s fairs have been both high-minded and commercial. They also allow people to explore the world outside their everyday experience — outside cultures, new scientific advancements, and new inventions. The architecture continue to reflect both the commercial needs of their times while presenting the ideals, hopes, and aspirations of people even as those evolve. This allows formulating the first significant global tendency: World Expo architecture is increasingly entertaining people. Entertainment plays a crucial role; it becomes more important than education, share of knowledge or discoveries of science. As people have more and more entertainment options, world expositions have continued to find new ways to provide information and inspiration in new ways [5]. The following global tendency of architecture of world’s fairs is seen: people claim that television and the Internet have made world’s fairs obsolete — people have finally exhausted the potential to entertain, enlighten, and inspire outside their own home. Another global tendency of architecture is that building surfaces become media screens

Fig. 2. The Eiffel Tower, Paris 1889.

Fig. 3. Barcelona (German) Pavilion, Barcelona 1929.

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Martynas Valevičius, Local and Global Tendencies of the World Expo Architecture: The Case of Lithuanian Pavilion at Expo 2012 Yeosu, Korea

Fig. 4. Expo 2012 Yeosu.

Expo halls and theatres, hotels, roads, walkways and train station, were erected to hold this event. The international exhibition in South Korea expected the participation of over a hundred countries and international organizations. It presented the most advanced marine resource technologies, issues of environmental protection and sustainable development, and ocean and sea coast people. Expo was expected to attract over 8 million visitors in three months (Figure 4). The main architectural task was to embody the Expo’s theme “The Living Ocean and Coast” and transform it into a multilayered architectural experience. From the whole range of many pavilions, which in different ways explored marine themes, two most significant buildings (from the architectural point of view) should be mentioned: Theme and International pavilions. They represented the Expo’s agenda, namely, the responsible use of natural resources and actually embedded into the buildings through a kinetic façade in the former case and through a digital ceiling in the latter case. The Theme pavilion was state of the art and built offshore. The theme Pavilion tested architectural and engineering limits in a different way from its national namesake, by being as lowtech as possible. Inside the pavilion there were numerous smaller themes, but the overall exhibition showed us the diversity of life in the ocean, its beauty, its dangers and how the ocean life could be protected. All this information and ideas were presented to visitors in a very unique way using the latest technologies. The aim of the design was to create an iconic landmark integrated into its urban context and the surrounding nature. The authors – Soma architects from Austria (Stefan Rutzinger, Martin Oberascher, Kristina Schinegger, Günther Weber) – experienced the Ocean mainly in two ways, as an endless surface and – in an immersed perspective – as depth. This plain/profound duality of the Ocean motivated the spatial and organizational concept of the building. Continuous surfaces twist from vertical to horizontal orientation and define the significant interior spaces. The vertical cones induce the visitor to immerse into the Thematic Exhibition.

and these screens are visually more significant than the form or shape of the building. The media content becomes increasingly important. The World Expo is also a good place for searching of local tendencies, because there are a lot of participants from different countries. The World Expo incorporates a lot of local characteristics from all over the world into the expo architecture. However, there are mainly decorative motifs and themes inspired by national antiquity. The local tendency could be seen in ways how a participating country represents its national identity. These representations are essential for visitors to memorise a participant. The local tendencies can be clearly visible when comparing the World Expo with the Olympic Games. World Expo can be related to the Olympics in many ways, but world’s fairs are unique in that the everyday person can experience them firsthand, not just athletes or politicians. Anyone can enter that expo site and see a lot of local and global tendencies and feel a part of something new, feel a part of the world community, feel what potential the man has for doing good in the world. Perhaps that should be the mission of World Expo architecture — to make people a bit less cynical about the world and to let them feel a part of the world, and it is rare experience compared to that of television or computer [6]. The author of the paper believes that world expositions and expo architecture are changing and will continue to change over time. There will always be new ways to inspire, new ways to enlighten and new ways to entertain. And one of these ways could be described as a local tendency: to find something in history and national identity and to show it in a new light. II. Expo 2012 in Yeosu, Korea

The World Expo for 2012 was held in Yeosu, Korea. Yeosu is a small port city in Jeollanam-do in the south of Korea. The Expo 2012 Yeosu lasted from 12th May to 12th August 2012. The actual site of the Expo 2012 was the harbour. The whole area had been under construction for the past few years. New buildings, such as

Architecture and Urban Planning Martynas Valevičius, Local and Global Tendencies of the World Expo Architecture: The Case of Lithuanian Pavilion at Expo 2012 Yeosu, Korea

They evolve into horizontal levels that cover the foyer and become a flexible stage for the “Best Practice Area”. Continuous transitions between contrasting experiences also form the outer appearance of the Pavilion. Towards the sea the conglomeration of solid vertical cones defines a new meandering coast line, a soft edge that is in constant negotiation between water and land. The opposite side of the pavilion develops out of the ground into an artificial roof – landscape with gardens and scenic paths. The topographic lines of the roof turn into lamellas of the kinetic media façade that faces the Expo’s entrance and the “Digital Gallery”. A counterpart of the virtual multi-media shows of the Thematic Exhibition, the kinetic façade like the overall architecture of the pavilion evokes sensuous experiences through analogue means. During daytime the lamellas are used to control light conditions in the Best Practice Area. After sunset the analogue visual effect of the moving lamellas is intensified by LEDs. The bionic principle of the kinetic media façade supports the idea of a “consistent effect”. Form, material, movement and light are seamlessly interrelated. The longer the single lamella — the wider the opening angle — the bigger the area affected by light. The bionic approach also underlines the ecological agenda of the EXPO. As a moving, emotional experience the kinetic façade combines the sensation with the sensational while communicating the EXPO’s theme in an innovative and investigative way. [7] Kristina Schinegger of Soma Architects said that the spirit of adventure and experimentalism, in keeping with the history of Expos, was a key part of the design process. “On the one hand the architect has to do less, but on the other hand much more. It has to be extraordinary, which is why architects love Expos” [8] (Figure 5). The International Pavilion designed by Haeahn architects is the largest building at the Expo complex and occupies the central part of Expo site. The Archipelago, as a characteristic of Korea’s south coast, is here metaphorically expressed. Conceiving a concept known as ‘The Third Nature’, the architecture follows an eco-friendly ethic and sustainable methodology that incorporates both a passive and active attitude to its design. It heralds a global tendency of design approach, delineating a shift in which we move from the “first nature” — that is the human being is viewed as an integral element of nature to the “second nature” — that is the survivalist endeavours to process an artificial nature. Culminating the “third nature”, channelling all the accumulated intellectual achievements made by disavowing the unassuming integration of the artificial nature and by applying and reinterpreting the inherit immutability of nature [9]. The building is composed of three layers: the ground floor contains various leisure activities, the roof emulates ocean waves by controlling its microclimate, and a multi-purpose tower forms the Archipelago shapes by determining the natural ventilation and light source. The visitors can, therefore, experience a topography of simultaneity, connecting interior and exterior, in which a street full of vital urban energy exists in the same space as a number of more unpredictable natural areas, all connected through the theatricality on the over-arching roof structure [10]. The roof structure is covered with media ceiling – a phenomenal scale screen, which reaches 218 m in length and 30 m in width (Figure 6). In the International Pavilion, all the participating countries had their own local pavilions, where

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Fig. 5. Thematic Pavilion, Yeosu. 2012.

Fig. 6. The International Pavilion, Yeosu. 2012.

countries created their own architecture, which represented main attractions at the World Expo. III. The Lithuanian Pavilion

According to local and global tendencies mentioned above, the primary task of the Lithuanian pavilion was stated: to find something that corresponded to the theme of Expo (The Living Ocean and Coast) and had roots in the Lithuanian context (culture, history, folklore, etc.). Our idea was to use amber as a national identity. Amber is mentioned in a lot of Lithuanian legends and the main fields of amber are in the former territory of Lithuania. The idea that won in the national context was to show amber in a new way — to create a space with a narrative, with a feeling of looking at the world from inside the amber. The inside of pavilion was covered with amber imitation coating, shining monochromatic yellow light. About 20 floor tiles — rectangular slabs that were trimmed with steel and lit from underneath — were imprinted with photos of ancient life perfectly fossilized in the resin: plants, flies, and spiders with their limbs wrapped about their prey like nature’s 3D photographs. A column built near one corner displayed jewellery made of amber from the Stone Age. Overhead, a metallic, golden ceiling reflected the intense shade like an amber sun. The whole pavilion was designed to encase one in the amber universe just as those Cretaceous insects that were lost in the world a long time ago. This was done to create a feeling of looking at the world from inside the amber.

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Martynas Valevičius, Local and Global Tendencies of the World Expo Architecture: The Case of Lithuanian Pavilion at Expo 2012 Yeosu, Korea

Hill of Crosses, and other notable sights. There was a possibility to get acquainted ewith the history of amber with different samples containing all sorts of relics trapped inside. The upper floor was used for a specialized presentation on Lithuania, film days and photography exhibitions (Figure 8). The facade of the pavilion featured a piece of amber with an inclusion, and the entrance was decorated with stylized aged tree figures, reminiscent of Juodkrantė treasures. A stylized amber amulet from the well-known Juodkrantė’s treasure of the Neolithic period served as a talisman of the pavilion. The Juodkrantė treasure was collected in 1860–1881 in the Curonian Lagoon, 0.65 miles north of Juodkrantė. It is believed that the articles could have washed through the passage, which was present at that time at the Curonian Spit, from Stone Age settlements of Semba peninsula. Displays embedded into a column and an undulating sidewall showed off pieces of amber jewellery, while sculptures – including a massive ring studded with amber – pepper the surreal space. The visual inspiration behind the logo and exterior of the pavilion was a series of ancient amber pieces, carved into various shapes. After commencing the tour throughout the pavilion, visitors were invited to purchase actual amber pieces in the pavilion’s gift shop. Different events and publications reflect the theme of the exhibition. “We will try to tackle environmental issues during these events, and the pavilion will serve as a platform, a place where you can talk about it”, says Romas Jankauskas (Commissioner General of the Lithuanian Exposition at EXPO 2012) [11]. The exposition was aimed at attracting a diverse audience; therefore, we sought to draw the people’s attention by, first of all, focusing on the appearance, making it as memorable as possible. Since the audience is very diverse, serious concerns must be addressed in a simple and accessible manner. The age bracket of the visitors is also very wide. This type of audience, first of all, seeks for entertainment, attractions and events, but the theme of the exhibition should not be forgotten. It might be written that the Lithuanian pavilion met its objectives, because the international press wrote about the Lithuanian pavilion: “...Every day at Expo 2012, you see wonders that would make a Roman emperor feel like the lowliest barbarian in the worst salt mine in his kingdom. In Lithuania’s pavilion, the walls, floor, and ceiling glowed in amber tones to highlight the mineral that was the focus of their effort. Black steel tubes shot up from the floor like polished stalagmites, their silver tips contained chunks of amber older than T. Rexes” [12].

Fig. 7. Visualization of Lithuanian Pavilion.

Conclusions

Fig. 8. Lithuanian Pavilion, Yeosu 2012.

1. A global tendency of World Expo architecture is to entertain. Media technologies are increasingly used for this purpose. 2. Media technologies become more important than form or shape of architecture, and this fact increases a risk that World Expo will become obsolete, because people can stay at home and access everything via the Internet. 3. It is a great challenge to attract and entertain Expo visitors, because most of them get used to technologies and everything can be seen on their smartphones. 4. It is not easy to show something new in the World Expo,

The principal concept behind the Lithuania – the inside space had an unusual ambiance, as people and objects appeared in black and yellow and light came from the bottom, so there were almost no shadows, thus creating a special feeling (Figure 7). The pavilion stood out with its amber image among other participants, who chose marine colours. To bring in more flamboyancy and escape uniformity, it was decided to match yellow and black colours. The entire Lithuanian pavilion looked like a big amber. There were three openings in the pavilion; they could provide glimpses of Vilnius, the Curonian Spit, Trakai, the

Architecture and Urban Planning Martynas Valevičius, Local and Global Tendencies of the World Expo Architecture: The Case of Lithuanian Pavilion at Expo 2012 Yeosu, Korea

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Martynas Valevičius (Vilnius, 1979). B. arch. (Vilnius Academy of Arts, 2001), MSc. arch. (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, 2004), Dr. arch. (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, 2010), PhD research thesis URBAN LIGHTING: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT AND CONTEMPORARY TRENDS, academic supervisor Prof., Dr. arch. Konstantinas Jakovlevas Mateckis. He has been a Lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University since 2006. He is a Visiting Lecturer at Vilnius Academy of Arts. Methodological work at the Department of Building Construction, Faculty of Architecture. He is a RESEARCHER in various scientific projects, Private Architect, Architect at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University. He is a Participant of various scientific conferences and the author of scientific publications. Recent publications: • Valevičius, M. 2009. Apšvietimas kaip modernizmo architektūros simbolis, Urbanistika ir architektūra 33(3): 183–194. ISSN 1392-1630. • Valevičius, M. 2009. Miestų meninio apšvietimo šiuolaikinės tendencijos, Urbanistika ir architektūra 33, (priedas): 351–365. ISSN 1392-1630. • Valevičius, M.; Levickaitė, R. 2011. Lighting of Cultural Heritage as a Tool to Exhibit Historical Architectural Values in the Context of Creative Industries (The Case of Ukmergė) Limes 4(2): 162-176. Current and previous research interests: architectural lighting, light architecture, media tools in architecture.

but the local tendencies, which come from national identity studies, could help. 5. The strong idea could form an impressive narrative of space and it could hide some technical failures. References 1. Peressut, B., Forino, I., Postiglione, G., Scullica, F. Places & Themes of Interiors : Contemporary Research Worldwide. Milan: Franco Angeli, 2008, p. 78–80. 2. The Great Exhibition of 1851 and its legacy [online]. RIBA. Royal Institute of British Architects [cited 18.04.2012.]. http://www.architecture. com/LibraryDrawingsAndPhotographs/Albertopolis/TheStoryOf/ GreatExhibition/TheGreatExhibitionof1851.aspx 3. World Exhibitions – World Expos – World Fairs [online]. World Exhibitions [cited 18.04.2012.]. http://www.worldexhibition.org 4. Modernist of the Month Ludwieg Mies Van Der Rohe 2011. [online]. TheModernist [cited 18.04.2012.]. http://www.themodernist.co.uk/2011/12/ ludwieg-mies-van-der-rohe/ 5. Flamme-Jasper, M. Architektur. Hannover: Hatje Cantz, 2000. 284. p. 6. The World’s Fair Museum Since 1998 [online]. ExpoMuseum [cited 18.04.2012.]. http://expomuseum.com/architecture/

7. Thematic Pavilion EXPO 2012 Yeosu, South-Korea [online]. soma architecture [cited 18.04.2012.]. http://www.soma-architecture.com/index. php?page=thematic_pavilion&parent=2 8. Irvine, D. Adventures in architecture at Expo 2012 [online]. CNN.com [cited 18.04.2012.]. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/18/world/asia/southkorea-expo-architecture/index.html 9. The International Pavilion at Yeosu Expo [online]. SPACE Magazine [cited 18.04.2012.]. http://www.vmspace.com/eng/sub_emagazine_view.asp?cate gory=architecture&idx=11644 10. International Pavilion at EXPO 2012 Yeosu [online]. HEAHN architecture [cited 18.04.2012.]. http://www.haeahn.com/front/project/05_search_01_ view.htm?index=0&idx_num=169&npage=&npage&&order=&key1=&ke y2=&search=yeosu# 11. Lithuania is hoped to stand out with its amber image at Expo 2012 [online]. Oficialūs Lietuvos interneto vartai [cited 18.04.2012.]. http://lietuva.lt/en / news/culture/lithuania_is_hoped_to_stand_out_with_its_amber_image_at_ expo_2012 12. Pappas, Ch. Russia, Lithuania, and the Philippines 2012 EXHIBITOR Magazine [online]. Exhibitor Online [cited 18.04.2012.] http://www. exhibitoronline.com/topics/expo2012/update6.asp

Contact Data

Martynas Valevičius Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Building Structures Address: Saulėtekio al. 11, LT-10223 Vilnius, Lithuania Phone: +370 68611363 E-mail: martynas.valevicius@vgtu.com

doi: 10.7250/aup.2013.015 2013 / 8

Architecture and Urban Planning

Adaptable Landscapes in Housing Renovation: A Tool for Activating Local Territorial Communities Gintaras Stauskis, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University practices in Lithuania. Recent practices apply public involvement to different project phases ranging from program generation to concept development, detailed technical design, implementation, supervision and maintenance [5]. Application of these techniques with the emphasis on landscape development in housing areas is the focus of this article.

Abstract â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Based on the basic theoretical principles and the existing practices of community involvement into planning, the article explores the ways of improving urban landscapes of residential territories, especially in the process of housing renovation. Researchers of different countries increasingly focus their attention on adaptability of landscape in the process of housing renovation and identify the main actors in this process. Local communities are strongly motivated players in the process of improving residential areas, providing the planners and architects with the ideas for programming, designing and implementing diverse housing projects on different scales. At the same time, the local communities themselves get strengthened by consolidating their interests towards achieving common goals in the territory of their interest. Housing renovation process is a perfect sphere where local communities could express their goals of improving living standards in the existing area of residence. The main interest areas of local residents for better living space and the surrounding area are presented, where landscape is seen as an important consolidating element. As a physical resource, landscape is important for local communities for its recreational function in a close environment also in connection to wider urban landscape. Providing green links for the residents among local, urban and suburban areas is a way to develop an integrated landscape system. As a visual element, landscape has an impact on visual identity of the residence that is perceived and memorised by residents. The article gives a set of recommendations on the ways of improving the methods and practices of complex urban renovation underlining community-based landscape development plans.

I. Recent Research

Public Involvement Renovation

Housing

The problem of remodelling the existing housing areas is widely discussed by researchers of different countries. The basic success of urban planning and design in all historical periods has been supported by public needs and community interests, and especially in the recent period of globalisation and loss of regional face the results of urban policies are strongly dependent on the input from local communities [2], [15]. The concept of a city as a system of landscape presents a completely different perspective for modern urban development [12]. Architectural instruments that could be applicable to renovate, reconstruct and refurbish the still existing residential blocks from different periods of time are widely analysed by the researchers of the Baltic Sea Region. The tradition of affordable housing was developed in many European countries. It was based on the principles of rigid functional zoning which was because of its shortages later changed by the policy of integrated urban development [1]. Landscape as an important factor of life quality and a key element in spatial composition of residential territories should be treated extremely carefully while updating the existing urban blocks from the second half of the 20th century. The inefficient energy use is a strong but not the only and even not the most important driver for renovating these areas. In opinion of the residents, there are numerous aspects connected to planning and technical installation of residential space that are prioritised and important for the local communities [3]. An increasing number of vehicles and the uncontrolled chaotic mobility, especially in Lithuania, have turned residential areas into motorised jungles with little green space and a lot of black pavement. Therefore, development of sustainable mobility with consequent application to recreation is another challenge [9]. As noted by I. UrbonaitÄ&#x2014;, local communities have a great interest and direct impact on different elements of recreation system that are developed in housing areas on the basis of existing natural resources and especially on those that are located in short distances from the dwellings [16]. Different forms of public approaches are practised in Europe from more formal as public involvement into selected processes to more sophisticated as participatory planning with different effects on a final result, which is usually indicated in the quality of living. The review of recent research clearly notes that involving public into the planning processes is a good, well-experienced and reliable tool to improve the plans and

Keywords â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Architecture, community involvement, housing renovation, landscape, local community, urban planning.

Tradition of community involvement into urban planning practice is a widely acknowledged scientific method and a local policy measure used to acquire the public essence of planning and reshaping urban territories. In different countries, it accounts for several decades and has multiple formal and informal implementation layers. Initially being a tool to minimise inevitable risks of community opposition to different types of planning projects, it has gradually evolved into a complex tool applied for visioning, programming, conceptualising, implementing and monitoring diverse urban development projects. Communities with longer experience and deeper tradition in public participation have developed complex systems of expressing their interests by participating in urban and regional planning processes. The tradition of local governance in the UK has developed the common guidelines for organising and presenting a statement of community involvement [11] with the detailed description of the main phases, procedures and the expected outcomes of this process, whereas each local authority adjusts it to the local needs and interests by shaping an activity program for a particular community [8]. The existing legislation has paved a road for developing more confident application

Architecture and Urban Planning Gintaras Stauskis, Adaptable Landscapes in Housing Renovation: A Tool for Activating Local Territorial Communities

to achieve better predictable and more socially acceptable results for residential and the other areas of a city and its surroundings.

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areas as a major indicator of quality of life. These trends are analysed in more detail in the studied cases of Vilnius. By the tools of anthropologic, environmental, economical, technical and synthesising urban analysis, the local territorial communities could be identified in urban structure as the spatial clusters of residents with common interests in a particular area [5]. The groups of these interests have a universal and specific character reflecting the basic values of the public of a particular area. This data has to be identified and recorded to start the public dialogue. Initial opinions of residents towards the present state of housing area provide the planners with the information about physical, aesthetical and environmental quality of buildings and spaces, the quality of social services (public administration, primary child and health care, education) and infrastructure (mobility and technical supplies), environment quality and landscape in particular. The system of public values and proposals along with results of professional urban analysis provides the basic programme for the planning project.

II. Legal Framework and Practice of Public Involvement

Regulation on community information about territorial planning [14] issued by the Ministry of Environment of Lithuania in 1996 with numerous amendments requires public consultations to be taken at several phases of planning performed at different territory scales. The basic principles of public involvement into planning and architecture activities are encoded in the national directive on the development trends of architecture [6] and those of landscape [7]. The real meaning of “public” differs depending on a level of planning: at the national and regional level it is associated with the residents of a country or a region. At the municipal level, it corresponds to the municipal citizens and at the local level it involves residents of local communities. The Regulation requires informing the public about the initiated plan, presenting the general goals of socioeconomic and environmental priorities to the public as well as presenting a completed planning project on a public exhibition that should be followed by a public meeting where proposals from citizens are accepted, analysed and communicated. In addition, all planning projects after their approval are registered in the National Planning Register and publically accessible upon the demand. The disclosed legal framework is adequate and up-to date compared to a modern national tradition across many European countries. It gives an action space in the planning process for all the main stakeholders. Still the short practice of its application results in the poor experience and status of the civil society in general. Although the legal requirements were imposed just 15 years ago, the experience of different parties in this process is very short. The increasing number of participants in public discussions, as well as the number of proposals and appeals for various planning projects indicates that different stakeholder groups are gaining more experience quite fast. The previously passive residents gain additional motivation for the next planning initiatives if a planning result negatively impacts city landscape and especially the close residential environment. The way from the absolute passiveness, which is one margin, later often goes to hyper-activity, which is the other margin. Indifference to some development projects some years ago has recently given a place to active and often critical actions of specially organised citizens’ groups. Some important projects meet a strong opposition and the obstructive actions usually delay the planning process, which is anyway quite lengthy mostly because of numerous bureaucratic procedures. The time of around one year is usual for passing all procedures of a detail plan and sometimes this time extends for up to three years. When the public gets organised into interest groups it can transparently manifest its interests as very clear needs for the close and more remote urban environment. When more experience and knowledge are accumulated, the wide swing of an activity scale calms down from marginal to optimal and stays on a generally acceptable interval that reflects the dynamism of social life in the country or city, in this case the city of Vilnius in Lithuania. The community interest in an ecological and healthy environment with good options for recreation is especially sensitive in residential

III. Policy Measures

for

Landscape Improvement Renovation

Housing

The list of policy measures on landscape that has been adopted by the Ministry of Environment of Lithuania presents the basic strategies for changing natural and cultural landscapes. The document states unsatisfactory condition of planting systems in urban landscape. The landscape features and specific traits that are scientifically validated and socially accepted for the particular territorial units are recognised as the basic quality indicators for the further development of landscape system in Lithuania [7]. This strategic principle encodes integration of the researchers and the communities into the process before any landscape alteration could happen by involving communities into validation of scientifically formulated principles. The role of municipality, which in many cases is the leading watch-dog in this concept, is omitted and could be reasonably accepted just as a social moderator. Involvement of the both abovementioned parties in Lithuania and in the neighbouring countries is quite a specific issue because of differences in research on the one hand and community life on the other. To a great extent, the presented research is an attempt to facilitate the first line of involving the scientific analysis tools into the development and redevelopment of landscape in different areas – urban, suburban or rural. In Lithuania, planning is organised at the national level, regional level, and local level with the different outcomes – the national development plan, regional general plan or municipal master plan. Being organised by different institutions (the national government, the ministry or the municipality), the plans of different levels also have different impact tools on the analysed landscape systems. The national development plan sets very general strategies based on balancing environmental, social and economic conditions and it does not interfere into more detailed solutions of a local level. Public involvement could play a positive role at this level while setting the national and regional policies and development priorities. The general plan of a region (a county or an administrative district) sets the development lines for the big territories that consist of several municipalities. At this level, the basic development principles are

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Gintaras Stauskis, Adaptable Landscapes in Housing Renovation: A Tool for Activating Local Territorial Communities

developer and has a little impact on the solutions of a common environment. IV. Identification

and

Layout of Community Interests Housing Areas

The intake that could identify a community also differs depending on a territorial level of planning and its margins and needs clearer identification for the overall success of the project. In general, the intake of a community should correspond to the territorial level of a plan: on a national level the plan should involve the population of the whole country, which should be named as a society; on a regional scale planning should be judged by residents of a region and the surrounding regions; on a municipal level the community should clearly cover the residents of an urban area with its suburban districts; and on a local level when part of municipality / city is planned this should be a represented group of local residents. Having discussed the role and scope of a community in this point, it is appropriate to talk about the scope of planning as an area. The planning project that covers just a single land plot or a very small group of plots would get into difficulty to identify the group of residents interested in this project. Planning regulations could solve this problem on a formal level requiring the direct involvement of people who live within a certain distance, or on the same street, or in another formal way. In this situation, the selection of interested parties will be just formal and will hardly represent a real community interest. The social unit that has a real informal identification is a local territorial community or a local neighbourhood. In both cases, these are groups of residents that are connected by common interests expressed in a particular urban area. The methods of their identification differ depending upon urban tissue, mode of planning, historical tradition and should be selected individually depending on a particular case [5]. In the case of Lazdynai residential area in Vilnius (Figure 1), the district was planned as a homogenous living area with a certain specific structure that reflects habits, fashions and regulations of that time. The main structural unit in this area is a micro-district. In Lazdynai case, the area has seven micro-districts and the public centre interconnected by local streets and pedestrian walkways. The local territorial community could logically be traced in the boundaries of a single micro-district. In its turn, a micro-district is formed by the groups of houses that consist of separate blocks of flats. The group of houses in different cases has a common area for development, recreation, playgrounds, parking and the other common amenities and, therefore, could form a smaller structural part of a micro-district called a neighbourhood. In many cases, a neighbourhood as a group of several blocks that are composed in a single territory and have common use elements in a common use area is a proper border line for involving its residents into any project that deals just with a single block of apartments. It is evident that in a case similar to Lazdynai residential area, any renovation activity that would deal just with a single house would affect the other residents in neighbouring blocks as well. In the case of a micro-district, the residents of one micro-district should be interested in the development or redevelopment of common public areas, including landscape of the whole micro-district. On the other hand, the interest of all residents in activities around

Fig. 1. Housing district “Lazdynai” in Vilnius. Planned and developed in 1970– 1975. Structure of the local micro-districts (a); the local neighbourhood with landscape elements in its close environment (b).

determined by planning spatial development of urban and rural areas in close connection with natural values, social interest and infrastructure. Public could efficiently support the planners at this phase by providing them with useful information about the problems and the preferred outcomes. At the level of municipality plans, more detailed solutions are provided for achieving a more integral and compact urban tissue and more liveable cities. At this level and especially while detail plans for smaller municipal territories are developed, the basic solutions for residential areas are generated to be implemented at the last phase of planning – technical design. At this phase, public involvement is most needed and is mainly efficient as it could impact the particularly important and systematically coherent solutions. The last but not the least important planning phase is technical design, i.e., setting the concrete measures for a site, apartment and its interior. It deals mostly with the owners or the

Architecture and Urban Planning Gintaras Stauskis, Adaptable Landscapes in Housing Renovation: A Tool for Activating Local Territorial Communities

one block would be quite limited as they would have a limited dependency and connection to the surroundings of a single block of flats. In spite of territorial and structural differences, the basic groups of interests that citizens have in such residential areas as Lazdynai and several others in Vilnius could be identified and structured in several basic groups, starting from a smaller territorial scale and moving to a big scale. Based on the opinion of residents, in a priority order they are as follows: • quality of an apartment occupied; • quality of the whole block where the apartment is located; • quality of a close surrounding area (playgrounds and facilities for children and teenagers, daily recreation, parking, adjacent plantings); • quality of services in a local district centre (shopping centres, cafes, fitness centres, household services); • quality of a more remote but easily accessible environment (public transport, adjacent landscapes, parks, sport fields); • quality of a remote urban environment – mostly city centre (city centre, remote landscapes as parks and other resources). This sequence is rationally based on factors of frequency of need and intensity of visiting. The most important elements are the ones of daily need (every day, several times a day), such as a dwelling itself and its close surrounding. Elements in urban territory of periodic use (every second day, a few times a week) are on the second level of importance. And those of episodic use that are accessed once a week or several times a month are on the third level of importance. Certainly, the system is more integrated than this structural scheme may show. Still this is a good way to identify a community size area on the one hand and the range of spread of their interests on the other. In this situation, a neighbourhood and a local community of a micro-district would correspond to the daily need area, the whole residential district would cover most periodic needs of the residents, and the city or its big part (the Old Town, the New Town) would be a space for meeting the episodic interests of residents. The ranges of intake areas for community involvement should correspond to the coverage of interests that the residents have. According to the renovation project of the five-storey residential block in Lazdynai residential area (Figure 1a), the analysis of a site reveals that a group of six buildings forms a territorial unit, which could be identified as the local territorial community (Figure 1b). The territory comprises four residential blocks, one moderate size shop and a large kindergarten located in a clearly outlined space between the big forest massif and groups of local plantings. All together these elements form a capacity to meet the daily needs of the residents with the average number of 500 residents in 240 apartments. The urban unit was planned in 1970 as a five-storey 30-apartment unit that was duplicated and extended to form a linear block with a few breaks that successfully followed the relief character on the site (Figure 2). The renovation project includes technical improvement of the building by covering the outer walls and roof with insulating shell, changing and modernising the engineering systems of common and individual use, also improving planning of the apartments where necessary (Figure 3a). The latter attempt demonstrates adding a balcony area to the

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Fig. 2. The existing 5-storey prefabricated panel housing block of 30 apartments at Architektų Str. 212 in “Lazdynai” residential area (Vilnius) is planned to be renovated. The original project from 1970 (a); the present view, 2011 (b).

space of a living room and, thus, increasing the useful space of an apartment. This proposal meets the interests of the residents as more living rooms will be more spacious. Simultaneously, the proposal of exploiting the balcony space more intensively by incorporating it into the living area of an apartment provides residents with more contact with the surrounding landscape in a visual way. The plantings of the surrounding forest and smaller groups of trees inside the community space have a great potential of recreation and overall living comfort. As the maintenance of landscape elements in the area over the past four decades has been very poor, the basic concern about the local landscape as a physical resource is to improve its physical quality and landscape composition on the one hand and to preserve it as a valuable system on the other hand. There are numerous problems that have appeared during the use time and that have to be resolved in the

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Different tools of urban design could be empowered to achieve the abovementioned goals. The efficient use of urban territory might be achieved by densifying the existing development to fill the void parts of a plot and to give it more urban expression. The residents of the housing areas from 70s are suffering from mono-functional disintegrated development with low options for all types of services, labour and the social life. The new local small business development could be a step forward to solving this problem by bringing additional power to local residential districts. For this reason, installing different services provided by small and medium enterprises preferable with the interest of local residents is one more strategic goal. The pilot area that is presented herein has real treasures of natural environment as extensive plantings on an expressive relief that give a face to the whole area. Therefore, the elements of natural and created landscape should be protected and preserved in the process of renovating these blocks to serve the residents in a new quality and shape. It would be an awful mistake and great loss if trees were sacrificed to extending parking plots or other engineering systems. On the contrary, landscape elements as powerful space formants should be used to emphasise the space of local territorial community on the one hand and reduce unnecessary through-passes on the other hand. Based on the personal experience of housing design, the author can give proof that a typical face of all the blocks developed in Lazdynai residential area as well as in the other districts of mass housing was determined by application of the same standard housing projects with just 2â&#x20AC;&#x201C;3 versions of row-blocking and height, whereas the options for architectural finishing and design were almost limited to none. This resulted in quite a similar and often monotonous picture of the entire residential districts. The housing renovation process is a perfect instrument to bring more architectural originality to the areas. Clearer individual identification of local community as a typical area would bring the architecture to a more social level. It is high time for the process of renovation to improve the gaps of social infrastructure in the area. The elder residents and people with disabilities constitute a big part of residents. In this context, renovation as a complex process should bring more accessibility to the areas as well as to the apartments. According to Lithuanian regulations, 5% of apartments in a planned area have to be accessible for people with disabilities. In the case of the analysed local community in Lazdynai, it would make around 12 apartments. Locating them all on a ground floor and providing smooth access might be one option. This aspect requires more humanisation actions in the area of re-planning pedestrian walkways, cycling lines, parking, including space for the disabled and the other elements of a site. Mobility elements inside the residential area should be developed with care to protect green space and to give priority to sustainable mobility solutions by prioritising pedestrian movement and cycling throughout the area and connecting it to the main interest routes in the residential district and beyond [9]. The car driving space should be localised closer to the entrance to the area and limited by visual and functional means. Innovative parking solutions could be analysed and applied.

Fig. 3. The renovation project for the housing block on ArchitektĹł Str. in Vilnius. The plan (a), the view (b).

same renovation process in the community area as identified in Figure 1b. The worn-out technical infrastructure, lack of parking space, need of new playgrounds and sport fields as well as need to shape and maintain the local plants are the main ones. The architects are in a situation to meet the mentioned interests of local community by coherent, balanced and aesthetically original planning and design solutions. V. The Way

towards

Better Landscape Areas

Housing Renovation

On the level of a project programme, the involvement of local communities is inevitable as an absolute majority of residents are the present owners of an apartment stock. On the other hand, this additional social energy could and should give the architects additional knowledge and inspiration to create individual, socially conscious and architecturally valuable solutions for renovating recently dull blocks and turning them into a modern multifunctional urban space. The principle of correspondence between the range of territorial interest of a certain territorial community and the recommended intake area for public involvement is a guiding principle in this process. Based on the research aspects presented herein, it is strongly credible that involving the public especially in a way of structured representation would increase attractiveness of a national housing renovation programme in Lithuania that is currently suffering from absolute public neglect.

Architecture and Urban Planning Gintaras Stauskis, Adaptable Landscapes in Housing Renovation: A Tool for Activating Local Territorial Communities

The next necessary action in humanising the residential area would be adding primary health care units located in reasonable reach ranges to this community area. Primary health care as a basic indicator in a health care system should be facilitated from a primary level where family care is an essential thing [10].

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10. Stauskis, G. Optimization of Urban Planning Model for Developing Health Care Network in Vilnius Regional Area. Urbanistika ir Architektūra = Town Planning and Architecture, Vol. 29, No. 1, 2005, p. 41−46. 11. Statement of Community Involvement and Plannign Applications [online]. Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. London [Cited 12.05.2012.]. http:// www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/ 12. Turner, T. City as Landscape : A Post-Modern View of Design and Planning. London: Taylor & Francis, 1995, p. 21-37. ISBN 0-419-20410-5 13. Vilnius City Housing Renovation Programme “Renovate the Housing – Renovate the City” [online]. Renovacija [cited 15.05.2012.]. http://www. renovacija.lt/index.php/why_useful/about_the_programme/48n 14. Visuomenės dalyvavimo teritorijų planavimo procese nuostatai. Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybės 1996 m. rugsėjo 18 d. nutarimu Nr.1079 (Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybės 2004 m. liepos 16 d. nutarimo Nr. 904 redakcija) [online]. Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas [cited 15.05.2012.]. http://www3.lrs. lt/pls/inter3/dokpaieska.showdoc_l?p_id=237982&p_query=&p_tr2= 15. Walters, D. Designing Community. London: Taylor & Francis, 2007, p. 135–159. 16. Urbonaitė, I. Urban Territorial Communities and their Influence Forming Urban Recreational Territories. Science – Future of Lithuania, Vol. 3, No. 3, 2011, p. 30-37.

Conclusions

Public involvement in residential areas should be treated in research and professional practice as an important generator of quality solutions to improve functionality and aesthetics of the space. It should be organised minding the interest areas of residents’ groups. Empowerment of local territorial communities should be extremely fruitful in this process. Renovation as a complex process should be used to analyse and resolve different problems that have occurred during the half-century use time of the majority of soviet-period residential areas. In this context, landscape should be used as a central interest area and a platform for improving infrastructure and the technical state of the housing areas as well as forming their coherent and modern outfit. Improvement of spatial organisation of existing landscape resources should be executed by close citizens’ involvement that could provide the professionals with the basic information for sustainable and viable solutions.

Gintaras Stauskis, Doctor of Humanities, Professor of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University conducting academic and research activities at the Department of Urban Design. He is involved in collaborative research programmes of the European Union. Current research fields: green architecture, sustainable urbanism, accessibility of environment, health care networks, urban recreation. Research results have been presented in numerous national and international publications and conferences.

References 1. Džervus, P. The origins and directions of large scale post-war residential districts. Science – Future of Lithuania, Vol. 3 No. 3, 2011, p. 11–15. 2. Hackney, R. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. London: F. Muller, 1990. 224 p. 3. Īle, U. Landscape composition development stages in multi-storey residential areas of the Baltic Sea region. Science – Future of Lithuania, Vol. 3, No. 3, 2011, p. 16–22. 4. Europos kraštovaizdžio konvencija (European Landscape Convention and Explanatory Report) [online]. Lietuvos Respublikos aplinkos ministerija [cited 31.05.2012.]. http:// www.am.lt/LSP/files/krast-konv.pdf ISBN 9955-499-01-x. P. 5 5. Jakaitis, J., Stauskis, G. Identification of Informal Territorial Communities in the Urban Structure of Vilnius City. International conference „Environmental engineering“. Vilnius: Technika, 2011, p. 913–917. 6. Lietuvos architektūros politikos krypčių aprašas. Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybės 2005 05 18 nutarimas Nr. 554 [online]. Lietuvos Respublikos aplinkos ministerija [cited 09.04.2012.]. http://www.am.lt/VI/article.

Contact Data

Gintaras Stauskis Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Department of Urban Design Address: Trakų g. 1/26, Vilnius, LT-01132, Lithuania Work: +370 52370564 Mobile: +370 68790312 Fax: +370 52745213 E-mail: gintaras.stauskis@vgtu.lt www.vgtu.lt

php3?article_id=5553 7. Lietuvos kraštovaizdžio politikos krypčių aprašas. 2004. Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybės 2004 12 01 nutarimas Nr. 1526 [online]. Lietuvos Respublikos aplinkos ministerija [cited 09.04.2012.]. http://www.am.lt/VI/ article.php3?article_id=5044 8. Sheffield Development Framework. Statement of Community Involvement. [online]. Sheffield City Council, 2006 [cited 09.04.2012.]. https://www. sheffield.gov.uk/dms/scc/management/corporate-communications/ documents/planning/SDF/Statement-of-Community-Involvement--Word-274-kb-.doc 9. Stauskis, G. Darnios rekreacijos ir turizmo plėtra – alternatyvaus mobilumo mieste skatinimo būdas = Development of Sustainable Recreation and Tourism as a Way of Promoting Alternative Urban Mobility. Urbanistika ir architektūra = Town Planning and Architecture, Vol. 33, No. 1, 2009, p. 28–38. doi:10.3846/1392-1630.2009.33.28-38

doi: 10.7250/aup.2013.016 2013 / 8

Architecture and Urban Planning

Analysing and Understanding the Construction of Vernacular Buildings at the National Technical University of Athens Constantine A. Caradimas, National Technical University of Athens The course is an “elective” study course in the 8th semester of the undergraduate studies, when the students have already obtained the necessary maturity needed in order to combine the theoretical general knowledge acquired with more specialized approaches and suggestions of implementation. In this way, the students involved already have quite a number of educational semesters with projects in architectural design, architectural technology, city planning and at least one semester in the field of analysing and evaluating vernacular settlements and measuring historic buildings. Furthermore, most students definitely have a specific interest in understanding vernacular buildings, traditional construction and conservation techniques. Actually, in many cases this course tends to be the stepping stone in educating architectural students in the field of renovation of old buildings, this being a possible topic for postgraduate studies at NTUA or elsewhere, or a possible potential in their professional carrier. This is mainly because it is the only course at the undergraduate program of the School that deals, to such an extent, with all these specialized matters. The course has been taught continuously with great success and feedback from students since the academic year 1975–76. During all these years the course is being enriched and evolved scientifically and multidisciplinary. It experiments and explores possibilities provided by new technologies, new materials, design programs and simulators, framed with new colleagues and, therefore, it has been remaining for many years at the forefront of architectural education and technology. In the beginning, the course started for the first time in Greece with such a scientific approach, on restoration and reuse studies of traditional and vernacular buildings and modern monuments in

Abstract – This paper presents a course organized by the Department of Architectural Technology of the School of Architecture of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) that focuses on the systematic architecture survey and structural analysis of traditional settlements and buildings. The course is an “elective” study course in the 8th semester of the undergraduate studies that is run continuously with great success and feedback from students since the academic year 1975–76. Keywords – Architectural conservation, architectural education, construction of historic buildings.

I. The Course at the School of Architecture at NTUA

The course presented here is organized by the Department of Architectural Technology of the School of Architecture of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). It focuses on the systematic architecture survey and structural analysis of traditional settlements and buildings. For our Department this course is considered a milestone of high educational merit and cognitive value, since it gives the students both the method and the knowledge for the fundamental understanding and evaluation of vernacular buildings, their characteristics and construction, the behaviour, pathology and weathering of materials and finally the structural analysis of traditional construction. Furthermore, an equally important objective of the course is to raise awareness among students and local communities on issues of protection of the Architectural Heritage, as well as the enhancement of future architects with knowledge and tools in order to be able to deal successfully with similar projects in the future.

Fig. 1. Students working in situ.

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Fig. 2. Academic Year 2007-8. The “Askitario” Monastery Complex in the north of Corfu. First Floor Plan.

Fig. 3. Academic Year 2007-8. The “Askitario” Monastery Complex in the north of Corfu. Sections.

general, with an emphasis on construction issues. It was almost an experimental lesson, since the scientific environment on related topics – both in Greece and in Europe – was at a primary stage. Buildings constructed using the known, traditional building methods and local materials like stone, mud bricks, bricks, wood, etc. were featured as the “traditional” ones. The primal objective was the need to acquire basic knowledge that would allow graduates of the School to deal with the reuse of existing buildings. These buildings, after a long period of depreciation and dispute, had then begun to be assessed again as architectural values. Already in this area there was a corresponding activity of architects worldwide, culminating in the European Architectural Heritage Year in 1975. Very quickly it became clear also in Greece that the architectural value of buildings as well as the need to reuse and maintain a large building stock that was discredited and left in devastation was very important for historical, cultural, and financial reasons. Under these circumstances, the undergraduate course started at the Department of Architectural Technology of NTUA, with systematic survey of the building structure and analysis of features of traditional settlements and buildings. From the very beginning, it became clear that the substantial knowledge of the structural systems and their pathology was a prerequisite for designing proposals of re-use, maintenance and rehabilitation, compatible with historic buildings.

Furthermore, the involvement of the academic staff with relevant research programs, seminars, conferences, the interdisciplinary collaborations, the participation in international scientific networks and workshops in Greece and abroad, as well as the architectural practice facilitated the continuous evolutionary process of the course. II. Description of the Course

The projects to be presented in the article are the outcome of a common effort of a great number of colleagues – both Architects and Civil Engineers – from our Department during all these 37 years. The method that was followed both for the analysis and the adaptive reuse study was that of the construction and the structural analysis of the building. The possible differences in the approach are not of great importance and are viewed more as the scientific and research value of this field. The course tries to cover as many aspects as possible with an aim: • to make a thorough study of the existing situation of the buildings by means of measured drawings, building fabric survey, construction analysis etc.; • to examine the methods of technology and processes of traditional structures and the use of the corresponding materials;

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Constantine A. Caradimas, Analysing and Understanding the Construction of Vernacular Buildings at the National Technical University of Athens

Fig. 8. Academic Year 2007-8. The “Askitario” Monastery Complex in the north of Corfu. Elevation showing defects and vegetation.

Fig. 4. Academic Year 2007-8. The “Philharmonic Orchestra” building, in Corfu. South Elevation.

Fig. 5. Academic Year 2009-10. Traditional Houses in Trikala, Prefecture of Korinth. Construction details.

Fig. 9. Academic Year 2009-10. Traditional houses in the Municipality of Trikala, Prefecture of Korinth. Elevation showing defects.

• to understand the structural and construction system of the building by creating a model showing the construction system as a whole; • to identify and explain the defects – damage to the structures, their pathology and vulnerability, their weathering both in climatic conditions and in natural strains and the causes of their decay; • to study the proposals for the remedial action to be implemented; • to undertake an adaptive reuse study of the buildings involved. For the purposes of the course, a specific settlement in Greece – with an adequate number of traditional buildings of more or less united character – is selected every year. In the past three years, this was done in conjunction with the local authorities of the area selected. The involvement of local authorities had great advantages, since the selected buildings were also judged by architects of the local community that had quite good knowledge of the area, the buildings and their potential. The selection is mainly based on criteria of quality or special historical value of the buildings and in some cases on the local need to have thorough measured drawings and fabric survey of the building for possible future needs by the local community. During all these 37 years of the existence of the course, we have visited a great number of places all over Greece; for example: Mesagros Aegina (1999, 2011 & 2012), Trikala Corinth (2010), Kato Chora Milopotamos Kythera (2009), Corfu (2008), Sotiras Mani (2004), Lagadia Gortynias, (2003), Thisbe Boeotia (2002), Viniani Evritania (2001), Syros (2000), Dimitsana Arcadia (1998), Monasteria Tinos (1997), Sklavia and Campos Chios (1996), Mesa Gonia Santorini (1994), Vathia Mani (1993), Andros (1992), Lefkada (1991), Tampakika Amfissa (1990) etc.

Fig. 6. Academic Year 2008-9. Traditional Houses in Kythira. Detail of a staircase.

Fig. 7. Academic Year 2007-8. The “Askitario” Monastery Complex in the north of Corfu. Details of doors and windows.

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Fig. 10. Academic Year 2008-9. Traditional houses in Kythira. Construction models.

Students – an approximate number of 45 – are separated into 3 groups and visit the area under the supervision of responsible academic staff, usually 2 per group. The visit usually takes place after a series of introductory lectures lasting 3 to 4 weeks. The lectures give a theoretical background in most fields of conservation work involved, such as methodology of conducting measured drawings, building fabric, construction analysis methods, traditional building technology, pathology, vulnerability and main damage causes, conservation techniques, etc. The site visit usually lasts 3 days, where all the data and information are collected in the form of drawings sketches, photographs etc. All this is processed at the University in Athens with systematic evaluation of all the material collected in situ by both the students and the academic staff following the analytical diagram of work according to the characteristics of each project (Figure 1). The analysis of the building, the building fabric survey, the material analysis, and the construction model of the building take into consideration all the characteristics of traditional architecture, as stated in the beginning of this paper, to enable the students to understand the blending of all these elements in the creation of traditional architecture. The analysis follows a general methodology in order to cover as many aspects as possible and to fulfil the scope of the course, but at the same time the special characteristics of each building examined are analysed and explained in the general context of special identity of the area. When the semester is concluded, students present their study projects in the form of drawings, reports; for instance: • drawings of the existing situation of the building; Plans (Figure 2), Sections (Figure 3), Elevations (Figure 4), 3Ds and details (Figures 5–7); • drawings analysing the buildings defects, their causes, the necessary remedial action with the possible proposed reinforcement and the conservation techniques involved (Figures 8 and 9); • drawings of the structural and construction system – model of the building (Figures 10 and 11);

• drawings of the adaptive new use of the building and/or the new extensions involved; • analysis in the form of a written paper of the building fabric, the problems and defects found, the causes of the defects and the decay found, the remedial action that should be taken and the necessary work to be done to adapt this building to a new use. After the completion of the academic procedure, a very interesting experiment was made in the last years. An exhibition was created in the area, where the project was undertaken. The exhibition took place in collaboration with the local authorities of the area, with great support and interest from both the authorities and the inhabitants. Therefore, each group of students prepared a series of panels with the main points of their projects, especially designed for the exhibition purposes. Up to now two exhibitions like that have already been conducted, the first one has been organised in Corfu in conjunction with the Prefecture of Corfu and the second one in Kythira, in conjunction with the Municipality of Kythira, while the third exhibition in the municipality of Trikala, in the Prefecture of Korinth, is projected in the near future. The exhibition in Corfu took place at the main building of the Prefecture of Corfu. The opening was combined with a conference organized by the Architects Association of Corfu and the Corfu Branch of the Technical Chamber of Greece under the title “Is the Past Defining the Future?” The exhibition had great publicity and was finally kept as a permanent exhibition in the common areas of the main building of the Prefecture of Corfu. The exhibition at Kythira took place at the Kytherian Society in Chora Kythiron. It was named under the title “The Architectural Character of Kythira”, “The Recognition of the Architectural Identity of Settlements and Buildings of Kythira through the Eyes of the Students of the National Technical University of Athens” and was the first architectural exhibition that ever took place on this isolated island in the south of Greece. The scope of these exhibitions is to sensitise the local societies with the values of vernacular buildings and the merits of their building systems. We consider that the universities of each country

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Constantine A. Caradimas, Analysing and Understanding the Construction of Vernacular Buildings at the National Technical University of Athens

Fig. 11. Academic Year 2007-8. Primary School in Mastoratika. Paxoi Island. Isometric construction models.

The examples presented in this paper are taken from different student projects from the past three years of study and actually follow the analytical diagram of their work as stated by the Teaching Fellows of the Department of Architectural Technology at the School of Architecture of the National Technical University of Athens. All drawings presented in this paper are taken from the archives of the Laboratory of Architectural Technology of the School of Architecture at the NTUA.

should work towards this goal, educate local communities with exhibitions, lectures and collaborations in order to enable the protection of the architectural heritage of each place. Conclusions

The analysis of traditional buildings is a useful tool for the architectural teacher to make his students understand building construction in a different approach from the usual one followed at the University Studio. In this procedure students study the existing situation of buildings by means of measured drawings, building fabric survey, construction analysis and try to understand technology methods and processes of traditional structures, the use of corresponding materials in order to create a structural and construction system of the building as a whole. This procedure also enables students to identify and explain the defects – damage to the structures, their pathology and vulnerability, their weathering and the causes of their decay in order to study the proposals for the remedial action to be implemented. Thus, students obtain knowledge and methodological tools to deal with traditional buildings and existing structures, and especially students are provided with an opportunity to appreciate the values, to understand the importance of the architectural heritage of their place, and to act as teachers educating the public for the same scope. Teachers who have participated or continue to participate in the course presented here are the Architects: + Dimitris Biris, Panagiotis Touliatos, Vangelis Evangelinos, Nick Kalogeras, Francis Goulielmos, Constantinos Mylonas, Spyros Raftopoulos, Miltos Tzitzas, George Makris, Elias Zacharopoulos, Vassilis Tsouras, Helen Alexandrou, Panagiotis Vassilatos, Irene Efesiou & Costas Caradimas, and the Civil Engineers: Sanias Kirpotin and Eleftheria Tsakanika.

References 1. Caradimas, C. A. Understanding the unity of Architecture by analyzing Vernacular Settlements. ΕΑΑΕ-ENHSA Architectural Design & Construction Education experimentation towards integration Genoa, Italy, 11–13 June 2009 [C. Spyridonidis and M. Voyatzaki, ed.]. Thessaloniki, 2009, p. 539–548. 2. Caradimas, C. A., Efesiou, I. Educating Students and Community by Analyzing Vernacular Settlements and Buildings. ΕΑΑΕ-ENHSA Educating Architects towards Innovative Architecture, Istanbul, 17–19 June 2010 [C. Spyridonidis and M. Voyatzaki, ed.]. Thessaloniki, 2010, p. 219–232. 3. Caradimas, C. A. Understanding the Unity of building construction by analyzing traditional Architecture. 10th International Detail Design in Architecture Conference, Istanbul, 27–28 October 2011 [ M. Cem Altun and S. Emmitt, ed.]. Instanbul: Istanbul Technical University, 2011, p. 99–106. 4. Caradimas, C. A, Tsouras, V. The traditional construction in architectural education. 11th Panhellenic Architectural Conference, Athens, 17–20 March 2011. Athens 1011, p. 36. 5. Doumanis, C., Oliver, P. Settlements in Greece. Publication Architecture in Greece, Athens, 1974. 6. Goulielmos, F., Efesiou I., Tsakanika, E. Historical Building Systems : Education – Research – Application. 11th Panhellenic Architectural Conference, Athens, 17–20 March 2011. Athens, 2011, p. 36–37.

Architecture and Urban Planning Constantine A. Caradimas, Analysing and Understanding the Construction of Vernacular Buildings at the National Technical University of Athens

7. 8. 9.

Arnaoutoglou, C. Skyros Greek Traditional Architecture. Athens: Melissa, 1984. 40 p. Kondaratos, S. Architecture and tradition. Athens: As. Kondaratos – Th. Kastaniotis, 1985, 90 p. Rapoport, A. Anonymous Architecture and cultural factors. Publication Architecture in Greece, Athens, 1976.

Constantine A. Caradimas (Athens, 1954). Graduated from the School of Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) (1977). Postgraduate Studies in Architectural Conservation of Historic Buildings and Vernacular Settlements at the Heriot-Watt University & Edinburgh College of Art (1979). Teaching Associate at the National Technical University of Athens, at the Department of Architectural Technology (1994–2000). Assistant Professor (Law 407/80) at the Department of Building Design & Construction, at the School of Architecture of the Democritus University of Thrace (2002–2007). Assistant Professor at the Department of Architectural Technology of the School of Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens. (2007 – onwards).

Contact Data

Constantine A. Caradimas Architect, Assistant Professor at NTUA National Technical University of Athens School of Architecture Department of Architectural Technology 42 Patission Str., 106 82 Athens, Greece Tel: +30 210 772 3933, fax: + 30 210 772 3898, E-mail: ccara@tee.gr & ccara@arch.ntua.gr

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doi: 10.7250/aup.2013.017 2013 / 8

Architecture and Urban Planning

The Impact of Urban Planning on the Development of Territorial Land Resources: Experience in Lithuania Evaldas Ramanauskas, Liucijus Dringelis, Kaunas University of Technology and others. Moreover, the Strategy on Sustainable Development is adopted on the basis of international documents of sustainable development. As one important measure for urban planning is international agreements on sustainable development, whose environmental, social and economic principles have the legal effect in lot of countries. Many countries have approved the agreements of sustainable development and involved or try to involve its principles into their own legal systems. In many countries, there are special laws on planning development that aim at achieving higher quality of space for living, work and rest [1]. However, according to the example of Lithuania, it can be said that although the strategy of sustainable development has been adopted, it still does not work as it should. Although a more powerful urban government is maintained, contrary processions occur in Lithuania. The main principles of sustainable development are introduced into the objectives of Law on Territorial Planning, which is the main legal document of spatial planning. The main objectives of territorial planning are: • to form usage, regulation and preservation conception;

Abstract – This paper describes the planning situation in Lithuania after regaining the independence. All processes that have influence on planning process nowadays are the result of the evolution of legal basis, land restitution and economics conditions. Nowadays in Lithuania the planning process challenges many obstacles that are connected with private ownership, land restitution, land acquisition, as well as urban policy. The results of new urbanization are reviewed according to the following three aspects: economic, social and environmental ones. The paper discusses such rising problems as extensive suburbanization, random planning composition, as well as devoting special attention to organizational problems. Keywords – Land use, master plans, territorial land resources, territorial planning.

Development of territorial land resources is one of the main measures for country social, ecological, economic well-being. It has an impact on urban functionality, rational land use, landscape attractiveness. In this paper, the territorial land development is understood as a certain strategy of land use, which combines main politics for land use and its territorial arrangement. Such main factors of territorial land development can be distinguished as urban regulation, control and politics on territorial planning. These factors are very important for combining private and public interest, short- and long-term economic effect or other aspects. In Lithuania, during the period of economic change urban regulation became very weak. The main reasons for this can be considered land reform, inspiration of market economics and absence of traditions in urban work with private property. The absence of urban regulation exerted a greater influence of planning factors, such as private interests, quick economic effect. Thus, it became more difficult to arouse public interest and ensure the long-term economic effect. In such a planning environment, there are often preconditions for scattered housing, overbuilding of valuable nature landscape places, destruction of continuous agrarian areas, etc. This question is discussed among architect planners. Problems on urban planning are analysed in their practical and research work. The works of D. Bardauskienė, M. Pakalnis, P. Aleknavičius, and others can be mentioned. The main aim of this paper is to show the experience of Lithuania in urban planning and its legal preconditions. I. The Formation of Legal Basis for Territorial Planning

There are several laws that regulate the process of territorial planning in Lithuania: Law on Territorial Planning, Law on Land, Law on Land Reform, Law on Territories of Preservation, Law on Roads, Law on Green structure, Rules for Master Plan Preparation for Territories of Towns, Townships, Municipalities

Fig. 1. Urban development in Kaunas district in the period of 2004–2011 according to the master plan of Kaunas district (2007). The balance of urban area in the circle of 17 km radius from Kaunas centre is: the existing urban area – approx. 120km2, a newly designed urban area– approx. 130 km2.

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Together with local planning process (detail, special planning), a little bit later new master plans were also developed. A majority of new territorial documents were prepared in the period of 2005–2011 mainly supported by the European Union; the process is underway nowadays. First of all, as master plans are organised by municipality, financed mainly by the EU, they should solve all problems that are not coherent with sustainable development. However, in reality when there are very contrary and indefinite factors for planning often planning proposal appear that cannot be appraised in favour of sustainable development.

• to balance urban and engineering structure; • to determine measures for rational use and restoration of natural resources; development of natural frame; the preservation of cultural heritage of ecological systems; • to determine measures for urban structure improvement, the system of green structure development; • to reserve territories for public interest, infrastructure use and social use; • others. These principles represent the sustainable development, but their statements often are not implemented in practice. The main important question still remains – what should be done to achieve these objectives. After the Soviet period, Lithuania experienced several periods of quite different directions of urban planning. The main factor of changing of territorial planning was land privatisation despite the solutions of planning documents that were in force. There was a series of amendments adopted to the laws that regulated the land restitution. More radical first steps were undertaken in 1997 when land reserved for town development was started to be privatised. From the very beginning, there was such an exception that the Law on Land Reforms stated that one could restitute only the land, which was near existing buildings that remained during the period of occupation (since 1940). However, this situation continued till 2002. Since 2002 non-regulated privatisation has started. Then all lands that were not occupied by existing buildings, streets could be restituted or just privatised for compensation of other lost land in other places. Thus, such land privatisation regardless of master plans led to a chaotic structure of new boundaries of land plots and to the lack of territory reserve that was needed for public interest (transport system development, social infrastructure, green space creation, recreation zone broadening). It is very important to mention that new boundaries of plots occupied river banks, river slopes, sometimes they appeared in park areas and so on. Therefore, it was mostly a politic procedure, which created new conditions for territorial planning. All earlier adopted planning documents became almost useless, especially it concerned green areas, parks, recreation zones. Although in such territories all new land parcels were designed for an agrarian land purpose (that was the condition for land restitution), it arouse private owners’ interest to develop that land as urban territories despite public interest. There was not any established order to expropriate that land, which was designed for public purposes. Therefore, further planning process became very indefinite. Old planning documents became not suitable for new interest caused by land privatisation. Thus, new planning documents were needed. Taking into consideration the fact that development of territories could not be stopped even if there were no new main planning documents, master plans were needed to prepare special and detail plans not considering the hierarchy of planning documents. Therefore, new detail and special plans were prepared initiated by private owners in very different places; it was impossible to resolve the issues of common engineering, transport infrastructure, and social wellbeing. As many projects were prepared for a very small territory – one parcel, they often caused preconditions to form chaotic urban composition.

II. The Experience of Urban Planning in Lithuania

It is natural that each person is willing to have his / her own individual house, live near the nature, river or other amazing view. Therefore, a lot of land owners started to achieve such living conditions for themselves or for better business. Hence, a new building area for living, new area for commercial use have become one of the main economic arguments for new planning proposals. Analysing Lithuanian master plans it can be said that such arguments have great influence on their proposals. As one very evident example, planning proposals of Kaunas district and Kaunas city can be shown. In new master plans of Kaunas city (2003) and Kaunas district (2008), territories were designed and fixed (from earlier planning proposals of detail and special plans) that are as twice bigger as the existing overbuilt area (Figure 1). As a result, such a big number of new areas that received permission for overbuilt can enlarge the territory of Kaunas . To evaluate the impact of new urban procedures, it is important to take into account a general demographic situation, which should be the main factor of urban development quantity. In recent years, in Kaunas city and Kaunas district the population has decreased (Figure 2, Table I). The proposals of master plans do not take into consideration the demographic situation. The fact that population is increasing in Kaunas district can be explained by new suburbanization, which, of course, is designed in the master plan of Kaunas district. According to preconditions for new urbanization and forecast of population, only part of new urban structures can appear that all together will form a very low density of settling. This, of course, can have very big economic expenditure for streets, utilities, engineering infrastructure; therefore, new separate settlements can require new social infrastructure. Moreover, the impact can be exerted on environmental protection. In general, great economic, social, environmental effects can appear in the whole urban area. Thus, the main impact, according to each aspect, can cause new possible urban conditions: • From the economic point of view, it can be mentioned that new living areas spread in a big territory do not have a common engineering infrastructure – there is no common sewerage, water supply, rainfall equipment and so on. To create infrastructure in a distant living group is much more expensive than in a more compact territory. Moreover, it is not beneficial to develop public transport because living density is very low. Of course, such a broad distribution of new living places causes a bigger distance from living

Architecture and Urban Planning Evaldas Ramanauskas, Liucijus Dringelis, The Impact of Urban Planning on the Development of Territorial Land Resources: Experience in Lithuania

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urban unit, one community. These areas are formed just for separate living, without any common areas, public spaces. The agrarian territories become surrounding with new urban areas that do not have any relation with agrarian development. In general, these areas still do not represent sustainable development – all occupied areas have not created space for general well-being. According to such tendencies, new master plans were prepared to make more possibilities for really accident investments. Thus, territorial planning procedure started to serve for “non-planning” and more “prognostic” urban processes. Newly created private land property caused new compositions of the plans of quarters, new groups of parcels for building. A lot of territories planned by individual land owners seem to be created more for present commercial needs, but not for the future welfare. A lot of territories are scattered far away from compact urban places in a chaotic way (Figure 3). As new areas of urban development mainly are overbuilt by single-family houses, they form one urban morfostructure. When this urban structure becomes very big as one unit, it creates the impression of a hypertrophic structure: without accents, without subdivisions of open space. According to the theoretical basis of K. Lynch, such structures become without any landmarks. Thus, a great area of new quarters becomes not identified as a unique place. Such a tendency is seen in the suburban area of all largest cities of Lithuania (Figure 4). It can be said that it is very difficult to form a more valuable composition, as land is usually being planned in a small place, leading by the interest of individual private owners. Open spaces, accents (as higher buildings, squares) require greater regulation that should be the objective of governance structures. Present urban measures usually do not form more attractive composition; this only is done by measures of architecture, but this has an impact mainly on the scale of street, group of several buildings. The chaotic urban structures stand out by extensiveness, landscape fragmentation, lack of open and public spaces. Generally, they lead to monotony, loss of identity and attractiveness. This cannot be shown as a total process. There are cases, when a big territory is developed by one project – one investor. In these cases, an urban structure is better, because usually minimal places of greenery, sports grounds are equipped. However, there are more exceptions than results of territorial planning system.

Fig. 2. The tendency of population change since 2005.

TABLE I Population Change in Kaunas City and Kaunas District (Chronicle of Lithuanian statistics, 2012). 2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Kaunas

358 111 355 586 352 279 348 624 336 912 330 742

Kaunas district

85 721

In total:

443 832 442 287 440 945 438 820 426 174 420 282

86 701

88 666

90 196

89 262

89 540

places and working places, and it is a precondition for increasing transport traffic and so on. • From the social point of view, it is important to notice that in new broadly spread urban areas there is not social infrastructure: schools, children gardens, squares, parks (the surrounding open space is private – agrarian land!). Thus, without this infrastructure it is very difficult to form new communities. • From the environmental point of view, it can be said that such non-regulated urbanization very often occupies the territories near lakes, rivers, slopes. Such urbanization causes the break of functional connections for fauna, as well for inhabitants of new communities. Hence, such planning conditions do not create a good environment for new living, recreational and working area. Though these new areas are developed for better living quality, they do not have the areas of uniting these places into one full

III. The Directions

Built-up area in 17 km radius Population Density (persons/ (Figure 1), km2 urban territory km2)

2010

~120

420 282

~36

2020

Preconditions ~ 250

Projections ~ 420 000

~17

Improvement System

Territorial Planning

Territorial development without urban politics and regulation cannot correspond with the objectives of sustainable development that is adopted in the National Strategy of Sustainable Development, in the Law on Territorial Planning and other legal documents. Without urban politics, the present urban planning proposals are adopted in a very complicated way. The decisions are adopted during a planning procedure, which involves a planning organizer, the author of a plan, private owners, society, establishments of environmental protection, transport system and others. In a theoretical way, the main author of a planning document is a planner, who creates the whole structure as it is required by prospectic urban ideas of higher living quality: street network,

TABLE II Preconditions for Built-up Area according to Master Plans of Kaunas District (2008) and Kaunas City (2003) and Projections of Territory Density if Population does not Change. Year

for

Architecture and Urban Planning Evaldas Ramanauskas, Liucijus Dringelis, The Impact of Urban Planning on the Development of Territorial Land Resources: Experience in Lithuania

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Fig. 3. The structure of new building plots for dwelling houses in suburban areas of Kaunas (in Kaunas district).

greenery system, urban structure, places for sport and so on. Of course, the proposals are considered by special government establishments, but as there is absence of consecutive planning laws, a lot of proposals of better living quality cannot be ensured. In areas, where special establishments cannot ensure the need of living space quality, there is a great influence of private owners, who are seeking to increase their land value. The planning organizer, as the representative of authorities, often tries to satisfy most complaints. Usually there is not any comfortable street network, park system, sport facilities in the places they fit the best, or they are not included in a plan and so on. Nevertheless, these urban elements are needed for people, who live in that area or are going to live – local society, this argument still does not have power against individual private owners’ rights. In this place, the society is often very weak. The weakness of society results in the fact that most of land is private and its acquirement for public use is not defined. There is not any order, which could define the right compensation for loss of land value, loss of landscape attractiveness, loss of agrarian land. It should also be mentioned that land acquiring proceeds on mostly important things – streets, engineering infrastructure. There is also dissatisfaction of these owners, whose land is

acquired by paying a low value in accordance with neighbouring parcels whose value rises very high, thanks to land that was acquired, for example, for a street. Thus, such a procedure without a general urban regulation often causes irrational planning solutions. Certain similarities of such urban development, also called “urban sprawl”, have occurred much earlier in the USA, Portugal, Germany and other countries. In order to fight with such problems, there are proposals to solve these problems, like smart growth, sustainable urbanism and others. In order to implement progressive urban proposals, a few countries solve problems by the use of land readjustment. The present situation in Lithuania shows a very problematic territorial planning process that mainly causes the loss of territorial resources and not very rational new urban structures. The planning process is underway, but a real value of territorial land resources is not evaluated. In order to manage such a process, it is necessary to adopt new rules for planning urban areas, new norms that could regulate the interest of private persons and society. Moreover, there should be a strong institution, which could regulate all urban proposals in all territories, could monitor urban quality and rational land use.

Architecture and Urban Planning 2013 / 8

Evaldas Ramanauskas, Liucijus Dringelis, The Impact of Urban Planning on the Development of Territorial Land Resources: Experience in Lithuania

Fig. 4. The view of new building plots for dwelling houses in suburban areas of Klaipeda, as seen from a driving car (Klaipeda district).

Conclusions

7. Muller-Jokel, R. Land Readjustment – A Win-Win-Strategy for Sustainable Urban Development [online]. Intercontinental Athenaeum Athens, Athens, Greece, May 22–27, 2004 [cited 2011-08-19]. https://www.fig.net/pub/ athens/programme.htm 8. Master plan of Kaunas district. MI „Kauno planas“, 2008 [online]. Kaunas municipality [cited 19.06.2012]. http://www.krs.lt 9. Master plan of Kaunas town. MI „Kauno planas“, 2003 [online]. Kaunas municipality [cited 19.06.2012]. http://www.krs.lt 10. Republic of Lithuania Law on Territorial Planning. 1995, No I-1120 [online]. Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas [cited 19.06.2012]. http://www3.lrs.

1. Territorial land resources are one of the most important treasures in the world, whose rational use should be one of the main objectives of all countries. 2. Nowadays in Lithuania the planning procedure causes preconditions for a chaotic spatial structure of towns, their suburbs, rural areas because in planning documents a lot of new urban areas are designed. 3. Development of new urban areas creates scattered living quarters without public spaces, social infrastructure, and public transport service. 4. Main principles of sustainable development cannot be implemented because of a very complicated planning procedure and lack of regulation of urban quality. 5. The main measures for improvement of territorial planning system could be the establishment of a new institution of urban quality preservation, strict urban politics, new urban rules and norms regulating private and public interest.

lt/pls/inter3/dokpaieska.showdoc_l?p_id=343407 11. Schroepfer, T., Hee, L. Sustainable Urbanism: Ideals, Ideas, and Implementation in Vauban [online]. CCIM2006 Sustainable Development through Culture and Innovation, 26-29 November 2006, Dubai, UAE [cited 19.06.2012]. http://www.irbnet.de/daten/iconda/CIB4417.pdf 12. Lietuvos statistikos metraštis, 2012 (Chronicle of Lithuanian Statistics, 2012) [online]. Lietuvos statistikos departamentas [cited 19.06.2012]. http://www.stat.gov.lt/lt/pages/view/?id=2466 13. LR Piliečių nuosavybės teisių į išlikusį nekilnojamąjį turtą atkūrimo įstatymas (Law of restitution of remained property of Citizens of Republic of Lithuania). Žin., 1997, Nr. 90–2256. 14. Nacionalinė darnaus vystymosi strategija (National Strategy of Sustainable Development). Žin., 2003, Nr. 89-4029. 15. Lietuvos Respublikos Žemės įstatymas (Republic of Lithuania Land Law). Žin., 2004, Nr. 28-868.

References 1. Aleknavičius, P. Ar reguliuosime žemės ūkio paskirties žemės rinką? (Will it be regulated land market?), Žemės ūkis, 2002, No. 1, p. 5–7. 2. Aleknavičius, P., Aleknavičius, M. Rational Land Use Planning when Preparing Master Plans of Administrative Territories. LŽUU mokslo darbai, 2010, No. 86 (39), p. 37–45. ISSN 1648-116X 3. Dringelis, L., Ramanauskas, E., Gudzinevičiūtė, G. The Use of Land in Master Plans of Towns from the Point of View of Sustainable Development. Environmental Research, Engineering and Management. Kaunas, 2011, No. 4 (58), p. 65–73. 4. Urban sprawl in Europe : The ignored challenge. European Environment Agency Report, 2006, No. 10. 5. Amado, M. P., Ribeiro, R. Urban Sprawl promoted through Master Planning [online]. Research Centre of Finland 2011, Konferenz: SB11 Helsinki World Sustainable Building Conference [cited 19.06.2012]. http:// www.irb.fhg.de/bauforschung/baufolit.jsp?s=planning+and+development &pg=6&wo=cib&local=de 6. Bardauskienė, D., Pakalnis, M. Current trends and management of urban development in Lithuania : reviewed paper. Real Corp 2011: 16th International Conference on Urban Planning, Regional Development and Information Society, May 18-20, 2011. Essen: Competence Center of Urban and Regional Planning, 2011, p. 139–144. ISBN 9783950311013

Architecture and Urban Planning Evaldas Ramanauskas, Liucijus Dringelis, The Impact of Urban Planning on the Development of Territorial Land Resources: Experience in Lithuania

Evaldas Ramanauskas, Doctor of Humanities (2011) (Arch.) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Junior Researcher and Head of the Centre for Territorial Planning, (Kaunas University of Technology, Institute of Architecture and Construction). Main research areas: effectiveness of planning documents, rational use of land resources, public areas, town and country landscape, open space, land management.

Liucijus Dringelis, Doctor of Humanities (1983) (Arch.) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Senior Researcher at the Centre for Territorial Planning, (Kaunas University of Technology, Institute of Architecture and Construction). Main research areas: landscape architecture and planning of health resorts, planning of recreational and green areas, urban planning, land-use management, cultural heritage.

Contact Data

Evaldas Ramanauskas Kaunas University of Technology, Institute of Architecture and Construction, Centre for Territorial Planning Address: Tunelio Str. 60, LT-44405 Kaunas, Lithuania. Phone: 8-37-451372. E-mail: evaldas.ramanauskas@ktu.lt Liucijus Dringelis Kaunas University of Technology, Institute of Architecture and Construction, Centre for Territorial Planning Address: Tunelio Str. 60, LT-44405 Kaunas, Lithuania. Phone: 8-37-451372. E-mail: liucijus.dringelis@ktu.lt

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doi: 10.7250/aup.2013.018 2013 / 8

Architecture and Urban Planning

Think BETA – Systems for Participation in Urban Development

Helmut Eirund, University of Applied Sciences Bremen, Martin Koplin, M2C Institute of Applied Media Technology and Culture, Carl Skelton, Gotham Innovation Greenhouse, Thorsten Teschke, University of Applied Sciences Bremen I. Application Scenario

Abstract – In the Think BETA think tank (funded by the German BMBF) new technologies for urban planning and participation are developed and tested. In our actual implementation of Betaville we focus on two different methodologies. Both systems foster visualization and collaboration. One system works with augmented reality (AR) technology plus collaboration at a multiple-touch-table or tablet, the other with a virtual reality (VR) technology.

Betaville is an actual project for the development of a platform that fosters online collaboration and participation of community groups in urban development. It provides mobileAR, multiple-touch-table and 3D-online tools and methods. It provides a development, communication and decision-making environment for local initiatives and project groups. Betaville supports the complete development process from the analysis of citizens’ needs, specifying early-stage ideas and fostering discussions through ongoing engagement of communities in project development and consensus formation: In Alphaville, a fictitious city, an old factory has been torn down. The vacant area is to be revived in the near future and the city hall constitutes a planning board. The official process has started. In order to take into consideration its citizens’ demands for a livable city on the one hand as well as potential interests of authorities and technical restrictions on the other, the public administration is interested in the active participation of other parties in the decision and development process. Therefore, it creates a new project within Betaville and configures the available real estate in the virtual system. Bob likes to actively take part in the planning process about his vicinity. As he is interested in a mixed use of the area, he uses Betaville’s functionality to incorporate 3D models of the settlement of town houses as well as a small shopping mall with space for different shops. Alice gets to see Bob’s proposal on Betaville and adds a 3D bounding box that serves as a request for a kindergarten that she finds essential for a vivid quarter. Later, other members of the community may create new proposals and replace her placeholder with sophisticated 3D models of kindergartens. After releasing her ideas, her friend Carol also is willing to participate in the redevelopment of the area. Equipped with her mobile device, Carol inspects the area and uses Betaville’s mobile client for 3D on-site-visualizations of the different planning proposals on her mobile screen. With these authentic impressions in mind she realizes the long distance from the housing area to the kindergarten and changes the proposal directly on her mobile by repositioning the kindergarten. Back at home she realizes a lack of green space and substitutes the shopping mall in Bob’s design by a small park. In order to integrate as many citizens as possible in the process, Alphaville additionally allocates interactive urban screens in the vivid city centre for communicating the current status of the development process. At multi-touch tables (MTT), small groups can meet and collaborate in real life, discuss alternative proposals, create and manipulate new ideas and visualize them on the attached urban screen.

Keywords – Digital media, participation, urban development.

“Think BETA Evolution of Smart Cities” is an international think tank funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education with RTU as a partner. Think Beta is about research and development (R&D) and the design of future technical and cultural infrastructure for the urban development of Smart Cities and the optimization of municipal services, participation infrastructure and environments for intercultural and diversity management optimization. The technical objective is to research and develop a mobile-stationary, multimedia environment as infrastructure for smart cities and their participative development [6]. Challenges are the requirements of a future technical and cultural (mass player) infrastructure. Existing technical approaches from eGovernance, urban planning, LBS, to the user-affected eCulture, eCreativity are integrated to develop and provide optimized mobilestationary digital systems for urban development, planning and participation. Previous software approaches did not take into account existing expertise, e.g., in the sectors of civic participation: integration of a decentralized design or the social balance in architecture was not adequately developed or focused on a single discipline perspective. This is to be counteracted through the interdisciplinary configuration of the think-tank and its experimental approach via urban art and design. Similarly, technical and organizational issues of participatory urban planning with different approaches for different user groups are considered in the actual systems of Betaville (an open-source multiplayer environment for real cities) and concepts for future ICT systems [5]. Current implementation of the Betaville idea provides two different methodologies. While both systems foster visualization and collaboration in urban planning, they use different technologies. One system works with augmented reality (AR) technology plus collaboration at a multiple-touchtable, the other one with a virtual reality (VR) technology. The next two sections are dedicated to the first approach; Section IV focuses on the VR approach. The last section presents the project background of the “Think BETA” idea and concludes the paper.

Architecture and Urban Planning Helmut Eirund, Martin Koplin, Carl Skelton, Thorsten Teschke, Think BETA – Systems for Participation in Urban Development

II. The Betaville Augmented Reality Approach: Urban Development on Site: The Mobile Client

While Betaville’s web client is dedicated to the management of urban development projects and the multi-touch table fosters collaborative work on development projects, the mobile client leverages its mobility and location-awareness features: using the camera, GPS and compass that are built-in in the current generation of mobile phones, it provides the user with impressions of development proposals right on the spot. The Betaville mobile client initially offers to find development projects either in a list view or a map view (Figure 1). The map view presents a map that is centred at the user’s current location and shows nearby projects. As usual, the map can be zoomed and scrolled to look for projects in a wider area. Each project is depicted using an outline of the project area and “if clicked on” a flag shows summary information. The list view offers additional search features. In addition to a list of nearby projects, the user may search for a list of projects ordered by last edit date or by entering a search term. If the user selects a project in either a map view or a list view, a project overview screen is shown with information on the project and further navigation options close to the top of the screen. In a properly set-up project, the info tab will provide textual information on the project intentions, purpose, or framing conditions along with a thumbnail map view of the project bounds, as well as activity information. The discussions tab gives space to discussions among active users, thus, fostering the exchange and cooperation among otherwise individual users. The proposals tab initially shows a list of root proposals, i.e., alternative urban development plans suggested by users. As soon as the user selects one proposal, descriptive information on the proposal is shown similar to the project overview. Due to the hierarchical organization of proposals within the Betaville system, the user is now able to drill down into sub-proposals (if existing), i.e., proposals that are based on the currently presented proposal and that suggest changes such as the exchange of a building for a park or the re-positioning of a house. If a proposal seems interesting and the user is nearby the project location, the AR [1] mode can be activated, which shows a prospectively correct view of the real location overlaid with the proposed 3D models. Here, the mobile client shows its true potential: the user may walk around the project area and watch the virtual buildings contained in the proposal from each desired perspective. The impressions collected by the user in this situation may stimulate further user activities, such as engaging in discussions, voting for or against a proposal or designing a sub-proposal that improves the proposal according to the user’s on-site experience. One commonly known problem comes with the unprecise localisation through GPS and sensors by the mobile phone. Small errors in the localisation of the camera position leads to wrong perspectives of the 3D models. We currently work on markerless tracking systems that utilize pattern matching algorithms, similar to commercially available systems [8]. If the user finds a perspective particularly valuable, she may create the so-called freezes in the AR mode. A freeze is nothing more than a photo of the current view with attached information on the photograph’s position and orientation. When uploaded to

Fig. 1. Development projects in mobile map view.

Fig. 2. Augmented reality view in the mobile client.

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Architecture and Urban Planning 2013 / 8

Helmut Eirund, Martin Koplin, Carl Skelton, Thorsten Teschke, Think BETA – Systems for Participation in Urban Development

New York, and Busan. Betaville has moved from NYU Polytechnic, along with its project leaders, to the newly established Gotham Innovation Greenhouse. The technical platform is now robust, and readily implementable by third parties. To be effective as a public medium of discussion and concept development, the Betaville MMO platform has several specific design characteristics: It will run on consumer-level hardware, and can be set up with basic-to-intermediate Java and PHP expertise. The ability to found a Betaville or to secede from one if the first is not congenial is, therefore, always available. No one faction or proponent can own a Betaville. The visualization and interaction schemes are closely based on a common “vernacular” common to professionals and citizens: interactive perspective renderings are equally intelligible to planners, designers, artists, and the general public, providing for the broadest level of understanding; augmentation of this through the use of the model’s components as links to live metadata and/ or external information provides for an environment to support informed participation, including contribution to the background information resources as one of the modes of contribution. The Betaville web platform provides for the review and contribution of multiple versions of multiple concepts in parallel, at any level of detail. This makes it practical to engage broad participation early in the concept development process, when it is most useful and least expensive to follow through with. The Betaville web platform conforms to open GIS and web standards to be able to aggregate other open data resources as particular use cases may require over time, from OpenStreetMaps to pertinent open government databases. As a FreeBSD resource, the platform itself is open and available to participatory development, and is in any case available for detailed technical examination and/or adaptive re-use and extensions. The Betaville web platform can accept proposals for new concepts in the form of a combination of a .dae 3D model in the online world in any number of variations; the Collada file format it accepts can be exported from any level of authoring software, from the free Trimble SketchUp and Blender3D applications to professional design tools like Rhino and Revit. This provides for an easy learning curve and/ or minimal adaptation of modelling workflows for all levels of expertise. The Betaville web client, server, and accessory web services are available online under a FreeBSD license.

Fig. 3. Creation view on the multi-touch table to create and manipulate 3D proposals.

the Betaville server, these freezes allow other users to perceive an AR like situation everywhere: just like in the AR mode, a proposal can be overlaid prospectively correct on the freeze, thus making the invaluable combination of the real project area with the virtual 3D proposal available to users of the multi-touch table or mobile users who cannot be on the site. MTTs offer a large screen, where users come together and interact with the system at the same time in an intuitive way. This technology offers, therefore, the possibility to enhance the faceto-face collaboration of small user groups [3]. The users are able to browse the hierarchical version tree of uploaded proposals and create a new version of an existing proposal by accessing the creation view. In the creation view, the 3D models of the parent proposal are presented initially. In addition, freezes are placed in this 3D environment with respect to the GPS coordinates and orientation of the photographer. This AR feature provides the users with impressions of the proposal embedding into its real environment without the need to leave the table. Whenever a user taps on a 3D model its manipulation mode is activated, which places a ring around the model and an arrow above it. These tools enable the user to translate, scale, delete, and rotate the respective 3D model. When a user drags the uparrow, the model’s altitude is changed. When he drags the ring that is placed around the model, the model is rotated (Figure 3). III. The Betaville Virtual Reality Approach: Urban Development in the Web

The Betaville Web platform combines David Gelernter’s [4] concept of online “Mirror Worlds” as information-rich navigable 3D models of cities with the Massively Multiplayer Online Game entertainment genre, 3D Geographic Information Survey (GIS) mapping, and distributed/collaborative software suites for architectural and urban design. Since the inception of the technical development of the Betaville platform in 2008, the New York Betaville team has been able to build out and deploy the Betaville web platform with success in Brooklyn (the Downtown Brooklyn Commons project, 2011), Queens (Tomorrow 2.0/ReGenerations, in collaboration with the Queens Hall of Science, Louis Armstrong MS 227, and the Urban Assembly Gateway School), and Manhattan (Columbia University School of Architecture and Planning). More deployments are underway in Toronto, Istanbul,

IV. Betaville in Think BETA

Smart Cities – Smart Culture – Smart Humans: The goal of the think tank is to network and promote trend-setting innovative art, research and development of technologies, methodologies and new services. Think Beta is about the design of future technical and cultural infrastructure for the urban development of Smart Cities and the optimization of municipal services and infrastructure or environments for intercultural and diversity management optimization. Media art in urban development, geo-economical activities, smart energy networks and ICT infrastructure for decentralized urban management also contain the Think BETA working areas. In 2011, the interdisciplinary knowledge exchange, cooperative research and art project design, the exchange of researchers and artists were in the foreground. In

Architecture and Urban Planning Helmut Eirund, Martin Koplin, Carl Skelton, Thorsten Teschke, Think BETA – Systems for Participation in Urban Development

2012, more research projects were established and implemented. In 2013/14 a virtual living lab as a European Virtual Think BETA Research Institute will be established by its active members. The BxmC of New York University will establish a North-American Think BETA Design Lab that will be the partner organization of the European Virtual Think BETA Research Institute. The first project Betaville started even before the Think BETA began its work. The Betaville project was launched as a joint initiative of the Brooklyn Experimental Media Centre (BxmC) of Polytechnic Institute of New York University and the M2C Institute for Applied Media Technology and Culture at the University of Applied Sciences of Bremen in July 2008, at a symposium for International Urban Media hosted by the M2C Institute in Bremen. Betaville has matured from a software art experiment into a vehicle of creative collaboration and exchange: a tool not only for planning and architecture studios, but a fully public medium for concept development and advocacy in the context of local art and urbanism projects. Betaville is a tool to express the imaginable ideas about our cities, their design and their future. Betaville is the proverbial science fiction tool for the utilization and realization of new cultural expressions in context of the development of our urban environment. The Betaville project is flanked by the second project of Think BETA artMuse. It started in early 2011 through EU-EACEA funding. artMuse – facing the future – from industrial to post digital revolution – is an European art & science project. In the media art part, the aim is to join contemporary media art to industry culture and generate artistic ideas for future urban and social developments. It establishes ties between the industrial and the digital revolution, sites of industrial heritage from the past to the future. In the science part, it is about participation and integration in new collaborative creative processes. The results were presented at media festivals in public space in Bocholt, Bitola and Gdansk, Delmenhorst, Ghent and Sofia. These places are conjoined from the historical influences by the early European industrialization to the digital revolution and both effects on the urban development and art. From this point of change in urbanity, artMuse takes a chance to look onto the next possible steps of future urban live, participative urban planning, urban design, and digital art. The third Think BETA R&D project “TRAILS – CCBM – Crosscultural Business and Virtual Management Communication Analysing and Awareness Tool” refers directly to the human factor in future urban environments [7]. If the Betaville models get real as a future city, new educational aspects and learning in network methodologies, virtual communication and design processes, as well as social and cultural diversity will come to the fore. TRAILS – CCBM analyses and explores the needs and creates methodologies for training and education.

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with different strategies to perform this task. Nevertheless, participation in the urban environment covers many categories of interest: city (re-)development, urban art, preserving cultural heritage, urban resting places, etc. Within the partners of Think BETA several project ideas in these fields have already been carried out successfully. The question is how to come to a generalized framework to generate participation in the new urban project design. At the same time, this will be discussed at the 53rd International Scientific Conference of Riga Technical University, the BMW Guggenheim Lab Berlin, the Municipal Art Society of New York City and the Goethe Institute Montreal. We invite the conference participants at RTU to take part in the discussion and become a partner in our future interdisciplinary projects. At present, we have finalized the AR and VR prototype systems. Demonstration videos are accessible through [2]. References 1. Sa, M. de, Churchill, E. F., Isbister, K. Mobile Augmented Reality : Design Issues and Opportunities. Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Human Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, MobileHCI 2011, Stockholm, Sweden, August 30 - September 2, 2011. p. 749–752. doi:10.1145/2037373.2037504 2. Betaville videos [online]. Betaville [cited 12.12.2012.]. http://betaville.hsbremen.de/techs.php, http://bxmc.poly.edu/betaville, 3. Clifton, P., Mazalek, A., Sanford, J., Rébola, C., Lee, S., Powell, N. SketchTop: Design Collaboration on a Multi-touch Tabletop. Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI’11), ACM, New York, NY, p. 333–336. 4. Gelernter, D. Mirror Worlds: Or, the Day Software Puts the World in a Shoebox... How It Will Happen, and What It Will Mean. New York: Oxford, 1992, 256 p. 5. What is Betaville? [online]. Betaville.net [cited 12.12.2012.]. http://betaville.net 6. Benouaret, K., Valliyur-Ramalingam, R., Charoy, F. CrowdSC: Building Smart Cities with Large Scale Citizen Participation. IEEE Internet Computing. Vol. 17, No. 6, 2003, p. 57–63. doi:10.1109/MIC.2013.88 7. Sancristobal, E., Martin, S., Gil, R., Orduna, P., Tawfik, M., Pesquera, A., Diaz, G., Colmenar, A., Garcia-Zubia, J., Castro, M. State of Art, Initiatives and New Challenges for Virtual and Remote Labs. IEEE 12th International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, July 4–6, 2012. p. 714–715. 8. Location-based AR [online]. Metaio Developer Portal [cited 18.12.2013.]. http://dev.metaio.com/sdk/tutorials/location-based-ar

Conclusions

Within Betaville, members of the community, local authorities, or even potential investors have the chance to refine and extend the development branches created by Bob, Alice, and Carol by changing existing proposals or creating new ones from scratch. Furthermore, every member of the community has the chance to participate in the decision-making process that will converge on a small set of favoured solutions. Currently, Betaville experiments

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Helmut Eirund, Martin Koplin, Carl Skelton, Thorsten Teschke, Think BETA – Systems for Participation in Urban Development

Contact Data

Helmut Eirund, Diploma in Computer Science (1985, University Kiel, Germany), Researcher at TA / Olivetti Research Lab (Nurnberg), Project Leader in CEC funded projects on multimedia documents, Ph.D. thesis on conceptual structures in multimedia documents (1991, University Oldenburg). In 1994, Professor of Media Informatics at the University of Applied Sciences, Harz (Germany); since 2001 – Professor of Media Informatics at the University of Applied Sciences, Bremen (Germany). He was a Visiting Professor at California State University in Arcata 2005. He is a Co-founder and Scientific Director of M2C, Bremen. Research interests: mobile computing, electronic entertainment, interaction design.

Helmut Eirund University of Applied Sciences Bremen and M2C Institute Address: Flughafenallee 10, D-28199 Bremen, Germany Phone: +49 421 59055401 E-mail: helmut.eirund@hs-bremen.de Martin Koplin M2C Institute of Applied Media Technology and Culture Address: Flughafenallee 10, D-28199 Bremen, Germany Phone: +49 421 59055402 E-mail: koplin@m2c-bremen.de Carl Skelton Gotham Innovation Greenhouse 111 West 57th Street, Suite 1600, New York, NY 10019, USA Phone: +01 347-705-9900 E-mail: carl@gothaminnovationgreenhouse.com

Martin Koplin, one of the founders and Director of the M2C Institute for Applied Media Technology and Culture at the University of Applied Sciences, Bremen, Germany. He has worked as a Media Artist for over 15 years and as a Scientific Researcher in the field of digital media and digital culture for more than 10 years. He studied digital media communication, cultural studies, organizational studies and fine arts. He holds two master’s degrees, university certificate in Neuroenergetic Leadership and Organisational Development and actually is completing his doctoral thesis in Computer Sciences. He is a Scientist in Residence at the BxmC of the Polytechnic Institute of New York University.

Thorsten Teschke University of Applied Sciences Bremen Address: Flughafenallee 10, D-28199 Bremen, Germany Phone: +49 421 59055428 E-mail: thorsten.teschke@hs-bremen.de

Carl Skelton, Director of the Gotham Innovation Greenhouse, and a Candidate for the Dr.Ing. in Informatics at the University of Bremen. His creative/ research work bridges the arts, design, technology, and community engagement. He is currently working on two books: New Soft City Culture: The Case of Betaville for Springer, and The Multimedia Programming Fakebook with R. Luke DuBois for MIT Press. Creative projects include Betaville, a massively participatory editable mirror world project with an international network of partners and collaborators. You can learn more at betaville.net. From 2003 to 2012, Carl founded and directed the Brooklyn Experimental Media Centre and the academic programs in Integrated Digital Media at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University. Carl’s work has been supported by Microsoft Research, the Rockefeller Foundation through its Cultural Innovation Fund, the National Science Foundation, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts. Thorsten Teschke, Diploma in Computer Science (1998, University Oldenburg, Germany), Visiting Scholar at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, PA, USA (February to July 1998), doctoral thesis on semantic questions in componentbased software development (2003, University Oldenburg, Germany). He has been a Professor of Software Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences, Bremen since 2005. Research interests: mobile computing, context-aware systems, software architecture, web applications.

Architecture and Urban Planning

Fractal Architecture

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Agnieszka Rumież, Poznan University of Technology as well. Moreover, the understanding of subtleness of abstract compositions of modernism is very often insufficient. To support this anxiety, the author wants to present only one but exemplar case of recent modernization of very sophisticated architectural opus of modernism in Poznan: Collegium Novum of Adam Mickiewicz University. It was erected in 1968 according to the project of L. Sternal, W. Milewski and Z. Skupniewicz, the most recognised modernistic architects of Poznan. For many years it has stood untouched and due to that diminished in external appearance. For that reason, a decision for modernization (due to new climatic regulations) was made in 2011. Even though it can be seen as successful on the face of it, when one deepens the analysis, it is clear that it lacks a sense of the initial composition. Design from 1968 was strongly vertical, with dispersed horizontal lines due to elaborated rhythm of concrete girders. After renovation dark lines were drawn at a surface to link horizontal lines, which resulted in impression of rectangles standing on one another. Latter composition may be regarded as fine design as the initial, though it is obvious that those two structures are considerably different. The author proposes a statement that the change of appearance of the facade is a consequence of carelessness rather than consideration and that it shows that purity of modernistic compositions is rarely understood, not to mention the abstract concept of detail as part of a structure, as it can be defined in the given example.

Abstract – Research focuses on the recognition of the disposition of natural environment, which serves as an inspiration for cultural creation as it has always been in the history of architecture. Modern mathematical model of fractal geometry has been used to understand patterns occurring in the surrounding. The comparative analysis has been conducted between the abstract mathematical model and architectural composition in the view of contemporary cognitive paradigms. In conclusion, a hypothesis of a new ‘organic’ approach to an architectural elaborate design has been stated. Keywords – Attention, complexity, new detail, perception, selfsimilarity.

Contemporary architecture is in the process of re-defining the meaning and a role of a detail and ornamentation. Changes in thought and, thus, artistic practice that started at the turn of the 20th century provoked a profound discussion upon human perceptive abilities and the role of attention. It even triggered manifests that regarded detail as crime. However, residues of puristic modernism are very often seen by non-professionals as overwhelming. New architecture, seemingly, seeks a form that has a simple but somehow elaborated structure: defined but not obvious. I. The Role of Detail in the Past

It would be very hard to classify most of the buildings from previous centuries without a layer of an ornament, which used to serve as a decoration of few straight and simple planes such as walls, ceilings and floors. Thus, a value of architectural detail in defining an identity of artistic style was predominant. Virtually, “by style people meant ornamentation” [1]. Not only were those details subordinate to existing aesthetic values but also carried a load of re-interpretations of symbolism and affiliations particular to a period. Huge revolt in the intellectual and artistic life that took place in nineteenth century, “against traditional systems in thought, in politics, and in economics, gave rise to attack upon many beliefs and institutions that had hitherto been regarded as unassailable” [2]. As a result, new stylistic manifestos occurred. In 1908 Adolf Loos presented an essay “Ornament and Crime”, where he repudiated an added ornament in architecture. Was this an aim against detailed elaboration of composition of a building? In the author’s opinion, it was rather against covering it with reliefs that referred to the obsolete cultural and social context. Anyhow, modernism left us with numerous buildings, which are, in common recognition, better received from distance, or even more so – on an artistic black-and-white photograph rather than in the real life. The clarity and simplicity of a structure are very often regarded as overwhelming. Laymen tend to regard a gothic cathedral or a baroque palace as beautiful rather than a La Tourette Abbey near Lyon or La Cité Radieuse in Marseilles. Alongside with general audience, the phenomenon mentioned above seems to concern a substantial number of professionals

II. Idiosyncrasy of Contemporary Perception

The author thinks that a human being possesses an innate (primordial) inclination towards complexity and details. Notwithstanding, it is not a matter of thought or consciousness, but rather a natural condition of the flow of stimuli that exists in the environment (defined as one that includes all three elements:

Fig. 1. La Tourette by Le Corbusier and Xenakis [9].

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Agnieszka Rumież, Fractal Architecture

Fig. 2. Collegium Novum of AMU in Poznan (project from 1968 – left, renovation from 2011 – right) [10].

It is highly expected that direct inspirations are likely to be found in the natural environment – as it is primal to cultural artifacts. However, the author’s intention is not to praise emulation of organic forms of nature. It is the intricacy of its abstract structure that can be fertile to follow.

a subject, an object and a relation between them). As William James was willing to see it – ‘the stream of thought’ – “constantly changing, but continual flow of images, sensations, fragments of thought, bodily feelings, memories, cravings [3, 85]”. This view is contrasted with an acquired (derivative) intellectual need for synthesis and reduction. That approach is rooted in systematic concepts that appeared in philosophy from Descartes up to Kant, who more or less took into account the dichotomy of subject and object, giving the former a power to perceive the latter using abilities of mind. The author’s inclination towards the formerly presented view is a result of an observation of the natural environment as well as a result of a simple recognition that the changes that have already taken place in philosophical view, that of subject-object relationship, are irreversible and convert the basis of human creativity. Since the contemporary notion of attention is defined as “a primary, although fragile tool to impose coherent and explicit forms of the scattered contents of consciousness” [3, 32], after being first regarded as a simple method of memorising information, nature of cultural creation has changed significantly. They are based on strong, though often transient emotions that enable inhibition of environmental stimuli and focus attention on the desired object. However, it is only natural that “attention is diverted from one thing and moved to another (...)If we wish to attract it to the subject, we must constantly seek something new in it, especially if other powerful sensations try to tear it away and distract” [4]. Modernised architecture is subject to the same phenomenon. It needs to be distinctive and eminent to serve as a stimulus that can provoke a discriminating attention. Nevertheless, since “buildings are heavy, expensive, and more or less permanent” [5], there is a justified desire to make them elaborate and complex, i.e., to focus person’s attention for a little longer. Moreover, an urban site is part of nearly everyone’s day-by-day perceptive environments; hence, the responsibility of architects to wisely compose their structures is relatively high. In order to make them more likely to be well-perceived, there is a huge potential in the quest for defined complexity not only in the determined algorithm but also in stochastic one.

III. Nature of Environment

Nature was an inspiration for architectural design from the very beginning. For example, Egyptian columns of hypostyle hall at the temple of Amun in Karnak are in the form of papyrus with closed and open flowers. It was not only the forms that were imitated, but also a rule that open flowers would be in the place where more sunlight was. Greeks based their orders on motives from the natural world as well: Ionic volutes, egg-and-dart, Corinthian acanthus, etc., became an ornament that was in use from Renaissance to Neoclassicism. Gothic architecture created a separate, very robust language of details inspired by the forms of plants and animals. All these examples show how organic forms have always been present in the architectural design. Most of them though served as elements of decoration rather than a structure. Nevertheless, architectural theory and practice is full of analysis of proportions that derived from the environment. The Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci or the Modulor by Le Corbusier setting standards of architectural harmony for centuries may serve as an example. The fact that the finest artists reached a deeper understanding of the rules of natural environment and were able to incorporate it in their design is a sign that the multidimensional analysis of nature gives a promise of a sense of order. There is one more aspect that is apparent while analysing the rules of natural world: forms of nature are conducted by certain proportions, indeed, but exhibit a recurrent complexity. Nature usually does not have the simple figures in its structure. Classical (Euclidean) geometry failed to serve as a tool to depict it: “We’ve got nothing to describe this with: clouds are not made with straight edges, trees are not circles, they are not triangles, they are something very very different, indeed, but there is a continual kind of a pattern that I can see as I look at the edge of the rising cumulus cloud” [6].

Architecture and Urban Planning Agnieszka Rumież, Fractal Architecture

Fig. 3. Great hypostyle hall – Karnak [11].

That might be the reason why a classical geometry is perceived as cold and dry [7, 1]. While there is not only one geometry anymore, and scientists along with artists are not at the exclusive mercy of Euclidean paradigm, it is vital to explore more suitable mathematical concepts that can help in describing the surrounding world. IV. Fractals and Chaos

Fractals were first fully described in 1975 by a French mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot, though a lot of iterated sets were known before: Cantor set (1883 ), Koch snowflake (1904 ), Sierpinski carpet (1915 ) and others. Those objects were first “regarded as ‘pathological’... as a ‘gallery of monsters’ kin to the cubist painting and atonal music that were upsetting established standards of taste in the arts at about the same time [7, 3].” While being seen as unnatural, this geometry gave images that showed surprising similarities with elements of nature. Moreover, some physical models are fractal, e.g., the Brownian motion. Mandelbrot coined a neologism fractal for two reasons: to point out its fragmented structure and to put it in opposition with the notion of ‘algebra’ (that derives from the Arabic jabara = to bind together) [7, 5]. Fractal is a self-similar geometrical object, whose fractal dimension exceeds its topological dimension. It can be constructed by iterated function systems using affine transformation. Because of self-similarity fractals are so promising in providing information about the natural world. Self-similarity “often occurs in branching structures in nature” [8]. As long as complexity of the environment was not possible to be described, it was not accessible to a reasonable analysis. When a mathematical model maps that complexity and shows that its beauty may lie in that self-similarity, one can presume that this virtue deserves the analysis of an artist, an architect.

Fig. 4. Le Corbusier’s Modulor on Berlin [12].

Fig. 5. Sierpinski carpet [13].

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scale as an integral entirety that can follow the same idea, same principles. This is presumably a way to construct a building that is elaborated and simply coherent with itself and, thus, presenting a sense of order that can attract the attention of a modernized observant for longer than an instant. References 1. Loos, A., Opel, A. Ornament and Crime [Selected Essays]. Riverside, CA: Ariadne Press, 1998, p. 20. 2. Russel, B. History of Western Philosophy. London, New York: Routledge, 2004, p. 652. 3. Crary, J. Suspensions of Perception : Attention, Spectacle, and Modern Culture. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2001, p. 85. 4. Helmholz, H. von. Treatise on Physiological Optics. Volume III : Visual perception (depth, motion, etc.) [J.P.C. Southall, ed.]. New York, NY: Dover, 1962, p. 498. 5. In the place of sound : Architecture / Music / Acoustics [C. Ripley, M. Polo, A. Wrigglesworth, ed.]. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars, 2007, p. 7. 6. Clarke, A., Lesmoir-Gordon, N. Fractals – The Colors Of Infinity [movie, 53 min.]. Princeton, New Jersey, 1994. [Interview with Dr. Michael Barnsley]. 7. Mandelbrot, B. The fractal Geometry of Nature. New York, NY: W. H. Freeman and Co., 1982, p. 1. 8. Barnsley, M., Hutchinson, J., Stenflo, Ö. V-variable fractals and superfractals [online]. Australian National University. Mathematical Sciences Institute [cited 12.12.2012.]. http://maths-people.anu.edu. au/~barnsley/pdfs/V-var_super_fractals.pdf 9. Sainte Marie de La Tourette near Lyon [online]. Wikipedia [cited: 07.08.2013.]. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couvent_Sainte-Marie_de_La_ Tourette 10. Collegium Novum AMU Poznań [online]. Poznań Nowych Doznań zdjęcia dokumentacyjne Poznania / Facebook [cited 07.08.2013.]. http://fotopoznan.blogspot.com/2011/04/collegium-novum-uam.html https://www.facebook.com/modernistycznypoznan 11. Hypostyle hall, Temple of Amun, Karnak [online]. DHD Multimedia Gallery [cited 07.08.2013.] http://gallery.hd.org/_c/places-and-sights/_more2003/_ more08/Egypt-Luxor-Karnak-temple-of-Amun-Great-Hypostyle-Hallworld-heritage-site-2-SEW.jpg.html 12. The Modulor of Le Corbusier [online]. Wikipedia [cited: 07.08.2013.]. http://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficheiro:Modulor.jpg 13. Sierpinski carpet [online]. Wikipedia [cited: 07.08.2013.]. http://

Fig. 6. Barnsley Fern [14].

Fig. 7. Mandelbrot set [15].

Conclusions

Contemporary architecture is conducted by a need for selfjustification. There is no singular model of proportion, symbolism or pattern that can serve as a module for composition. Although polymorphy of patterns (notions), as Derrida proposed, is a consequence of deconstruction made within an existing structure of patterns given as a common belief, it is now architect’s interpretation or even independent construct that is a base for a composition. Self-justification, a primary rule of a composition of a building, can be very simple. Nevertheless, there is a very high potential when the rule generates a complex structure that is self-similar and somehow infinite. All these characteristics are immanent for fractals, which are not only another shapes in classical geometry, but are distinguished phenomena that open one’s mind to nonlinear (chaotic, but non-random) complexity and new abstract modules for compositions. Moreover, a fractal approach can help in re-defining a role of detail in architecture. This model shows how ‘organic’ is to treat particular elements of architectural composition on a different

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierpinski_carpet 14. Barnsley’s fern: Example of a fractal [online]. Archon’s Site [cited 07.08.2013.]. http://www.archonmagnus.com/articles/general/theImportanceOfMath.php 15. Mandelbrot set [online]. Wikipedia [cited: 07.08.2013.]. http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/File:Mandelpart2.jpg

Architecture and Urban Planning Agnieszka Rumież, Fractal Architecture

Agnieszka Rumież (Toruń, Poland, 1985). Obtained the MSc. arch. degree in 2008 (Poznań University of Technology, Poland). PhD research thesis Relationship between Architectural and Musical Composition in terms of Contemporary Mathematical Models (recently being elaborated), tutor Associate prof., Jerzy Suchanek. She undertook a postgraduate study in 2012, majoring in theoretical mathematics (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan). LECTURER at the Faculty of Architecture of Poznan University of Technology, methodological work: study strategies for History of Architecture (including quick manual drafting technique) and Modernization of Historic Buildings (including improvisation). RESEARCHER in the field of parallel aspects of architectural and musical composition, use of mathematical models in architectural design, esp. in the formation of an analytical feedback in the process of intuitive (stochastic) creation. ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTION of LLP Erasmus Departmental Coordinator (since 2012). ARCHITECT formerly associated with PPWK studio (Poznan, 2007–2012, http://www.ppwk-architekci.pl), now working independently. She is a participant of various scientific conferences and the author of several scientific publications. Recent publications: • Rumież, A., Immemorial melodies in Architecture. In the quest for Motives that last forever, Technical Transactions, Kraków 2011., volume 2, p. 361-366. • Rumież A., Zapała R., Musical-Architectural Space-Time, in: Miasto w kulturze, edited by Trocka-Leszczyńska E., Przesmycka, E., Oficyna Wydawnicza Politechniki Wroclawskiej, Wrocław 2012, p. 9-21.

Contact Data

Agnieszka Rumież Poznan University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture Address: Nieszawska 13C, 60-021 Poznań, Poland. Phone: +48 61 665 33 21, +48 61 649 60 73. E-mail: agnieszka.rumiez@put.poznan.pl

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doi: 10.7250/aup.2013.020 2013 / 8

Architecture and Urban Planning

The Patterns of Urban Landscape Commodification Rasa Čepaitienė, Lithuanian Institute of History well as due to a clearly defined role of the individual in society and the absence of its evident alternatives. Yet the contemporary postmodern capitalism, in contrast, offers constantly growing possibilities of infinite, free and unlimited choice. However, a closer look at it shows that these constantly renewed desires and choices of consumption become self-propelled and purposeless. Thus, today cities no longer remain as spaces of the birth and development of political ideas, glorification of the heroes of the past, resolution of public issues or the areas of concentration and gathering of national and civil communities; instead, today they transform into the factories of self-propelled ‘desiring machines’ [37]. The indiscernibility of neoliberalism and consumerism (it is hardly credible that passersby on the street would know how to precisely explain these terms, even though all of them have had some experience of consumption and leisure), having in mind their ever-growing but non-realized power, raises a question about the impact of new socioeconomic tendencies on the urban form and image. After all, during the rise of global capitalism, cities have also become commodities, which are being evaluated, advertised and presented on the global level. Taking into consideration this fact as well as the recently evident new phenomenon of pseudocities, it is important to grasp the impact of all these processes on European cities and especially on their urban heritage. After all, why and what provokes the commodification of the past which in turn transforms the cities into a stage for a spectacle that is directed by economic, rather than political actors? What is the difference, except the mobilization level, between the totalitarian crowd and the crowds of buyers and pleasure-seekers wandering around “Akropolis”? The name of Akropolis belongs to the chain of vast and popular shopping and leisure centres that are based in the largest cities of Lithuania. Lithuanian society had endured a constant lack of goods during the Soviet epoch that was a strong factor in shaping their consumer needs without the possibility to satisfy them. In order to answer the above-mentioned questions, first of all, it is necessary to analyse the influence of cultural globalization on the rapid transformation of urban functions and image, which has taken place over the last few decades, as well as the impact of heritage industry on urban spaces under the conditions of remarketized capitalism.

Abstract – The article deals with several problematic issues related to the commercialization of the past in postindustrial, postmodern consumer societies. Primarily, the process of the commercialization of urban centres, especially of historical cities and their images, is analysed in the context of contemporary global cultural economics; moreover, a question on the forms and shapes assumed by this process is raised. Secondly, this article considers the meaning of this process or, in other words, – what is it telling about the condition of our society and attitudes towards the past? Undoubtedly, an adequate assessment of understanding of the socioeconomic tendencies, which are faced by the cities influenced by neoliberalism, is very important and relevant to post-colonial and post-communist countries, which, like Lithuania, are still seeking for their identity in the face of economical and cultural globalization challenges. Keywords – Commodification, consumerism, cultural tourism, heritage industry, historical cities, neoliberalism, post-industrial society.

We are not only city dwellers, its visitors and consumers, but also its ‘readers’, invited to grasp and understand certain meanings that are ‘inscribed’ in the city [4]. One of the possibilities of such ‘city reading’ is trying to find and interpret the footprints of ideology that remain in it. While tracing these footprints, we can better grasp not only the ideological matrix encoded in urban spaces, but also its continuous impact on the city dwellers and its guests. How does a certain ideological system influence and condition the development of urban shape and texture? Totalitarian and authoritarian regimes consider the city as a tool and a powerful means (although not the only means) used for mass indoctrination and transformation of the political community into a crowd, which is subordinate to the power elite [1]. Under the nationalist ideology, there is often an attempt to ‘recompose’ urban spaces, especially the nation-state capitals from the perspective of the titular nation; hence, they transform themselves into the arenas of sometimes obscure, but real controversies or even conflicts, where different groups of political power as well as ethnic, confessional and social communities, majorities, minorities, immigrants and especially tourists try to symbolically or literally ‘appropriate’, ‘privatize’ and interpret the city in their own way [12]. For instance, the ongoing disputes over the ‘symbolic dependence’ of Vilnius, the historical multicultural capital of Lithuania, provide a possibility to better reveal the features of the nationalist or nowadays fashionable multiculturalist worldview [13]. However, unlike the above-mentioned ideologies, the new ideological system of values which began to dominate at the end of the 20th century – neoliberalism – tends to mask itself or at least does not manifest in such blatant and easily identifiable forms. The manifestations of the previously mentioned ideologies in public space could easily be ‘disclosed’ due to their proposed monochromatic image of reality, which was imprinted in the urban landscape mostly in the form of the ‘great narrative’, as

I. Cultural Globalization, Cities and Heritage Industry

Although the historical cities have always been the material reflections of certain ideologies, according to the specialists, it was not until the second part of the 20th century when the urban regeneration became an inseparable part of conscious cultural politics. In the countries of Western Europe one may distinguish a few stages of urban regeneration which have reflected certain goals of the then implemented cultural politics:

Architecture and Urban Planning Rasa Čepaitienė, The Patterns of Urban Landscape Commodification

1. During the reconstruction period (from the postwar until the 1970s), there were attempts to reconstruct the urban structures, which had been destroyed or damaged during the war and at the same time to stimulate the appropriation of ‘high’ and traditional culture – many public buildings, theatres, museums, etc. were built; 2. Cultural politics of the social integration period (from the beginning of the 1970s until the middle of the 1980s) was strongly influenced by the situation, which developed after 1968 – the rise of social activism, which enhanced the formation of the feminist, youth, gay, ethnic minority movements etc. The latter groups questioned the traditional difference between ‘high’ and ‘low’ cultures. Therefore, the city development plans recognized the needs of various social groups and ‘minorities’ (formation of experimental theatres, rock clubs, alternative media etc.); 3. Finally, the contemporary period of city management (from the middle of the 1980s until now) is characterized by the domination of the economic development demands over the sociopolitical needs. The readjustment of the modes of production during the transition to the postindustrial informational stage of social development makes an obvious influence on the urban development strategies. A lot of emphasis is placed on the sector of multiple services; a new city image is built that is based on cultural and creative industries, particularly on tourism and heritage, which promotes domestic and especially foreign investments [8]. Many social analysts who scrutinize the phenomenon of globalization and its effect on the cities agree that it is very difficult to provide a short and clear definition of it. One of the most popular definitions of globalization identifies it with the “compression of time and space” [18]. Indeed, under the influence of contemporary innovations in telecommunications and media, ‘time’ ceases to be an integral, uninterrupted chain uniting the past, present and future; instead, it becomes a series of neverending ‘presents’. In turn, space is increasingly compressed due to mass communication and modern transport [14]. It is indeed obvious that mass tourism is one of the most significant features of globalization (Figure 1). However, if we take into consideration the cultural heritage, it becomes obvious that in this case the definition of “ compressive power of globalization” does not hold true, as we usually deal with objects that have originated in a certain historical period and which exist in a specific cultural and geographical milieu or which at least can easily be identifiable by their specific origin. Even when extracted from their natural environment and brought elsewhere, these objects or cultural references are capable of preserving the links with their area of origin and ethnic community. Thus, all heritage is local. At the same time, despite the seemingly obvious ‘locality’ of any heritage object, one may also refer to the ‘global heritage’, especially if we have in mind objects that are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List or the so-called ‘global products of heritage’, such as national cuisine, music, styles of architecture and design, etc., which have all been included in the international consumer network and, which transcended the limits of their original culture long ago and became a significant feature of growing cultural globalization [7].

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Fig. 1. The occupancy of the tourist cities start to cause many problems to local residents. Prague Charles Bridge in the summer time. Photo by V. Kubilius.

Today the most significant feature of globalization is the socalled cultural homogenization, considered by some critics as a sign of cultural imperialism [32]. The formation of the Western unified mass consumer culture after World War II and its ongoing artificial reproduction on the global scale is considered to be the motor of homogenization. The globally observed ‘amalgamation’ and standardization of cultural signs, symbols and commodities were seen by French sociologist Serge Latouche as a radical spectre of malign ‘westernization’ of world cultures, which exalts Western experience, values and lifestyle, but ignores, overshadows and suppresses the expression of other cultures [23]. As a result, standardization and unification of cultures leads to the extinction of regional differences [15]. However, it is likely that this problem today also helps to raise interest in the unique natural and urban sites as well as heritage values, which have originated in specific cultures. How does cultural homogenization affect the field of urban heritage? According to Gregory Ashworth, the professor of heritage management from the Netherlands, the tensions between local and global also embrace the fields of heritage management and tourism – “heritage as an activity, business and investment is fundamentally global, not local. <...> Therefore, those who invest in it as well as architects and designers, local planners and politicians, want to diminish the risk by launching projects that had already been successfully implemented elsewhere” [5, 55]. The effects of such heritage management are extremely visible in the historical tourist cities. Paradoxically, the unification of various unique heritage sites takes place, as, instead of implementing creative and original ideas, methods that have been tried and tested elsewhere are chosen for the management and presentation of those sites. Many features of contemporary culture such as commodification, simulation, fragmentation and thematization of experience are also characteristic of the so-called ‘heritage industry’, the formation of which in Western Europe and North America as well as the beginning of its development on a global scale dates back to the period of 1970–1980 and is considered to be an integral part of the then established mass entertainment industry [20].

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theatres, visiting art galleries), which in earlier times was characteristic almost exclusively of the representatives of the social elite and thereby coincided with the consumption of luxury goods. However, during the second half of the 20th century, along with the rise of the purchasing power and the emergence of strong middle class in the developed Western countries, there was an increase of potential consumers of cultural production from the broader social circles. These factors caused not only the democratization of culture and namely of heritage, but also its vulgarization as it became part of mass consumption. Another explanation of this phenomenon, in contrast to the theory of economic growth influence, considers the growth of the heritage industry of the late 20th and the early 21st centuries as a ‘myopic escapist nostalgia’ or a reaction to the relative downturn of the period of 1960–1970 in such countries as Great Britain, where the heritage industry was best developed [34]. It is likely that, at least in the Lithuanian case (although there is still a lack of profound research on this issue; see [35]), it is possible to distinguish between stimuli of heritage industry that emerged more visibly in the beginning of the 21st century – the growth of the purchasing power among the local population during the years of economic growth (2005–2008) – and the phenomenon of ‘retreat into the past’ after the majority of the post-communist societies experienced the stress provoked by radical socioeconomic transformations. To summarize, it is true to say that the tendencies of cultural heritage commercialization have both certain advantages and disadvantages. First of all, the heritage industry, as a new model of cultural production, undoubtedly gives value to the objects and territories, which “otherwise would not have any economic perspectives” [22]. This includes public, residential and industrial buildings, which have lost their functions, obsolete city blocks, spaces or artefacts, outworn technologies, desolate mines and abandoned cultures. Therefore, sometimes it is exactly the heritage industry that helps to awaken these sites from ‘winter’s slumber’ and to make them profitable and attractive whilst also ensuring their preservation (Figure 3). One of such examples is the Pennsylvania Heritage Programme (USA), which was carried out during the 1970s and 1980s aiming to solve the social problems of mass deindustrialization, which caused the abandonment of 65 percent of the industrial districts of the state. Thus, new use was given to the buildings and the unemployed industrial workers were employed as guides who could tell visitors stories about their earlier jobs, thereby presenting the industrial heritage [23]. However, the main critics of present-day heritage preservation, such as the British specialists David Lowenthal, Kevin Walsh, Peter Fowler, Robert Hewison, etc., note that the heritage industry, produced by mass tourism, leads visitors to a confusion in time as well as an inability to distinguish between true and false, authentic and kitsch, etc. The definition of heritage, mainly from the point of view of the consumer, challenges its classical conception of authenticity and the principles of preservation. In this case, the ‘authenticity’ of a product is determined by the consumer rather than by the historical truth, because each consumer may regard different products as ‘authentic’ [2]; such a purely economic view strongly contradicts the traditional understanding of heritage preservation principles. However, in reality everything is even more complicated – in the context of

Fig. 2. UNESCO World heritage site in Rhode Island (Greece) – city-fortress turned into a big bazaar. Photo by R. Čepaitienė.

Fig. 3. The market of the city and a city as a market. Street market in the main square of one Mexican provincial town. Photo by Ž. Mikailienė.

The ‘retreat into the past’ phenomenon that lies in its origins is, according to some analysts, a consequence of incapability to adapt and to adequately respond to the challenges of the present. Eating-houses, vast shopping centres, theme parks, newly reconstructed and rebuilt city centres – all of these constitute a general mix of escapism and consumerism, merging cultural experience with consumption practice. Tourism becomes one of the most potential sources of current ‘heritage growth’, revealing how various cultural and leisure activities are combined with consumption, entertainment and shopping (Figure 2). The heritage industry, which needs a wider consideration in order to adequately understand the commodification process of historical tourist cities, is ambiguously valued by cultural specialists, international tour operators, local government and city dwellers. There have been various attempts to explain its rise and boom, especially based on the so-called theories of the ‘embourgeoisement of society’ and ‘retreat into the past’ [19]. Indeed, visiting museums and heritage sites today is regarded as consumption of cultural services (along with attending concerts,

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tourism it is possible to distinguish three types of authenticity: ‘objective’ (cognitive aspects of truth about real, authentic objects are emphasized), ‘constructive’ (the projection of images, beliefs, attitudes, stereotypes that tourists attribute to ‘other’ cultures) and ‘existential’ (which involves the traveller searching for the true self rather than ‘other’) [24]. As globalization means rapid change, this leads to accelerated social transformation and, as a result, its destabilization. Therefore, the preservation of historical environment provides city dwellers with psychological stability, security and the sense of historical continuity. Besides, the increased perception of a certain physical space is especially important in the context of deterritorialization, because virtual communities can never fully replace real ones. On the other hand, the benefits of urban heritage preservation, which is based on economic development, are most visible in the creation of new workplaces in regenerated sites and also in the promotion of old crafts and trades as well as in the local supply of technologies, materials and workers. Moreover, the old local architecture is often far more reliable in terms of ergonomics and utilization of heating and other energy sources compared to the modern international architecture; besides, old buildings are not only of higher aesthetic quality, but they can be perfectly reconstructed for a new function. Therefore, the preservation of urban heritage and commercialization of cities are not necessarily antagonistic towards one other. As many examples from all over the world show, this can very effectively stimulate the economic growth of the cities or the entire country. As different cities have different sources of heritage, which they can use in their own way without imitating others and thus become competitive, this phenomenon, according to the American heritage management specialist Donovan Rypkema, is ‘not a zero-sum game’ [31]. That is why not all urban heritage specialists have a sceptical or pessimistic approach towards the perspectives of the collision between city preservation and city development. The above-mentioned problem is, of course, more relevant to the large-scale urban sites of Lithuania and other post-communist states, where free trade makes a clear effort to subjugate public space to the logic of unrestrained profit-seeking (Figure 4). Numerous and frequent violations of the heritage preservation requirements in the Old Town of Vilnius, Curonian Spit, Klaipėda and other historically valuable urban sites of Lithuania reveal frequent defiance of laws that limit urban development; this is not so much because of juridical gaps, but rather because of the rigid dictate of capital, which raises commercial interest and profit above public demands. These sites were included in the World Heritage List in 1994 and 2000. Due to this fact, not only cultural values and natural environment are destroyed or damaged, but the interests of citizens suffer, too. Finally, the urban development itself gets distorted. For example, the overintensive and pragmatically unjustifiable development of shopping and leisure centres, which carried on until the economic crisis of 2009, obviously provoked the ‘sweeping’ of visitors out of historical city centres, the emptying and aesthetic degradation of public spaces; a good example of it is the second biggest city of Lithuania, Kaunas, where a shopping centre “Akropolis” was built nearby the central street, Laisvės avenue (Figure 5).

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Fig. 4. Surprising consonance of the old and new. McDonald’s signs on the Stalinist architecture building in Kiev, Maidan square. Photo by R. Čepaitienė.

Fig. 5. Saved buildings of the industrial quarter under the roof of the new shopping center “Akropolis” in Kaunas. Photo by V. Kubilius.

However, our everyday experience proves that we live not so much in a global, but in a glocal world, which is a specific synthesis of both global and local, traversing different spheres of life. The concept of glocality is a Western adaptation of the Japanese word dochakuka (becoming local or native) and implies the modes of conditioning and determination that help to locally create, distribute and consume the global content [30]. In other words, we experience the effect of globalization in a specific place, that is, in a specific city. This effect is clearly visible in the large-scale urban complexes, which today, according to the sociologists, enter the international arena as independent actors and compete among themselves, taking the place of nation-states, which dominated previously [9]. Similar processes, which provoke the changing of the role of the city, are stimulated by euro integration. Mass migration and supranationality, promoted by the European Union (the European identity creation project), significantly contribute to the rapid transformation of European cities into heterogeneous, multiethnic and multicultural societies [16].

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Fig. 7. Iconic symbols of the cities have special attraction to tourists. The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo by Ž. Kiesilytė.

style architecture and similar solutions in city infrastructure and communications, reveal their cosmopolitan image, which disguises their local specifics. So where does urban heritage stand in these processes, which, as we have seen, interconnects global and local levels and often excludes the national level that is left almost entirely for domestic needs? II. The Features of the City Heritage Commodification

At first glance, it may seem that the main form of commercial utilization of urban heritage is heritage tourism (mostly foreign, although local tourism should also be mentioned). While planning tourist destinations, a lot of attention is devoted not only to the historically established images of the visited cities, which often although not always are stereotypical, but also to the tendencies that prevail in the international tourism. This implies that, due to various circumstances, certain regions or cities can suddenly become popular, fashionable and attractive for internationl visitors, or that they can unexpectedly lose their allure. This may happen despite cities’ real or potential heritage sources and also despite the successes or failures of management. Pilgrimage may be considered the earliest form of tourism, which is still relevant today (Figure 6). Although the intentions of pilgrims and tourists are basically different (e.g., the intention of being healed and praying for God’s grace in the first case; or simply searching for new impressions, leisure activities and other exotic experiences in the second case), in both cases the visitors of sacred and historical places encounter authentic or the socalled historical relics that can only be found in a specific place (Figure 7). Today some tourism researchers distinguish five development phases of tourism, which, as we will see, have significantly affected the shift in understanding the past. According to A. R. Cuthbert, it is possible to distinguish: 1) classical tourism, dedicated to seeking authenticity (until the mid-20th century); 2) ‘directed authenticity’ which emerged along with mass tourism and involved the reconstruction of cities, events or artefacts; 3) the so-called ‘post-tourism’, which abandons ‘authenticity’ and simply simulates it; 4) ‘theme tourism’, i.e., the world of theme

Fig. 6. Famous centres of the pilgrimage – predecessors of the tourist destinations. Paray le Monial, France. Photo by R. Čepaitienė.

Following the principles of ‘safeguarding’ and ‘spreading’ the ideas of the Union founding members, the European Council currently attempts to promote the ‘europeanization’ of experiences and memories of the European Union members. However, it is clearly obvious that the European Union was and still is being built on the bureaucratic and pragmatic-economic rather than the cultural or consciousness basis. Therefore, these attempts may be vain as there is still no clear understanding as to what is considered ‘pure European’ values, visions, practices, norms of conduct and how they should be preserved and cherished [36]. However, according to Ashworth, namely urban heritage is one of the most potential elements for constructing united Europe; he claims that the city and its environment contribute to the everyday experience of many Europeans [3, 74]. The ‘European identity’ creation strategy forces to break ties with heritage preservation, which traditionally emphasizes the national dimention of heritage. Attempts are being made to find such historical subjects, events, personalities, places or objects which would help to reveal their European meaning. Thus, the actualization of the large multicultural cities’ heritage could serve this purpose very well. On the other hand, the assimilation of cities all over the world, especially enhanced by the international

Architecture and Urban Planning Rasa Čepaitienė, The Patterns of Urban Landscape Commodification

parks and shopping centres with no signs of authenticity; 5) ‘virtual tourism’, empowered by the state-of-the-art computer technologies, where authenticity (virtual experience) acquires a totally new meaning [11, 114]. The philosophy of ‘consumption for the sake of consumption’ was formed in the developed countries during the 1970s [35]. Economic sociology declared the transition from a producer market to a consumer market. At the same time, the field of tourism and infrastructure underwent significant changes – the ‘conveyor tourism’, characterized by mass supply to meet tourist demands, which implied a certain primitivism and uniformity as well as an impersonal ‘conveyortype’ mode of service production, was replaced by a differential model of tourist supply, emphasizing specialization and diversification, which responded to customers’ needs and requirements and offers a variety of tourist products (Figure 8). However, during the last decade of the 20th century there was an increase in the individualized tourism, affected by the growing tendencies of economic humanization, socialization and ecologization, which brought the individual and its needs to the centre of public attention. Thus, the ‘consumption for the sake of consumption’ was replaced by ‘affective consumption’, which implied buying a commodity or a service in anticipation of new impressions or a new individual experience [28]. Thus, the greatest value of any visited site lies in its potential of reproducing effects. Mass tourism (along with media, advertising and public relations) shows a clear example of how pseudoevents and fake experiences have begun to dominate in the life. Contemporary tourism reveals the local consumption of global content through media; thus, the global and local perspectives of heritage are not always contradictory. Information about the heritage values and objects is spread through the Internet by global organizations, such as UNESCO, as well as by local communities. It is important to mention an increase in the advertising of local holidays and festivals in cyber space, which has enabled the mediatisation and globalization of these events (the festival of San Fermin in Pamplona, Fallas in Valencia, Holy Week in Seville, Kaziukas Fair in Vilnius (Figure 9), etc.). This helps to deterritorialize local heritage resources and products and to incorporate them into the global field of tourist spectacle and consumption. Some people consider tourists to be modern pilgrims, who are trying to escape from the superficial and unstable modern society that lost its authenticity and who are searching for imaginary ‘authenticity’ [21]. Others view them as people who ‘charge’ themselves with extra energy that they can later use in their everyday life. Still there are people who regard modern tourists as post-tourists, who do not even expect to experience something real [33, 11]. Therefore, in the context of tourism, the issues of ‘authenticity’ and ‘commodification’ still remain highly significant. It is true to say that heritage tourism is a quest for authenticity, different cultures and places untouched by civilization [10, 114]. Even in those cases when a tourist is not interested in heritage, he or she nevertheless is involved in the heritage industry by staying at a hotel, which is located in a historical building, by visiting historical sites for non-tourist reasons, by purchasing local products, souvenirs and by eating at restaurants that serve national dishes, etc.

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Fig. 8. The SpongeBob in Red Square, Moscow. Photo by R. Čepaitienė.

Fig. 9. Traditional St. Casimir’s Fair organized in early March in Vilnius attracts not only local, but more and more foreign visitors. Photo by R. Čepaitienė.

It is worth having in mind that mass tourism, the derivation of which is often associated with nostalgia for the idealized and stereotypically perceived ‘past’ and ‘ancient golden times’, was often criticized by specialists for its tendency to commodify and standardize the cultural experience and leisure activities (it is the so-called ‘McDisneyization’, the peculiarities of which were described by the american sociologists George Ritzer and Allan Liska [29]) and at the same time to vulgarize the mass consumption of cultural values. The term ‘McDisneyization’ implies certain features that are characteristic of the Disney parks and McDonald restaurants, as well as tourism industry. The trademark of Disney World and McDonald restaurants are easily recognizable in every city of the world. Both companies make every effort to satisfy their customers’ needs. Similarly, in the tourism industry, standardized eating-houses for tourists are usually situated near all places of interest and sometimes even within the territory of tourist objects offering standard meals that are similar all over the world. Besides, the hotels are also standardized to help tourists feel comfortable and at home. McDisneyization, if we consider the

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Street) remains seasonal, it may expand into other seasons, too. There are also other problems, such as massive tourist crowds, increased traffic and noise, which all have an adverse effect on popular tourist cities (Venice, Florence, Paris, Barcelona, Bruges, Krakow, Prague and etc.). Moreover, visitors are often offered special products, the production of which is based on local heritage values, such as films representing heritage sites, books, various souvenirs, food products, beverages, clothes and etc., which attract tourists to purchase “an authentic item from an authentic place”. Unfortunately, such products usually represent widely recognized symbols and associations, which sometimes have nothing in common with the true history of a specific city (for example, tourist-orientated amber and linen shops in the Old Town of Vilnius (Figure 11) or “traditional” lace of Bruges that is made in China...) – this provokes the misrepresentation and vulgarization of the historical truth and aesthetic values. Similarly, the history of cities is often presented to tourists in a vulgarized manner. Although city guides are capable of presenting visitors with a well-rounded and in-depth image of the past, very often they confine their stories to easily digested facts that do not intrigue tourists to unravel the mysteries of the city’s past [26]. This means that the industry of tourism services in the historical city centres and theme parks is being thoroughly organized and controlled. Another aspect of McDisneyization, which is characteristic of the tourism industry, is the quest of experiences. Although the visiting of an unknown city, according to Aylin Orbaşli, the specialist of UK heritage preservation and management, is in itself a new experience, the tourism and leisure sector dictates a perception that, similarly as in the Disney theme park, where everything is preplanned and stage-managed, every tourist’s experience must also be artificially constructed, controlled and well thought-out [27, 79]. It seems that in any historical city, there are attempts to artificially create various leisure activities that can provide all kinds of experiences, such as demonstrations of crafts, tasting of national food or wines, shopping for local products and souvenirs, going for a ride in special local vehicles, visiting various shows and performances, etc. Therefore, all experiences in a historical city usually are, in one way or another, related to the consumption of heritage products. G. J. Ashworth and J. E. Tunbridge distinguish certain features, which reveal what makes the historical city centres and their extensive urban heritage promote the development of various commercial activities. First of all, the old part of the city stands out for its magic atmosphere, which enshrouds all the shops and offices that are located there. The second beneficial feature of a historical city is the fact that it attracts large crowds of tourists, who are potential customers. The third feature that makes the old town a suitable place for commercial activity is a large number of shops and offices engaged in all kinds of business. In modern-day society, business is often developed in the form of a ‘chain’ – all enterprises are dependent on one another (usually suppliers and partners settle nearby one another) [6, 107–108]. The above-mentioned advantages of the commercial use of the historical city also include the ‘window view’ aspect. The latter advantage is of significant

Fig. 10. McDisneyization reaches even difficult to approach terrains. Kerak castle in Jordan. Photo by Ž. Mikailienė.

Fig. 11. “Local products” and global tourist commerce become inseparable. The shop of amber and linen in the Old Town of Vilnius. Photo by R. Čepaitienė.

strict standardization of tourism services, visitor control and the predictability of their experiences, and thematization, which is associated by urban analysts with the image of aesthetic design of modern ‘city for sale’ [11, 194–200] – are the most visible elements of urban tourist commodification (Figure 10). Following the model of McDisneyization, the town centres of historical tourist cities tend to resemble theme parks. One of the examples of how urban heritage is practically used for tourism purposes is the establishment of standardized hotels, restaurants and shops in old buildings that do not suit the authentic surroundings. A Disney Park visitor usually spends a smaller sum of money to buy a ticket than on various Disney products (such as foods and souvenirs), which cost a great deal more inside rather than outside the park territory. There is a similar situation in the touristy old towns as various services and products are much more expensive there than in other parts of the city. All these factors, which act as indirect ways of introducing cities to foreign tourism, sometimes contribute to the banishment of local residents from historical town centres. Although the tourist ‘invasion’ in the Old Town of Vilnius (especially on Pilies 56

Architecture and Urban Planning Rasa Čepaitienė, The Patterns of Urban Landscape Commodification

value to hotels as the aesthetic effect of the spectacular city surroundings helps to attract more visitors and make a bigger profit (Figure 12). However, the city and especially its visual landscape undergo various other forms of commodification. For instance, the ‘window view’ aspect provides a solid market value not only in the old town of the city, but also in the areas with new tall buildings, which significantly boosts the real estate prices. This is a perfect example of malevolent exploitation of heritage. Undoubtedly, the image of the city as a commodity plays an important role in the foreign market in attracting tourists and investment; however, the ‘internal’ and ‘external’ commodification of the same city may contravene (for example, the cities of Riga and Vilnius attract British tourists not because of their heritage, but because these cities are perfect for organising cheap stag weekends). On the other hand, the same applies to visiting various literary places. Such towns are like a symbiosis of the writer’s works and places where he or she used to live or wrote about. Tourists desire to take a walk down the streets of Ulysses’ Dublin, have a beer in Schweik’s Prague, visit Shakespeare’s Stratfordupon-Avon, Pamuk’s Istambul or Dostojevsky’s St. Peterburg; visitors wish to imagine that they are the characters of famous writers’ novels. A parallel to the literary tourism may be cinematographic (film sites of various famous movies, e.g., “Schindler’s List” in Warsaw, “Slumdog Millionaire” in Mumbai, etc.) and musical tourism, encompassing the memorial sites of famous composers (the project “European Mozart Ways” initiated by the European Institute of Cultural Routes, connecting five European cities, where Mozart once lived or gave concerts), singers (the real and virtual museums of Elvis Presley in the USA) and etc. This type of tourism often involves the so-called ‘horror tourism’, e.g., “Jack the Ripper” tour in London. Although urban heritage preservation is strongly related to the legitimation and promotion of collective identity of place (national, regional or local), city presentation for the international tourist market is of equal importance, too. Both of these seemingly contrary factors may cause a similar effect – the standardization of urban forms and the so-called ‘catalogue heritagization’, which is especially apparent at the local level (e.g., the reconstruction of Gediminas Avenue in Vilnius), where street lamps, litter bins, pavement and street surfaces etc. are chosen to appear ‘historical’ and the new architecture is built in neo-vernacular or historicist style. This paradoxical phenomenon was first seen during the 1960s and 1970s in such European cities as Norwich, Colmar, Daventry and Bremen. That is how all these historically unique towns became standardized and alike although easily recognizable as ‘historical’ [4]. Another logical sequel of such a tendency is historical pastiche, such as the ensemble of pseudohistorical buildings in Tymas Quarter of Vilnius (Figure 13) and the so-called postmodern pastiches, which include ultramodern glass and concrete buildings constructed next to or even on top of the old authentic historical buildings (buildings on Žvejų Str., Klaipėda; the glass construction on top of the existing building on Laisvės Ave., Kaunas (Figure 14) etc.). It all leads to the ‘postmodern antiquarianism’, which means that entire urban structures are built to resemble the image

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Fig. 12. Visual neighbourhood of the new high-rise buildings distorts panoramas of the Old City. Tallinn. Photo by V. Kubilius.

Fig. 13. Historical stylizations frequently mislead spectators by their apparent “authenticity”. The recreated Tymas Quarter fragment in Vilnius. Photo by R. Čepaitienė.

of historical cities and architectural objects. One of the most prominent examples of such simulacrum city is Las Vegas, which is situated in the desert and which, thanks to the casino business, has grown into a massive theme park that resembles the masterpieces of European and world urban heritage. In such a way, cities and their symbols are deterritorialized and ‘postmodern antiquarianism’ allows eliminating the global geographical and chronological boundaries. Architects and designers of large shopping and leisure centres also employ such thematization. The interiors of restaurants that are located in these shopping centres often imitate antique, gothic, renaissance or abstract ‘retro’ style, not to mention the country-style design of some restaurants, which never seem to lack customers. The boom of country-style restaurants, which can be attributed to the ‘new ruralism’ [11, 122–126], shows the first perverse features of heritage industry. This implies the appearance of heterogeneous elements (noncharacteristic to traditional folk culture) in the city environment that is trying to imitate countryside culture (the contrast between the interior

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Conclusions

As we have seen, the preservation and utilization of historical cities today arise from many contradictory incentives, which can be local, national, regional and global. As a result, contemporary city utilization involves different and ambiguous motives – city commodification for ‘internal needs’ (the growth of land stock and real estate prices, the reproduction of pseudopublic places aimed at promoting consumption, etc.) and ‘external needs’ (the promotion of international city competitiveness by drawing investments, their image-making for tourism market, the development of heritage industry products as well as services sector and infrastructure, etc.). The above-mentioned facts prove that the free-trade economy and the increasing flows of information raise new economic, social and political challenges for the cities, which are forced to rapidly adjust to the constantly changing conditions in order to conform to the international tendencies and to meet the competitiveness requirements, while at the same time to create suitable living conditions for both city residents and its guests. Today, the historical tourist cities face the inevitable effects caused by the international heritage industry. The postmodern condition is characterized by the eclecticism of styles and objects, as well as by the standardization and unification of available services achieved through mcdisneyization and thematization. Such sterile, stereotypical and commercialized representation of urban heritage creates an instant ‘out-of-context’ image of the city’s past and, thus, denies historical processuality. This can contribute to the destruction, rather than preservation, of the place identity. The historical cities today are often seen as places of nostalgic escape from existing problems and future uncertainties, which provide a more comforting and ‘safe’ experience. Thus, the manipulations with the historical past in the city refer to the inability to handle the present and to predict the future. It is certainly true that the visitors of historical cities very rarely search for scientific facts. They may be only vaguely interested in the historical past of the city. Tourists search for a new and exclusive experience as they wish to feel a different reality that is built on the tangible remains of the past; they consider it to be the essence of the perhaps artificially constructed ‘otherness’ that can be attained through the heritage and its images. However, the future of the historical cities should not only be seen as pessimistic. The growth of urban heritage, promoted by the heritage industry, and the development of various forms of interaction with it enable to take a broader and more thorough interest in the past; whereas the authentic cultural values are currently seen as a counterbalance to the deterritorializing and decontextualizing of environmental changes influenced by globalization. Finally, cities not only offer their residents and visitors historical treasures, but also function as a space of diverse modern cultural communication.

Fig. 14. Contraposition of the different epochs and styles generates bizarre effects. Reconstructed hotel building in the Old Town of Kaunas, Lithuania. Photo by R. Čepaitienė.

and the overall look of modern buildings, television screens, pizza menus, waitresses in short skirts, etc.) – this provides customers with historically false information, not to mention the overabundance of rustic and ethnographical features in the interiors, which leads to explicit demonstration of ethno-kitsch. On the other hand, it is questionable whether the acropolises, babylons, eiffels, brooklyns and tilsits – all modern Lithuanian shopping centres that bear the metaphorical names of historical cities and symbols – have anything in common with their prototypes. As we have seen, not only pseudocities are built [25], but also the authentic structure of historical cities is physically or symbolically recreated to meet our vision of what it should look like and to satisfy our consumption needs, even though all the latter factors may destroy the authenticity of its substance, form, functions and environment. Although the interior and exterior of old buildings have strict requirements for authenticity preservation that limit their reconstruction and installation of modern technologies (lifts, air-conditioning systems, means of communication, lighting and etc. [6, 109]), the heritage preservation requirements are often ignored by the business people in Middle East Europe – the inner courtyards are covered with glass roofs in order to gain additional space for commercial activities, extra floors are added to the buildings, new holes are cut, premises are reconstructed, front window-cases are drastically extended, etc. [17]. Besides, the privatization of former public spaces (e.g., locked courtyards) makes them inaccessible to the city residents and its guests. Thus, what do these sad final remarks tell about the general attitude of modern societies towards the past? In the eternal ‘present’, which is constantly reproduced by the neoliberal ideology, the past transforms itself into aesthetically attractive and marketable links to the indefinite ‘golden age’, irrespective of whether it is related to the idyll of the native place or to the masterworks of the European high culture. Hence, the heritage values can hardly resist the logic of simulation and reinterpretation, whereas the commodification of the historical tourist cities becomes the most visible field of its experimental development.

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Economy [online]. ACTU. L’Agrupació Catalana de Tècnics Urbanistes [cited 22.01.2009.]. http://www.acturban.org/biennial/doc_planners/ castells_european_informational_society_global_economy.htm Craik, J. The Culture of Tourism. Touring Cultures : Transformations of Travel and Theory [C. Rojek, and J.Urry, eds.]. London: Routledge, 1997, p. 113–136. Cuthbert, A. R. The Form of Cities : Political Economy and Urban Design. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2006. 304 p. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9780470774915 Čepaitienė, R. Daugiakultūris miestų paveldas: interpretacijos problemos ir perspektyvos. Lietuvos istorijos studijos, No. 21 (2008), p. 86–101. Čepaitienė, R. Interpretuojant daugiakultūrį Vilnių: kontekstai, problemos ir galimybės. Naujasis Vilniaus perskaitymas : didieji Lietuvos istoriniai pasakojimai ir daugiakultūris miesto paveldas [A. Bumblauskas. Š. Liekis and G. Potašenko, eds.]. Vilnius: VU, 2009, p. 49–78. Dogshon, R. A. Human Geografy at the End of Time? Some Thoughts on the Notion of Time-Space Compression. Environment and Planning D : Society and Space, No. 17 (1999), p. 607–620. http://dx.doi.org/10.1068/d170607 Globalisation : The Reader [J. Benyon and D. Dunketley, eds.]. London: Routledge, 2001. 309 p. Graham, B. The Past in Europe’s Present : Diversity, Identity and the Construction of Place. Modern Europe : Place, Culture, Identity [B. Graham, ed.]. London: Arnold, 1998, p. 19–49. Gražulis, A. Vilniaus senamiesčio žaizdos (pastarųjų 15 metų pokyčiai ir tendencijos). Kultūros barai, No. 3–4 (2010), p. 14–24; 18–25. Harvey, D. The Condition of Post-Modernity : A Enquiry into the Cultural Change. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1989. 379 p. Herbert, D. T. Heritage Places, Leisure and Tourism. Heritage, Tourism and Society [D. T. Herbert, ed.]. London: Mansell, 1995, p. 2–18. Hewison, R. The Heritage Industry. Britain in a Climate of Decline. London: Methuen, 1987. 160 p. Jokinen, E., Veijola, S. The Disoriented Tourist : The Figuration of the Tourist in Contemporary Cultural Critique. Touring Cultures : Transformations of Travel and Theory [C. Rojek, J. Urry, eds.]. London: Routeldge, 2002, p. 23–51. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, B. Destination Culture : Tourism, Museums and Heritage. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. 326 p.

London: Routledge, 2002, p. 96–109. 30. Robertson, R., White, K. E. Globalization – Critical Concepts in Sociology. London: Routledge, 2003. 497 p. 31. Rypkema, D. D. Celebrating our Urban Heritage : Globalisation, Urban Heritage, and the 21st Century Economy [online]. Global Urban Development 1, 2005 [cited 15.12.2011.]. http://www.globalurban.org/ Issue1PIMag05/ Rypkema%20PDF.pdf 32. Sullivan, S. Cultural Values and Cultural Imperialism. Cultural Heritage : Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies [L. Smith, ed.]. London: Routledge, 2007, Vol. 2, p. 160–171. 33. Urry, J. The Tourist Gaze. London: Sage Publications, 1990. 189 p. 34. Urry, J. Consuming Places. London: Routledge, 2002. 272 p. 35. Vaitkuvienė, A. Paveldo industrija Lietuvoje. Lietuvos istorijos studijos, No. 17, 2006, p. 87–96. 36. Wagner, P. From Monuments to Human Rights : Redefining “Heritage” in the Work of Council of Europe [online]. Forward Planning: the Functions of Cultural Heritage in the Changing Europe. Expert‘s contributions. 2000. [cited 11.02.2009]. http://www.coe.int/T/E/Cultural_Co-operation/ Heritage/Resources/ECC-PAT(2001)161.pdf 37. Žukauskaitė, A. Geismo mašinos : psichoanalitinė ir šizoanalitinė perspektyvos. Filosofija, sociologija, No. 3 (2004), p. 27–32. Rasa Čepaitienė, Professor. Senior Research Fellow, Lithuanian Institute of History, Department of 20th Century History. Publications: she is the author of 4 monographs, including Cultural Heritage in the Global World (2010, Russian and Lithuanian versions) and of about 60 research papers in Lithuanian and foreign languages. Research interests: cultural heritage and collective memory theories, urban studies, Soviet culture and post-soviet transformation.

Contact Data

Rasa Čepaitienė Lithuanian Institute of History, Department of the 20th Century History Kražių Str. 5, LT-01108 Vilnius, Lithuania E-mail: rasa.cepaitiene@if.vu.lt

doi: 10.7250/aup.2013.021 2013 / 8

Architecture and Urban Planning

Challenges of Designing New Urban Quality in Historical Environment: Based on Final Projects of BA Students of the Department of Urban Design, FA, VGTU Dalia Dijokienė, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University industrial zones or “wilderness” of large-scale construction of residential areas for their term and graduation projects. Being a lecturer at a university and a tutor of graduation projects, the author of this article will review final projects of BA students of the Department of Urban Design, Faculty of Architecture, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (FA, VGTU). This article focuses on projects drawn up for historical parts of a town. It reviews methodology, tasks, solution argumentation and methods of designing new urban quality in BA students’ graduation projects.

Abstract – Historical urban heritage represents not only the accumulation of the wealth of civilization but also a foundation for identity of urban communities. However, a town is still a living system, the existence of which is supported by its constant development, change and growth. Creating a new urban quality in a historical environment without prejudice to the existing harmony is a complex and challenging task. This article looks into and summarizes knowledge accumulated from the final projects of BA students of the Department of Urban Design, Faculty of Architecture, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (FA, VGTU). It reviews methodology, tasks, solution argumentation and methods of designing new urban quality in a historical environment in BA students’ graduation projects.

I. Methodology of Graduation Projects of BA Students of the Department of Urban Design, FA, VGTU

Keywords – Designing new urban quality, historical environment, regeneration of historical parts of a town, urban design, urban open space.

Creating a new urban quality in historical environment without prejudice to the existing harmony is a complex and challenging task. Its solution requires methodological consistency. In order to achieve a good result, the following design stages are in place: the study of features of existing urban structure (analytical part), determination of urban-architectural concept underlying territorial formation (conceptual part), detailed design (project part). Analytical part. Students start their work by carrying out a detailed and multifaceted analysis of the territory of their choice. They study the historical and urban development of the area and identify what valuable elements of plan and built-up are preserved there. Structural elements that existed in the past are indicated in the plan of the current urban structure. This helps to understand how mature the structure in question is – whether its development has been smooth or with deformations. Next, students conduct the urban analysis of the territory’s current condition. The following elements are assessed and analysed: the territory’s position vis-à-vis the whole town; the network of streets and transport scheme; the natural conditions (landscape, water pools, greenery); predominant built-up morphotypes; elements of the composition of size and space, expressiveness and singleness; architectural quality of the buildings; system of the land lots; visual links between vertical landmarks and public urban spaces; the quality of public and private urban spaces (courts, streets, squares, etc.). This analysis is aimed at assessing the quality of the urban structure in question. The analytical part is summarised in a final plan and supplementing schemes (Figure 1), and the author defines criteria on which he/she bases the concept of a new urban quality in the regenerating territory. Conceptual part. After studying the urban and architectural heritage, students propose several conceptual solutions for regenerating the blocks. Solutions are presented by means of

“It is hard to imagine a world without towns. Over millennia towns have been like magnets attracting business, science, culture, politics and innovations. In today’s jam-packed, materially advanced world towns are needed for exactly the same reasons” [1]. In the West, towns play a key role in the development of civilization and are among main forces driving cultural developments. Town and its environment are a daily experience of many Europeans. It is difficult to imagine a European town without an old town. The historical centres of most European towns are several centuries or even millennia old. Historical urban heritage represents not only the accumulation of the wealth of civilization but also a foundation for the identity of urban communities. A town is a living system, the existence of which is supported by its constant development, change and growth. Building, demolition and rebuilding have always been taking place in towns. However, today many urban centres are facing the problem of inadequate use of urban space. An increased dependence on the automobile, the attitude of architects of the Modern Movement toward open space, abandonment of industrial, military or transportation sites in the inner core of the town – these are just a few factors that have contributed to the loss of space in our cities [2]. Urban structures with lost spatial quality may be found not only in peripheral parts of towns, but also in historical cores [3]. Qualitative expansion and utilisation of inner territorial resources is highly relevant for every single town. Conversion of the town’s historical parts and their revival is a subject that interests not only professional architects and urban designers but also students of architecture. Students often choose derelict territories of the historical part of a town, converted 60

Architecture and Urban Planning Dalia Dijokienė, Challenges of Designing New Urban Quality in Historical Environment: Based on Final Projects of BA Students of the Department of Urban Design

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Fig. 1. Analysis (a-d) of urban features of regenerating territory of the part of Vilnius Old Town, Lithuania (student N. Tukaj, tutor D. Dijokienė, 2011).

Fig. 2. Drawing (a) and model (b) of concept of regenerating territory of the historical part of Panevėžys, Lithuania (student E. Gumauskaite, tutor D. Dijokienė, 2011).

schemes, plans and a 3-dimentional model. A best reasoned solution is then selected (Figure 2). Project part. This stage involves the drawing of a detailed plan of the volumetric spatial structure of the selected conceptual solution: the territory’s public urban spaces (e.g., squares) and

buildings shaping them are presented in detail. In order to make a regenerating block “lively”, the plan must include both public and residential buildings (Figure 3).

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Dalia Dijokienė, Challenges of Designing New Urban Quality in Historical Environment: Based on Final Projects of BA Students of the Department of Urban Design

Fig. 3. Blocks of flats in the regenerating territory of the historical part of Panevėžys, Lithuania (a – plan of ground floor, b – model, student E. Gumauskaite, tutor D. Dijokienė, 2011).

Fig. 4. Principles of plan formation of regenerating territories (a – student E. Archipovaitė, 2007; b – student M. Vaitkutė, 2012, tutor D. Dijokienė).

II. Tasks and Methods of Regeneration of Historical Environment in the Graduation Projects of BA Students

Every town has a unique urban structure regardless of whether it has developed spontaneously or in a planned way. The entirety of structural elements (street, square, block, building, etc.) forms a three-dimensional composition of the town – its spatial structure. Students of the Department of Urban Design, FA, VGTU, in their graduation projects seek to maintain contact with the historical environment as well as aim to preserve the valuable features of the urban pattern and to integrate them into the newly developed built-up. New urban quality in a historical environment is designed by plan formation, built-up and volumetric-spatial composition [6]. The review of students’ projects reveals the following principles of plan formation in regenerating territories: • routes of former streets are sought and the attempts to regenerate them are made; • new links between objects of attraction – cultural heritage objects, public buildings and spaces, etc. – are sought and established; • public spaces are regenerated and new ones are formed; • size of blocks is established based on examples from a historical environment (Figure 4). Future architects who plan new built-up in a historical environment are guided by the following principles: • preservation of old buildings and their adaptation for new functions (Figure 5a); • new built-up developed in accordance with the principles

This section of the article looks into the challenges students face when they have to make projects in a historical environment and the principals they base on when creating new urban quality. The urban structure of a town always changes and will be changing in the future – change is the engine of its existence. Each generation makes an effort to preserve in the town everything that it considers valuable and to change everything that seems to need a change. A person with the Western European mentality is more inclined to express, establish and immortalize himself/herself rather than preserve heritage of others. And whether architects take into account the existing urban structure depends on the social aspect of the order that they work on, as well as on the mentality of the architects [4]. If the new urban concept is created ignoring the established structure, it in most cases leads to a conflict and may fail in the end. According to K. Lynch, there is an optimal limit for the signs of the past to stay in existence. If the number of these signs becomes too small, there is a risk of losing orientation. Such radical changes indicate that the “historical clock of the urban structure” is set going once again [5]. Bearing in mind that the historical kernels of towns reflect experience of many generations, which has withstood the test of time, it is essential to preserve the principles of historical built-up and to develop them further by taking into account the established spatial patterns.

Architecture and Urban Planning Dalia Dijokienė, Challenges of Designing New Urban Quality in Historical Environment: Based on Final Projects of BA Students of the Department of Urban Design

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of traditional architecture (Figure 5b); • search for new architectural forms (Figures 5c and 5d). In their attempts to preserve, supplement or create new volumetric-spatial composition of regenerating territories students use the following methods: • built-up is adjusted to emphatic landscape; • landscape and water are employed for achieving new quality of public spaces; • in the formation of built-up, attention is devoted to visual links, to existing valuable dominating elements in the territory; • new dominating elements are created; • viewing spots are set up in characteristic viewing locations in the territory (Figure 6). Sometimes solutions in students’ projects are successful, sometimes – less successful. One Lithuanian architect, researcher of the old town’s composition, has once said “Success of synthesis of the old and new architecture depends solely on the mastery of the creator” [7]. Synthesis of the old and new architecture is not easily achieved in practice. This is a highly complicated task, somewhat like achieving “synthesis of water and fire”. Whichever view we take, renovation projects of the central part of the town, especially the Old Town, should be viewed from the perspective of revitalising cultural memory and strengthening urban communities. The baseline is reinforcement of the structure of historical urban spatial environment, including the existing network of streets and the interaction between volume and appearance of buildings [8]. Conclusions

International documents published at the turn-of-the-century support the development of historic urban landscapes, which preserves and enforces cultural meaning and special character of the heritage. The most recent documents aim to unify provisions of protection and sustainable usage on the one hand, development and creation of new architecture on the other. They state that architecture should be contextual, contemporary and high-quality. Each new element of architecture should represent its time and the traces of intervention should be recognisable in the future. The international documents released at the beginning of the 21st century treat contemporary architecture as equal to historic one – “historic and contemporary architecture constitute an asset to local communities” [9]. However, simultaneously it should respect the inherited historic context and meet the requirements of integrity and quality. Architects, urban designers and urban planners represent the segment of the society that is most capable of changing the town’s face. Success of their work also depends on perception of the special value of historical environment and the ability to establish a balance between “old and new”. The idea that the town’s past must be preserved for the sake of its future is not novel but still highly relevant today. The visual aspect of historical environment is among the key factors establishing individual and communal identity. Therefore, projects of renovation of historical environment should be assessed from the perspective of revitalizing the cultural memory and strengthening urban communities. The synthesis of historical environment

Fig. 5. Principles of build-up formation in regenerating territories (a – student P. Latakas, 2011, tutor T. Grunskis; b – student N. Tukaj, 2011; c-d – student G. Lukšaitė, 2012, tutor D. Dijokienė).

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Dalia Dijokienė, Challenges of Designing New Urban Quality in Historical Environment: Based on Final Projects of BA Students of the Department of Urban Design

Fig. 6. Principles of formation of volumetric-spatial composition of regenerating territories (student M. Vaitkutė, 2012, tutor D. Dijokienė).

and new structures should maintain a subtle balance among the realization, fostering and utilization of the valuable features of the inherited urban structure, as well as attainment of new quality and development. On the basis of the projects of the BA students of the Department of Urban Design, FA, VGTU, it may be stated that the young generation of architects is not only interested in the innovative design but also aims to understand and incorporate in their projects the established features of the town’s physical form. In their graduation projects, students use consistent methodology and carry out work in the following stages: perform an analysis, form a conceptual system, and prepare a concrete plan. When preparing project proposals, they deal with such tasks as territory’s plan formation, integration of new built-up and supplementing of the existing volumetric-spatial composition.

Dalia Dijokienė (Vilnius, 1973). B. arch. (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, 1995), MSc. arch. (VGTU, 1997), Doctor of Humanities in Architecture (VGTU, 2002). PhD thesis Historical Suburbs: Genesis, Development, Value, Maintenance (on the Example of Lithuanian Towns). ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR at the Department of Urban Design, Faculty of Architecture, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU, since 2004); Guest Lecturer at the University of Florence, Italy (2006), University of Turin, Italy (2006), Cracow University of Technology, Poland (2012). ARCHITECT-TRAINEE (Lyngby, Denmark, 1999), ARCHITECT (Closed Joint Stock Company “Atkirta UAB”, 1998–2007), private ARCHITECT (since 2007). She is the author and co-author of more than 30 architectural projects. She has delivered reports at 7 international (2000, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 (2)), 7 national conferences (1999, 2000, 2001(2), 2002, 2008, 2011). She is the author of 18 scientific publications: 7 of them are published in the national scientific journal “Town Planning and Architecture” (2000, 2001, 2006(2), 2009, 2011 (2)), others papers – in the journals of international scientific publications (2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012(3)); summary of doctoral dissertation (2002); monograph (2009). Recent research publications: • Dijokienė, D. Synthesis of Historical Environment and Modern Society. HERITAGE 2012 - Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development, Barcelos: Green Lines Institute, 2012, Vol. 2, p. 1113-1122. ISBN 978-989-95671-5-3. • Dijokienė, D. Urbanistikos paveldo tvarkybos ištakos ir šiandieninė situacija Lietuvoje [Origins and Present Situation of Management of Urban Heritage in Lithuania], Urbanistika ir architektūra = Town Planning and Architecture, Vilnius: Technika, 2011, Vol. 35. No 4, p. 238-248. ISSN 1392-1630 [in Lithuanian]. • Dijokienė, D. Urbanistinis istorinių priemiesčių paveldas. Urban Heritage of Historical Suburbs. Vilnius: Technika, 2009. 216 p. ISBN 978-9955-28-473-4. Current and previous research interests: urban nuances of the town spatial expansion beyond the old town’s borders, urban design and history of town spatial development. She is a Member of the Second Immovable Cultural Heritage Assessment Board (Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture), specialization in the Council – architectural and urban immovable cultural heritage (since 2010).

References 1. Rogers, R., Power, A. Mažos valstybės miestai (Cities for a Small Country). Vilnius: Vilniaus dailės akademijos leidykla, 2004. p. 279. 2. Trancik, R. Finding Lost Space. New York, Chichester, Weinheim, Brisbane, Singapore, Toronto: John Wiley & Sons, 1986. 246 p. 3. Krier, R. Town Spaces : Contemporary Interpretations in Traditional Urbanism. Basel: Birkhäuser, 2006. p. 8–17. 4. Vyšniūnas, A. Miesto gyvenamųjų struktūrų rekonstrukcija (Reconstruction of Town’s Residential Urban Structures). Vilnius: Technika, 2002. 47 p. 5. Линч, K. Образ города. Москва: Стройиздат, 1982. 240 p. 6. Dijokienė, D. Synthesis of Historical Environment and Modern Society. HERITAGE 2012 – Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development, Barcelos: Green Lines Institute, 2012, Vol. 2, p. 1113–1122. ISBN 978-989-95671-5-3. 7. Jurkštas, V. Vilniaus senamiesčio tūrinė-erdvinė kompozicija (Volumetricspatial Composition of Vilnius Old Town). Architektūros paminklai, Vol. 4, 1977, p. 36–120. 8. Rubavičius, V. Vilniaus senamiestis – gyvosios kultūrinės atminties šerdis (Vilnius Old Town – Core of Living Cultural Memory). Town Planning and Architecture. Vilnius: Technika, 2011, Vol. 35. No. 4, p. 231–237. 9. Vienna Memorandum on World Heritage and Contemporary Architecture – Managing the Historic Urban Landscape [online]. UNESCO World Heritage Centre [cited 08.09.2011]. http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/ activities/documents/activity-48-3.doc

Contact Data

Dalia Dijokienė Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Urban Design Address: Pylimo 26/1, Vilnius 01132, Lithuania Phone: +370 650 67897 E-mail: dalia.dijokiene@vgtu.lt, ddijokiene@gmail.com

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