37º IAHS World Congress on Housing: - Universidad de Cantabria

XXXVII <strong>IAHS</strong><strong>World</strong> <strong>Congress</strong> on HousingOctober 26 – 29, 2010, Santander, SpainCODE: 640CONTEXT OF VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE IN THESOUTH-WEST REGION OF POLANDE. Trocka-Leszczynska and R. MasztalskiFaculty of ArchitectureWroclaw University of Technologye-mail: elzbieta.trocka-leszczynska@pwr.wroc.plKey words: regional architecture, modern housing,AbstractSouth-western areas of Poland – the Sudeten Mountains – are characterized by homogeneousvernacular architecture. In the post-war period these developments, due to the lack ofrenovation funds, quickly deteriorated and were vandalized. Since the political transformationin Poland in 1989, the dwellers have obtained ownership rights and have been able to acquirerenovation funds.This study was conducted at the Faculty of Architecture of Wroclaw University ofTechnology in the years 1997-2010. It outlines the characteristics of local developments andthe condition of buildings erected before 1945, as well as the characteristics of developmentsbuilt after 1945. The results of the study show two trends, both of which are unfavorable tothe preservation of spatial order and the spirit of the villages in the studied area. These trendshave emerged mainly because there is no rigorous legislation in local land use plans, andespecially no effective method of limiting them. The first trend are the inappropriate, lawlessand unsupervised renovations, which have caused the erasure and destruction of originalvernacular characteristics. The second trend is the erection of new houses whose architecturalstyle is inconsistent with the existing cultural context and based on “cheap” catalogue singlefamily homes, chosen without consulting the architects. The unfavorable trends in the areaconsidered a cultural area presented in this study are an attempt to point out to thearchitectural authorities the dangers of unclear legislation on renovations and construction ofnew buildings. The study was conducted in a couple dozen villages and its results will bemade public in order to raise the architectural awareness of the community, to underline thehistorical value of buildings as well as the need to protect the cultural spirit of these places.The latter can be achieved by properly executing renovation and maintenance works, and bychoosing buildings recommended by architects, which will help preserve the spatial order ofthese areas.37º <strong>IAHS</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Congress</strong> On Housing Science 257