The Lost Kinetic Architecture and How to Reintroduce it in the Landscape – The Case Study of the Drainage Windmills in the Vistula Delta

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recreating the lost kinetic landscape of the Vistula Delta is a considerable challenge. The study aims to propose a method for reproducing windmills and their effect on the landscape. The paper suggests a method based on the transposition of the forms of movement from windmills historically present in the region to modern forms. The method is based on a series of analyses starting with the study of the region and its history followed by extracting and developing the characteristics and proportions of a windmill and its impact on the landscape and human senses. Newly introduced forms are not intended to recreate historical windmills but to become a reminiscence of the history and to create a significant landscape history. The impact of new forms of historical windmills creates a series of opportunities – starting from an architectural conservation approach and ending up with landscape preservation. It is a chance to bring back the lost landscape elements and to provide interactive installation forms.