Architecture Research Research Articles

The Wrocław curia of the Dukes of Legnica and Brzeg in the early modern period – research perspectives

The present seat of the Institute of History of the University of Wrocław is a four-winged complex occupying the northern part of the quarter delimited by Szewska, Uniwersytecka, Kuźnicza and Nożownicza Streets. The buildings in this area date back to the time before the city was granted an urban charter, and in previous centuries the walls of today’s institute housed burgher residences, possibly a synagogue, a ducal curia, a monastery, a Police Presidium office and university teaching rooms. The heyday of the edifice was during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, when the dukes of Legnica and Brzeg had their residence here, followed by the Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union. In the 16th c. the houses on Szewska Street were transformed into a ducal city palace, which was given representative Baroque forms in the following century through the modernization of the façade and the introduction of stucco and painting ornamentation into the interiors. Based on these, it can be assumed that the leading architects and stucco artists active in Silesia in the early modern period were involved in these reconstructions: Jakub and Franciszek Parr as well as Carlo Rossi and his workshop. The architectural changes made to the former curia at the end of the19th c. and in the first half of the 20th c. resulted in these representative forms ceasing to be recognizable, and the edifice began to be perceived through the prism of purely clerical and didactic functions. This led to an unjustified depreciation of its place and its role in the development of Silesian architecture in the early modern era. In recent years archaeological and architectural research has made it possible to uncover and expose those elements that determined the rank of the curia in the buildings of early modern Wrocław: walls of three-story houses from the Middle Ages, whose legible door and window openings allow conclusions to be drawn about their original spatial disposition; the beamed ceilings, vaults and architectural details of the Renaissance period; and Baroque stucco ornamentation and painting. These discoveries open up new research perspectives in relation to the forms of the Wrocław curia of the Dukes of Legnica and Brzeg in the early modern period – both in terms of its construction and decoration – and provide an opportunity to verify the assessment of the significance of this building for the development of architecture in the city and the region. The aim of this article is to review key issues for the study of the early modern forms of the palace, their conditions and potential directions of development.

Landscapes of Housing

The concepts of residential space and housing, created by Yugoslav modernist Juraj Neidhardt through the collaboration with architect Dušan Grabrijan, have yet to be investigated systematically, especially from the urban design point of view. As rooted in joint ethnographic research of local Bosnian dwelling culture and vernacular architecture, Neidhardt developed a specific approach to modern neighborhood design compared to the prevalent scientific-planning approach in post-war modernism. From the perspective of urban design, Neidhardt examined the possibilities of conceptualizing more humane dwellings in the context of rapid housing construction in post-war Yugoslavia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, looking through the lens of traditional dwelling culture in which architecture is a mediator between man and landscape. The article will distill, describe, and interpret Neidhardt’s ideas of a modern neighborhood that arise from elaborated descriptions of the Bosnian vernacular architecture articulated in close collaboration with Dušan Grabrijan. Neighborhood concepts have significantly different densities and forms, as designed and redesigned through four decades. Nevertheless, the fundamental design principles common to all neighborhood concepts are recognized, focusing on the dichotomy of architecture and landscape in terms of form and meaning. The research was based on analyzing the author’s books and published texts and designs in several Yugoslavian architectural journals.

A Viagem Como Forma De Apreensão Da Realidade: Uma Experiência Na Contemporaneidade

This article explores travel as a pedagogical and aesthetic method in the field of architecture and urbanism, proposing an approach grounded in Baumgarten's aesthetic science and the experience of the Valparaíso School in Chile. By distinguishing between sensitive and intellective knowledge, Baumgarten laid the foundation for aesthetics as a science, enabling the application of its principles to diverse fields, including architecture. Through the methodological tripod – planning, action, and recording – travel is presented as a practice of sensory enjoyment, critical reflection, and the construction of an aesthetic repertoire. The analysis considers the exploration journeys of the 19th century, which combined sensory perception and scientific records, drawing a parallel with the Crossings of the Valparaíso School. Since 1965, these Crossings have merged poetry, architectural research, and the construction of ephemeral works, constituting an unorthodox form of teaching that transcends traditional academic travel. During the action phase, Poetic Acts and collective interventions are performed in public spaces, celebrating American identity and fostering cultural exchange with local communities. The recording of experiences, through drawings, diaries, and architectural works, consolidates learning and broadens participants' repertoires. The practices of the Valparaíso School illustrate how travel can serve as a contemporary tool for understanding geographic and architectural space, offering an alternative to the homogeneous and standardized thinking of modernity. By questioning traditional modes of apprehending reality, the Crossings reaffirm the relevance of aesthetic science as a mediator between the sensory and the rational, advancing an innovative and transformative pedagogical practice.

The University Medicine Greifswald's Trusted Third Party Dispatcher: State-of-the-Art Perspective Into Comprehensive Architectures and Complex Research Workflows.

The University Medicine Greifswald's Trusted Third Party Dispatcher: State-of-the-Art Perspective Into Comprehensive Architectures and Complex Research Workflows.

Rigorous and always from the heart: what personas did in the process of designing a youth care facility

ABSTRACT Architects use scenario-based design (SBD) to design for diversity, employing instruments like personas and scenarios. The development and use of personas has been subject to debate; these instruments are critiqued for missing either rigour or heart. We contribute to this debate through a reflective case-study on what personas did in the process of designing a care facility. We examine a yearlong collaboration between architectural researchers and a youth care organisation. Next to our own perspective as researchers, the analysis considers that of the end-users (children/youth and staff), the client, and the architects. Our exploration of different perspectives shows that personas – their aspects and situations – must be recognisable beyond mere representation. While initially influential, the personas seemed less capable of steering design propositions beyond current use. Insight into how these instruments (and SBD in general) affect stakeholders’ involvement and the design process can shift discussions about rigour and heart, balancing what is important in development and usage. Rigour and heart, in this context, do not exclude one another.

Socio-spatial analysis of Australian residential care facilities: A case study of traditional, medium, and small household models

While it is imperative to develop building design innovation to adapt to new care models and organisational processes in residential care facilities, there is a lack of research evidence on the interplay between design and resident lived experience, particularly when examined through a building design lens. This study aims to explore the building design factors that contribute to residents' quality of life (QoL), and thus, their ability to find home. The research objectives are to: 1) document and analyse the layout and spatial design of three different typologies (Traditional, Medium, and Small Household models) against key QoL themes and the residents' everyday lived use and sense of feeling at home; and 2) compare the architectural, layout, and lived use of the three typologies through a socio-spatial lens. Employing a mixed methods approach, incorporating architectural and ethnographic research strategies, we identified six key design concepts encompassing 14 factors that might be related to residents' quality of life. The research highlights distinct everyday lived use and spatial adaptation among the three building typologies, with the Small Household case study standing out for providing an excellent holistic setting, resulting in high levels of observed QoL. This paper also suggests practical insights into improving building design briefs.

Interaction Between Gender and Space: A Study on the Genealogy of Feminist Architecture

The exploration and advancement of feminism are vital for addressing critical issues such as social progress, equitable education, and healthcare access. This paper comprehensively examines the feminist movement’s impact on architecture over the past century, identifying key trends and significant areas to establish an academic foundation for feminist architecture. A literature review on feminism in urban planning, architecture, landscape design, and urban safety highlights the current research focus on feminist architectural development. Furthermore, this paper traces the evolution of feminist architecture through both purpose-driven and process-oriented approaches, exploring the interplay between feminist and modern architectural practices. It specifically examines the development of feminist architecture within the Chinese context from two perspectives: the influence of feminist thought on architecture and the evolution of gendered spaces within the “Residence and Courtyard” model. By comparing the internal logic of feminist architectural development in China and the West, this study investigates how geopolitical culture and regional differences shape the future trajectory of this field. Unlike traditional feminist architectural research, which often emphasizes women’s practices within specific feminist ideologies or focuses on visual culture and psychological interpretations of gendered spaces, this paper redefines the scope of feminist architectural studies through a comparative analysis of historical and contemporary contexts, and Eastern and Western perspectives, employing a systematic genealogical approach.

Research and Model Library Construction in Teacher-Student Learning Architectures for Knowledge Transfer

This paper summarizes and replicates multiple classical and cutting-edge knowledge transfer methods, including Factor Transfer (FT), Knowledge Distillation (KD), Deep Mutual Learning (DML), Contrastive Representation Distillation (CRD), and Born-Again Self-Distillation (BSS). Additionally, we studied three advanced knowledge transfer methods: Relational Knowledge Distillation (RKD), Similarity-Preserving (SP), and Attention-based Feature Distillation (AFD), successfully replicating an optimized version of KD, namely RKD. Based on these methods, a flexible model library was constructed in Pycharm, allowing the quick integration of multiple knowledge transfer strategies. The experimental results are visualized through a user-friendly interface, enabling intuitive comparisons of model training speed and performance across different methods. This research provides valuable insights into the challenge of building a reusable framework that efficiently integrates various knowledge transfer strategies into deep neural networks.

Industrial Heritage and Cultural Clusters: More Than a Temporary Affair?

The transformation of industrial heritage buildings into cultural clusters has emerged as a prominent topic of academic research in urban planning, urban studies, heritage conservation, and architecture. Cultural clusters, defined as geographically concentrated cultural activities and organisations, have become a key instrument in urban regeneration, fostering economic growth and cultural development. Despite the benefits that cultural clusters offer in terms of fostering cultural activity, they often prove to be short-lived due to various external factors, including urban regeneration pressures, shifts in policy, and changes in zoning regulations. This thematic issue presents seven case studies that offer insights into the current state of cultural clusters, their transient nature, and the conditions necessary to guarantee their long-term sustainability in industrial heritage sites. The research is particularly relevant in light of the mounting pressure on urban land, where industrial heritage sites are frequently repurposed for residential, commercial, or industrial purposes.

Laying the foundations for using generative AI images in architectural research: do images convey the intended spaces and ambiances?

The advent of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) models, such as Stable Diffusion, Open AI's DALL-E2, and MidJourney, has opened the door to a huge range of new possibilities in architectural research and practice. Before architects and researchers can fully leverage these models, it is crucial to assess their proficiency in generating images that accurately depict real spaces and ambiances. Here, we assessed the proficiency of DALL-E2 in depicting intended spaces and intended ambiances, using real photographs from Google Images as a comparative benchmark. Images of eighteen distinct home spaces, each intended to evoke three different ambiances, were generated and presented to human observers. The images were evaluated in terms of their perceived realism, their accuracy in depicting the space and ambiance intended. Findings highlight GenAI's capability in depicting spaces and point to its potential in convincingly conveying ambiances. Beyond the substantive findings, this research highlights the importance of evaluating the rapidly emerging tools enabled by recent developments in AI.

AI in Clinical Trials and Drug Development: Challenges and Potential Advancements.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the fastest-growing fields in various industries, including engineering, architecture, medical and clinical research, aerospace, and others. AI, which is a combination of machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), and human intelligence (HI), is revolutionizing drug discovery and development by making it more cost-effective and efficient. It is also being used in fields such as medicinal chemistry, molecular and cell biology, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, formulation development, and toxicology. AI plays a crucial role in clinical testing by enhancing patient stratification, patient sample evaluation, and trial design, assisting in the identification of biomarkers, determining efficacy criteria, dose selection, trial length, and target patient population selection. The primary objective of this study is to emphasize the importance of AI in clinical trials and drug development, while also exploring the existing challenges and potential advancements in AI within the healthcare industry. A comprehensive literature review was conducted, covering the period from 1998 to 2023. The Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases were searched for relevant information. A variety of publications, including Research Gate, Nature, MDPI, and Springer Link, provided pertinent data. This study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the use of AI in clinical research and drug development, as well as its potential and limitations. We also discuss the benefits and main data limitations of the traditional trial and drug development approach. AI approaches are currently being used to overcome research obstacles and eliminate conceptual or methodological limitations. After discussing possible obstacles and coping mechanisms, we provide several recommendations to help individuals understand the challenges and difficulties associated with clinical research and drug development. It is essential for pharmaceutical companies to have a cutting-edge AI strategy if AI is to become a routine tool for clinical research and drug development.

Overview of “Landscape Architecture Research and Design for Urban and Peri-Urban Environments”

Landscape architecture and design research is becoming increasingly relevant due to rapid urbanization and its impact on urban and peri-urban environments [...]

Authors' Reply: The University Medicine Greifswald's Trusted Third Party Dispatcher: State-of-the-Art Perspective Into Comprehensive Architectures and Complex Research Workflows.

Authors' Reply: The University Medicine Greifswald's Trusted Third Party Dispatcher: State-of-the-Art Perspective Into Comprehensive Architectures and Complex Research Workflows.

Nativity of the Virgin Mary Kozelshchynskyi Monastery in the Poltava Region: an assessment of architectural heritage and contemporary challenges

The challenge of preserving the architectural heritage of small towns in Ukraine is compounded by the lack of sufficient historical and architectural research, as well as numerous alterations to buildings during their use. This article presents the results of historical and architectural research on the architectural heritage of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Kozelshchyna Monastery in the Poltava Region. It explores the historical stages of the monastery's formation and development and evaluates its historical and cultural significance. A virtual reconstruction of the monastery's original appearance was undertaken, and the historical boundaries of the monastery were established. The analysis of the current state enabled the identification of issues related to the monastery's functioning and the preservation of its cultural heritage. This research provides a scientific foundation for developing protection zones for the monastery and for restoration and adaptation projects of its buildings. It also establishes an information base for future project work and the monitoring of architectural heritage.

Business Ecosystem Architecture Development: A Case Study of IoT Business in the Transportation Industry

The research aims to study business ecosystem architecture in the Internet of Things (IoT) scope, especially in the transport industry. This research uses a qualitative approach with the Research and Development (R&D) method with the Modeling Business Ecosystem Architecture (TEAM) research design. Informants consist of internal and external sources who provide a practical and comprehensive perspective on the IoT transportation business ecosystem at Telkom Indonesia. Data collection was conducted through in-depth interviews, observations, and literature studies. The results showed that, in mapping the IoT business ecosystem in Telkom Indonesia’s transportation sector. The findings highlighted several challenges, such as the limited readiness of human resources and the lack of local device manufacturers resulting in a lack of competitiveness of IoT solutions. There is a need for a business ecosystem architecture that focuses on examining actors, roles, and value offered and mapping interactions between actors. With a cocreation approach, actors in the ecosystem can actively collaborate in designing, developing, and implementing more innovative and adaptive solutions. Through the cocreation process, customers, service providers, application developers, and other actors can share knowledge, experiences, and resources to create solutions that better suit the needs and expectations of all parties involved. This research maps the IoT business ecosystem in the transport sector developed by Telkom Indonesia. Telkom Indonesia is a solution provider, where the importance of collaboration of each actor, including device providers, application developers, and customers, is crucial to overcoming challenges and maximizing the ecosystem’s potential.

Real-Time Document Collaboration—System Architecture and Design

This article explores the world of dependable systems, specifically focusing on system design, software solutions, and architectural decisions that facilitate collaborative work on shared text documents across multiple users in near real time. It aims to dive into the intricacies of designing robust and effective document collaboration software focusing on understanding the requirements of such a system, the working principle of collaborative text editing, software architecture, technology stack selection, and tooling that can sustain such a system. To examine the pros and cons of the proposed system, the paper will detail how collaborative text editing software can benefit from such an architecture regarding availability, elasticity, and scaling. The intricate nature of this system renders this paper a valuable resource for prospective investigations within the domain of dependable systems and distributed systems. This research first examines the requirements of a real-time collaboration system and the necessary core features. Then, it analyzes the design, the application structure, and the system organization while also considering key architectural requirements as the necessity of scaling, the usage of microservices, cross-service communications, and client–server communication. For the technology stack of the implementation, this research considers the alternatives at each layer, from client to server. Once these decisions are made, it follows system development while examining possible improvements for the issues previously encountered. To validate the architecture, a testing strategy is developed, to examine the key capabilities of the system, such as resource consumption and throughput. The conclusions review the combination of modern and conventional application development principles needed to address the challenges of conflict-free document replication, decoupled and stateless event-driven architecture, idempotency, and data consistency. This paper not only showcases the design and implementation process but also sets a foundation for future research and innovation in dependable systems, collaborative technologies, sustainable solutions, and distributed system architecture.

Synthesizing the temporal self: robotic models of episodic and autobiographical memory.

Episodic memories are experienced as belonging to a self that persists in time. We review evidence concerning the nature of human episodic memory and of the sense of self and how these emerge during development, proposing that the younger child experiences a persistent self that supports a subjective experience of remembering. We then explore recent research in cognitive architectures for robotics that has investigated the possibility of forms of synthetic episodic and autobiographical memory. We show that recent advances in generative modeling can support an understanding of the emergence of self and of episodic memory, and that cognitive architectures which include a language capacity are showing progress towards the construction of a narrative self with autobiographical memory capabilities for robots. We conclude by considering the prospects for a more complete model of mental time travel in robotics and the implications of this modeling work for understanding human episodic memory and the self in time. This article is part of the theme issue 'Elements of episodic memory: lessons from 40 years of research'.

Interdisciplinary perspective on architectural programming: current status and future directions

PurposeArchitectural programming, as a critical phase in construction projects, has been widely recognized for its importance and advantages throughout the construction process. With the rapid development of the socioeconomic landscape, architectural programming has garnered increasing attention from various other disciplines, becoming a key trend in interdisciplinary collaboration. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current status and future directions of architectural programming from an interdisciplinary perspective through scientometric analysis and systematic review.Design/methodology/approachThis study first collected English journal articles on architectural programming published between 1975 and 2024 from the Web of Science and Scopus databases. After an initial screening of titles and abstracts, 515 articles were selected for scientometric analysis to reveal the current state and advantages of architectural programming research in multidisciplinary fields. Subsequently, a second screening of full-text articles identified 75 journal articles for systematic review, focusing on research topics and challenges in interdisciplinary applications.FindingsThe study reveals an exponential increase in the number of papers related to architectural programming between 1975 and 2024, particularly in the last decade. Six key research topics of architectural programming in multidisciplinary fields were identified: (1) performance optimization and evaluation, (2) digitalization and automation development, (3) project management and decision support, (4) improvement of human and social welfare, (5) sustainable resources and environment and (6) educational practices of architectural programming. Additionally, the study identified the main challenges in the interdisciplinary application of architectural programming, including (1) incompatibility among disciplines, (2) limitations of data and methodologies and (3) insufficient social engagement. To address these challenges, three potential future directions were proposed: (1) establishing interdisciplinary teams and platforms, (2) enhancing multi-source data integration and digital transformation and (3) improving governance mechanisms and educational training.Originality/valueBy combining quantitative and qualitative methods, this study provides a comprehensive review of architectural programming research and applications in multidisciplinary fields, offering theoretical foundations and practical references for the future development of architectural programming. This review not only aids in understanding the overall status of current architectural programming research but also offers valuable insights and recommendations for future research directions and practical applications.

Baroque Architecture in West Siberia

The article shows the main directions of the architecture development in West Siberia in the 17th and early 20th centuries. Research of the last decades devoted to the artistic and decorative interpretation of stone and wooden buildings is summarized. The mutual effect of their ornaments is noted. It is found that the Baroque style, widely used in the architecture of West Europe and Russia of the 17–18th centuries, is not adequately developed in Siberian cities. Siberian Baroque originated at the beginning of the 20th century, affects mainly religious buildings. In construction of stone residential and public buildings, this style is quite rare.The purpose of this article is to analyze the development of this trend in Siberia. The main focus is on Baroque ornamentation. Baroque elements are widely used in wooden architecture of Siberia in the 19th century. Presently, it draws attention from architectural researchers. The article studies Baroque ornaments in terms of Russian traditions, identifies the relationship between the main architectural styles and customs of wooden architecture and ornaments in Siberia.

Assessing the social atmosphere: A multilevel analysis of social connection and participation

IntroductionSocial atmospheres influence individuals' behaviors. Multilevel analysis evaluates atmospheres by capturing contextual effects beyond individual factors. While social participation benefits well-being and society, studies on the links between community factors, including social atmosphere, are still scarce. We explored the association between community social connections and social participation among adults in Japan. MethodsCross-sectional data were collected from 3858 valid responses were obtained from 54 communities in the Zenkoji Monzen area of Nagano City. Social connections were measured by how well participants knew their neighbors, and social participation by involvement in three activity types. We used multilevel analysis with random intercept and fixed slopes to explore the association between community social connections and participation. ResultsThis study found a high community-level prevalence of social connections was significantly associated with social participation in the community even after all covariates were adjusted for. Furthermore, regarding within-community association, social connections were found to be associated with social participation even after all covariates were adjusted for. ConclusionA contextual association was found between community-level social connections and social participation. These findings suggest that multilevel analysis can help urban and architecture researchers explore how interactions between people and the built environment shape urban atmospheres.