Return to a coherent city: on the example of Lublin

Abstract

This article discusses a very important and current problem of the loss of integrity in Lublin. It also contains suggestions for the improvement of present situation and preventing the problem in the future. The paper is a continuation of research conducted by J. Wrana as part of habilitation thesis entitled “The role and importance of architecture in the process of integrating the spatial structure of the city – on the example of Lublin”. One of the methods of integrating urban spatial structure is conscious creation of architectural forms, and their increasing significance in the formation of “synergy” relations. The binder of “re-integration” city could be the “integration architecture” - buildings of high quality, socially attractive features, located in the important nodal points, which improve the consistency of the environment. Supplementing the city with such facilities greatly increases its aesthetics, also associated with consistency. Their functions are not only the classic ones (services, education, etc.) as in various ways, they also influence city landscapes. They complete street frontages, integrate campuses and housing estates, create composition axes, integrate surroundings, and enrich the services. The authors focus on the example of Lublin – a centuries-old city with rich and fascinating history, nowadays dealing with its post-industrial heritage and facing spatial problems. The city is regaining its lost integrity through architecture: it has become a place where a number of noteworthy integrating projects have been realised. The examples of integration architecture in Lublin are, among others: Centre for the Meeting of Cultures “Theatre in Construction” and Eastern Innovation Centre of Architecture (Lublin University of Technology).