Agata Bonenberg

Shaping an integrating kitchen space with gesture-based control system

This article provides a summary of research into the integrating kitchen design: a kitchen designed for simultaneous use by people with mobility problems, including wheelchair bound persons as well as able-bodied people. By introducing mobile gesture controlled modules into kitchen furniture it is possible to dynamically adjust furniture for use in seating or standing positions. An important aspect of research problem is such location of elements which would optimize the simultaneous use of kitchen by two persons: able-bodied and disabled.

Place Brand-Building. Urban Empathy as an Evaluation Method

The image of urban areas created by an appropriate urban branding attracts population, when cities compete for inhabitants and businesses. Experience shows that not only the positive visual and spatial features attract people, but also hard to define “atmosphere”, mood, city narrative, related to activities, events and history. Author proposes a new method of urban assessment to define features that are important, but difficult to capture - the method of urban empathy. The empathetic perception of urban space is a broad-spectrum experience: it can be lived through learning the city’s history, narrative, events in a relation to physical urban space. Emotions mapped on urban plan create the emphatic image of the city.

Cityscape in the Era of Information and Communication Technologies

The urban structure of a city and its architecture are the spatial manifestation of the culture of its inhabitants. Historic urban spaces provide a basis for observation and drawing conclusions regarding the past social, economic, cultural relations. An evolutionary order of creating new typologies of space and construction technologies is emerging from the research on the history of architecture in response to the demand and new functions. The ornament and aesthetics following the cultural changes of society are subject to evolutionary changes. The urban structure of a city and its architecture are the spatial manifestation of the culture of its inhabitants. Historic urban spaces provide a basis for observation and drawing conclusions regarding the past social, economic, cultural relations. An evolutionary order of creating new typologies of space and construction technologies is emerging from the research on the history of architecture in response to the demand and new functions. The ornament and aesthetics following the cultural changes of society are subject to evolutionary changes. The motivation to take up the topic is the desire of referring the relations between the community and the built environment, so perfectly studied and described in many historical examples, to the present day conditions. Interest in issues of directionality and purpose in designing architecture of the “here and now”, realized in practice when working with the architect Renzo Piano, prompted the author to search for sources of contemporary concepts of spatial design. This common source is the basic factor shaping the contemporary culture—a wide access to information. The main goal of this work is, therefore, to determine the influence of the contemporary media (means of mass communications) on the trends shaping the architectural space. This influence can be seen on many levels: from changes in settlement preferences, due to changes in the formula of employment, to the question of the mass media promoting trends in stylistics, triggering the need for mass customization of working and living space. It is important to emphasize the applicative value of the research and cited solutions verified with the experience of the author, acquired while working in architectural offices in Germany, Australia, Scotland and Poland. An important experience that has shaped the views of the author on the discussed topics was the collaboration with the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London (AA) and participation in the

Aiding Self-reliance of the Elderly and the Disabled - Modular Cupboard with Mobile Internal Units

Changes in the age structure of societies, development of medical care and, even more importantly, the drive of the elderly and the disabled towards self-reliant and satisfactory lives make the creation of space devoid of any barriers a fundamental goal of the architectural design. The subject of the study presented in this paper is the design of the modular cupboard with mobile internal units. The purpose of such a unique construction of this piece of furniture is to make the users able to optimally use the space available in the upper parts of the room. The paper consists of the three main elements: description of the inventive design, analysis of the customization options for the modular cupboard frame, and the research including the assessment of the modular cupboard frame according to the kansei method.

Influence of advertisments on changes in the urban structure of cites on the example of Poznan

Abstract The article presents the results of studies on the influence of outdoor advertisements on the activation of selected areas in the spatial structure of the city of Poznań. The contents of advertisements were analyzed in terms of the places which advertisements placed on signs, billboards and advertising displays located in public spaces direct us to. The results of studies indicated that the majority of advertisements located in the city center of Poznań promote suburban locations, encouraging its inhabitants to make use of trade and services outside of the strict city center. At the same time, it was indicated that outside advertisements due to the content of the advertising message are a factor degrading the city center, directing potential customers away into the suburbs. In practice, it was noted that the phenomenon significantly decreases the effectiveness of actions directed towards revitalizing the city center and the urban activation of this region.

Cityscape: Dominant Functions and the Role in the City Structure

Understanding objectives of the contemporary cityscape design as a harmonious, sustainable development on the basis of the past structures, cities for information society should be based on diversification and multithreading. This approach creates potential for fixing current problems: crisis of city centres, disintegration and economic, social and cultural fragmentation—as well as the urban sprawl phenomenon. The development does not have to signify a continuation of mass urbanization known from the past decades, only a better utilization of available and owned resources.

Mass Communication and Public Space

Traditionally, urban public spaces integrated inhabitants of a city. It provided the setting for the “space of access to information”, and this characteristic was often expressed in the architecture with elements of visual information: inscriptions, sculptural detail of the “communicative” role. Symbolism of hierarchy was expressed by the dominants of sacral and secular buildings. As mass communication takes over, the fact of “detachment” of communication from a real space becomes a fact, and it remains not without consequences on the space.

Architectural Landscape in Mass Media Coverage

The visual potential of architecture is successfully used in media events, televised and tracked via the Internet. Creating symbols, providing backgrounds, giving the proper setting for the presented content became an important task of architecture in media message, which is necessary to create the atmosphere and drama of the performance.

Spatial Transformations and Work-Related Mobility

The increased mobility is a characteristic of the information society—migrations for economic reasons have an impact on use of space: spatial expansion, inversion and intensification are observed in the urban scale. At the same time, at the architectural level, there is a strong need for flexible design which tendencies of: reconfiguration, negotiation, adaptation.

Place Brand-Building: Influencing Emotional Perception of Urban Spaces Through Social Media

The image of urban areas created by an appropriate urban branding can attract population, when places compete to attract inhabitants and businesses. In order to do that effectively, it is necessary to understand the potentials of place to be presented to the target groups. Implementing emotional perception category into urban assessment would break away from a certain defined scheme of urban studies, and the method can be used in creating urban branding strategies.