IN-PERSON: Prague – Section A
Abstract
This case study describes possible scenarios of the revitalisation of the 1879 boys’ school building in Zabrze, Poland. The building is currently vacant and there are plans to redefine its function for a educational, modern medical simulation centre at the Faculty of Medicine of the Academy of Silesia. The article outlines the history and contemporary context of the transformation of this post-industrial heritage. Zabrze is a city in Upper Silesia in Poland, a region that developed because of mines and industry. This crucially influenced the culture, tradition and identity of the region. Changes at the beginning of the 21st century led the industry to be phased out and decreased mining employment. As a result cities depopulated. Post-industrial areas, historic industrial buildings and workers’ housing estates, still characterise the landscape of Zabrze today and need to be continuously redefined – otherwise they will deteriorate. The value of the building in question therefore lies also in its architecture, which represents local traditions and contributes to the city’s ‘genius loci’. The analysed building is part of a decaying historical workers’ housing estate for the steelworks near the city centre. The restoration of the building is also intended to contribute to improving living conditions in and around the workers’ housing estate. Revitalization is not only a social but also a technical process. In this case study, the cultural and societal values of revitalization are outlined and explained, the life cycle energy saving potential is presented as well. In addition, the environmental impact reduction by reusing and retrofitting this historical building are analysed from life cycle perspectives. Four environmental impact categories are included: carbon emission potential, smog formation potential, acidification potential and human particulate health potential.
Dean at the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Construction and Applied Arts, Academy of Silesia, Katowice. His research focuses on architectural design in Poland and Europe. Author and co-author of research articles and conference proceedings. PhD dissertation: Curvilinearity in Architecture. History. Present Day. Ideas. Examples, supervisor: Nina Juzwa, Jan Salm, awarded by the Polish Minister of Investment and Development in 2019, he cooperated with the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning as exhibition curator and co-author, with Nina Juzwa, of book on Polish architecture.
Dr. Ming Hu is an Associate Professor at the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, University of Maryland, USA. Her research activities center on how to decarbonize the built environment through net zero impact and healthy building design, and to understand how the (smart) technologies might be employed to reduce the impact from built environment to ecosystem. Dr. Hu has an extensive background in high-performance building design and life cycle assessment and has engaged in applied building technology research for over 14 years. She has published in over seventy research paper and conference proceedings, and has lectured widely in North America, Europe, and Asia.
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Thursday 29th June, 2023