Transformation of Socialist Realistic Residential Architecture into a Contemporary Sustainable Housing Habitat—General Approach and the Case Study

Abstract

This article deals with the problem of multi-family housing implemented in the 1950s in Poland. Buildings from this period are located in the central districts of cities, and are well-connected and equipped with service infrastructure, but due to the small size of these flats, their low standard and poor technical condition, they are not sufficiently attractive for middle-class people and developing families. The consequence of this is the social selection of residents and the disappearance of neighborly relations. In this article, the authors present a balance sheet of the shortcomings and advantages of these buildings, and against the background of contemporary requirements for housing, resulting from the theory of sustainable development, they indicate possible directions for modernization. Detailed solutions are presented for a specific housing complex located in Rzeszów. The development of flat roofs and the introduction of functions integrating the community of residents are the significant elements of the project. Due to the fact that the functional layouts of stories, the structure of buildings, and to a large extent the spatial arrangement of residential complexes were unified in the 1950s throughout the whole country, the presented concept may serve as inspiration for similar projects undertaken in any other city in Poland.

Exploring Indoor and Outdoor Residential Factors of High-Density Communities for Promoting the Housing Development

“…Some inhabitants might become unsatisfied with their current accommodation, so they are inclined to buy another asset. They expect to seek to change their current residence for habitable, better-equipped, or more convenient dwellings [1]. However, this strategy does not observably enhance the gross sales of housing estates.…”

The Impact of Sustainable Development on New Concept of Modernisation of Residential Buildings

“…Low comfort and attractiveness of such buildings and poor technical condition are noted. Considering the modern requirements for housing and the goals of sustainable development, possible directions of modernization are proposed by M. Piekarski with colleagues [8]. The proposal is considered in terms of a technically similar residential development of the 1950s, as a unified concept for modernization projects of a certain group of buildings.…”

Trends and Prospects of Modernisation of Multi-Story Residential Buildings on the Basis of Sustainable Development

“…V. Stankevičius together with other researchers, paid attention to the modernisation prospects of buildings in Lithuania and sheds light on the practical significance of modernising Soviet-era structures characterised by low insulation standards and requiring substantial energy consumption [6]. M. Piekarski with colleagues, in their article on the transformation of socialist realist housing architecture into a contemporary sustainable living environment, thoroughly examine the challenges of multi-apartment building construction from the 1950s and suggest potential directions for modernisation in alignment with contemporary housing requirements derived from the theory of sustainable development [7].…”