Architecture As an Art of Understanding Author(S): Małgorzata Mizia Source: the Polish Review, Vol

Architecture as an Art of Understanding Author(s): Małgorzata Mizia Source: The Polish Review, Vol. 59, No. 4 (2014), pp. 81-92 Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of the Polish Institute of Arts & Sciences of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/polishreview.59.4.0081 Accessed: 05-06-2015 15:02 UTC

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Małgorzata Mizia

Architecture as an Art of Understanding

The article offers a reflection on architecture, noting its combination of aspects of pure art with those of craft and technology. This relationship and tension between beauty and aesthetics, on the one hand, and utilitarian requirements and hazards of wear and tear, on the other, are explored, primarily with reference to Polish examples. The author concludes that architecture is the “art of understanding” of the title because the architect is required to “translate” and reconcile the various factors of place, culture, aesthetics, technique, and material.

Artists are precursors of progress—visionaries who use intuition and senses, recognizing the directions of progress and our needs earlier than others—earlier than we are able to express and name it. Contrary to the widespread opinion con- cerning the scientists’ rational process of analysis and synthesis, they often resort to disputes with philosophers or theologians, making use of artistic solutions. We believe in science and we laugh at intuition, and it is precisely the latter that is the driving force of discovery. Science merely records the truth concealed in the uni- verse. Architecture that combines the elements of art and technology is subject to the same rules of creation as “pure” arts; architects are artists who merely use a different medium. In the general view of contemporary society, architecture—particularly monumental architecture—is undoubtedly one of the arts.1 It is one of the fine arts—that is, those with the characteristics of “pure” arts, which are not subject to any dictates, market, or stylistic concessions (periodic or

1. M. Mizia, Architektura w przestrzeni sztuk [Architecture in the arts] (Rzeszów: OWPRz, 2013).

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otherwise dependent on local fashions); they arise out of an artist’s inner needs, quite independently of the existing realities; they conform to the principles of iden- tification of works of art and are subject to compositional efforts that constitute the fundamental prerequisite of every type of art. Yet, at the same time, as a profession, architecture is subject to continual efforts to subordinate it to certain requirements of craft—which are characteristic of technical disciplines and applied sciences. These sinusoidal, recurrent “chastisements” of architecture, whose aim is to “call it to order,” are also reflected in the syllabuses and programs of architectural schools. The continually fluctuating teaching profiles, which are successively being adjusted to the current technological achievements, reflect the needs of contemporary in- vestors for a particular type of architectural order. Sometimes, they are relaxed in favor of a more artistic approach, and, at other times, they are restrained by technological rigors. Yet the importance of both approaches should not be understated. Compared to Western institutions, Polish schools of architecture attach a great deal of importance to the artistic dimension of architectural training. Except for the high school achievement record, which is measured in grade points, the only exam that employers demand is one in freehand drawing, which is treated as a test of the candidate’s spatial imagination as well as ability to communicate. The study syllabus then ensures two to three years of practical classes in drawing, painting, and sculpting, which are conducted by professionals. Every faculty of architecture has an independent unit that teaches fine arts techniques, so as to make the students better acquainted with the world of art and raise the level of esthetics among them. Yet the emphasis on construction in contemporary architecture tends, to an increasing degree, to subordinate these faculties to the rigors of technical schools. However, one cannot decrease or eliminate the importance of both the form and artistic values as well as of functionality, which testifies to the humanistic values of utilitarian comfort. Architecture that lacks these elements is exclusively construction that is the outcome of a better or worse craft of building, whose values are measured exclusively in terms of utility or technical efficiency.

Duality of Architecture

Technological progress—which is so visible and tangible nowadays and which, ever since the Industrial Revolution, has tended to speed up the pace of change by introducing ever newer rationalizations, not limited to building materials but also extending to new ways of construction, new techniques of assembly, the use of disparate ideas and empirical discoveries—leads to rapid changes. On the one hand, we are dealing with the shifting of the operational sphere of architecture from construction to strictly technical issues, which allow one to implement new techniques and technologies, which give the design process an exceptionally technical character, requiring specialist technical knowledge. On the other hand, a parallel and equally consistent transformation of architecture can be seen toward more and more utopian and philosophical, more metaphorical, even metaphysical solutions

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that are characteristic of art and humanistic knowledge as well as phenomena that elude objective description. The origin and operation of creative stimuli is multipolar in precisely the same way: scientific discoveries serving as a real design inspiration, professional intuition—that is, the superconsciousness, which ensures the correctness of choices, as well as pure imagination, are combined in equal degrees in the process of creating innovative concepts for artistic solutions, created so as to delight, make more effective, change one’s habits, or even the very way of thinking. That is what the creative process looks like in the creative sphere whereas the latter is also the domain of architecture. It is a purely artistic sphere that endows the professional activity of an architect with a parallel dimension of artistic creativity. It is parallel—as the activity of an architect cannot be deprived of technical and functional correctness or of technical and technological innovativeness. The latter is necessitated by another characteristic feature of the profession of architectural designer, which makes one think of every designer task with a visionary-type of anticipation that has the potential to adjust to the changes brought about by the development of the particular sphere of life that placed an order. Otherwise, every realization would become slightly obsolete the moment it was completed. This anticipatory and visionary quality of design as well as the exploratory anticipation of function and form places architecture as a profession on the same level as other disciplines of creation that are recognized as fine arts.

Uniqueness of Architecture

Utilitarian anticipation as well as the process of wear and tear and the process of aging, as well as the simple lapse of time, are more often the greatest enemies of contemporary architecture. A monument acquires the value of an untouchable, historical artifact only in time. In sum, contemporary architecture in principle does not survive long enough to be granted the status of a monument. It is subjected to planned demolition, exchange, or modernization, as a consequence of a simple economic calculation. Thus, for instance, the monuments of Polish architecture dating back to the era of socialist realism, and the Polish People’s Republic (Warsaw city center, the Nowa Huta quarter in Kraków, the zones around the city centers of Kraków, Katowice, etc.), though quite significant architecturally, are being destroyed right before our eyes; the reason for this is that these monuments are not old enough to have gained the status of protected monuments with the right to protection, conservation, or appropriate conservation. It is a similar story as regards privately owned architectural monuments, particularly wooden villas (e.g., the spas in Szczawnica in the Pieniny mountains), the majority of which, in spite of possess- ing some of the iconic values of architectural splendor, are subject to destruction. The economic market ruthlessly regulates building priorities. No branch of the arts has managed to preserve all the works that have been recognized as important and valuable for the history of a given art. Contrary to ap- pearances, it is probably the fleeting and transitory art of literature that fares the best;

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because they were first copied by hand and then printed in hundreds or thousands of copies, survival is ensure for even the last few copies of a given literary work, despite the weak and fragile nature of paper, the medium that for centuries has been used for the preservation of words. Even in the era of electronics and miniaturization, it has proved to be the most resistant and indestructible—unless it is physically destroyed. The permanence of architecture is subject to many more limitations, despite the fact that architecture is in principle unique, due to its artistic specificity and its unique localization. It is precisely this aspect that enhances its artistic quality.

The Beauty of Architecture

No one has any doubt about the need for architecture to have an aesthetic. As an icon, a place sign, an advertisement, dedication, information, and so forth—if one were to describe the various meanings of its legible exterior—architecture should convey positive feelings, associations, and messages. As an aesthetic object, it should be simply pretty, maybe beautiful, or at least acceptable; as a new building—that is, as a new element of urban design—it should be appropriate and improve the appearance of the surroundings. As an element filling in a successive space in the urban landscape with new architectural content, it should add a new, significant quality to the local complex or maybe to the whole neighborhood. As a public facility, it should fulfill the aesthetic ambitions of a given local community. And this is already a considerable responsibility, as the scale of these expectations is immense, chiefly due to the fact that the social profile of the urban community is quite diverse: from connoisseurs of art, through architecture lovers, up to staunch conservatives, attached to their traditions and safe solutions. Everybody expects an electrifying architectural novelty that dazzles with elegance but also with a certain lightness of wit and appropriateness of fantasy. The reception may be varied, too, but generally only marginally. Undoubtedly, emotions are quite high—just as at every gala, festival, or official opening. It is a festival, “a celebration of a new social event,” as Renzo Piano has put it at one of his TV interviews.2

Architecture as an Exponent of Culture

It is impossible to overestimate the role that architecture plays in culture. Simi- larly, it is impossible to overlook all the architectural events associated with the creation of successive institutions associated with culture, government, art, diplomacy, and all forms of social life that have faded into history. One cannot deny architecture’s representative, multigenerational, almost invaluable service to the national culture. Architecture not only constitutes the outward visible structure that is most suitable

2. From Renzo Piano’s TV interview with BBC World News, “Impact-HARDtalk”; the interview concerned, among other things, the newly opened skyscraper—vertical city, also known as the “London Shard,” designed by R. Piano (BBC World News, February 6, 2013).

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to the structure’s function but, thanks to its form, it is itself a carrier of artistic values; its shape is proof of the highest degree of professionalism of the designers and builders and sometimes even of discoverers. But, above all, architecture constitutes a testimony of the culture of a given nation. Sometimes, it illustrates local fashions that recede with the passage of time or local trends or ambitions; at other times, it becomes a cultural milestone for all of world civilization. In the architecture of Poland, we are also looking for elements that are specific to our local traditions. Indeed, if the regional culture has produced certain forms of architecture that are characteristic of a given region (e.g., the Silesian single-family homes, the familoki, or regional cottages, Podhale huts, and villas in the Zakopane- Witkiewicz style), and even the “Polish manor,” whose appearance appeals so much to Polish sensibilities and sentiment—is not a form that was shaped in its entirety on Polish soil. As in all of Polish history, it is a legacy of the migrations of people and the shifting war fronts, changing ownership rights, imposed policies, the planned destruction of the Polish economy together with all elements of Polishness, of fires and adaptations to suit one’s private goals. In this context, the unique achievements of the architecture and urban design of the period of the Polish People’s Republic fall prey to commercialization and destruction, particularly as they are tainted with the stigma of the detested ideology and are not old enough to be protected, in the light of the criteria for environmental protection (fifty years). As always, after a period of trauma, one tries to obliterate traces of shortages, poverty, and unpleasant memories, by exchanging older things for the glittering novelties. As in all other spheres of life and functioning of the state, the general image of Polish architecture does not create the impression of evolutionary change and an established specificity of Polish statehood and national character or of ethnic Polish distinctness. What is generally most noticeable, criticized, and admired in architecture is precisely its outward appearance. It exerts and influence one’s likes and dislikes, precisely in the same manner as in contacts between human beings. One often as- cribes to architecture certain features of man’s character; one personifies it, blames it, and chastises it for its moods. The look of a new building within the immediate neighborhood seems to either match or clash with it; it enters into a dialog with it or else argues with it and dominates it. We tend to treat architecture as a proverbial secretary in a director’s office, forgetting that its role is to serve, to be reliable, to always look impeccable so as to satisfy the senses and raise the prestige of the place but, above all, to be competent, prudent, and flexible—to be able to adjust to every need that arises and to every required logistical arrangement. Architecture is an applied art. It arises out of a creator’s intimate need by creating a shape, but it does so in response to a clearly articulated and prepaid order. It clearly has its financial dimension, which will allow it either to be called to life or to be abandoned as intan- gible, as an unfulfilled designer’s dream. Nothing will erase from its documentation and history of construction its genuinely utilitarian character, which is inscribed like a mantra in its very functionality. But architecture also continues to “rise over and above” these goals, as in its ambitious striving the boundary line is erased between

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construction and architecture, between craft and art, technology and art, knowledge and feeling, and rationality and psychology. In genuine architecture, one of these qualities will always remain incomplete without the other. Therefore both qualities have to coexist and remain well balanced.

Artistic Dimension of an Architect’s Profession

Like architecture, the architect himself should be an exceptional constructor- visionary, a technocrat with his head in the clouds, a “poet of sky-high structures” and a “painter of dreams fulfilled on earth” who has a combination of the artistic restlessness and the impetus of a defiant artist with the humanistic soul of a guard- ian and volunteer and, at the same time, the technical precision and thorough- ness of a watchmaker. He should be an engineer with the creative abilities of an artist-architect. He should possess thorough technical knowledge but, at the same time, a high level of artistic sensitivity, allowing him to move freely in the world of artistic media, so as to be able to equally freely illustrate his creative ideas. As the chief coordinator of the entire investment process, an architect is responsible for the success of all the successive stages of the creation of architecture, up to the very moment of its realization and its successful, possibly long-term functioning. But he is also responsible for the right preliminary choices and decisions (initial analysis supported by extensive general professional knowledge), as well as mediations conducted at all stages of the investment process. It is also the architect who gives interviews, conducts negotiations and debates, settles arguments, selects optimal solutions, reconciles divergent interests, persuades, inculcates new approaches and techniques, familiarizes others with innovations, implements new technologies, heats up or cools down an overheated economy, and, finally, like a general practi- tioner, unmistakably diagnoses ailments and needs, finds a remedy or at least an optimal solution to the problem, senses directions to ensure a flexible and necessary adaptation for architecture and, in the end, realizes his own visions, dreams, and ambitions in the artistic formal dimension of his work. Architecture is still regarded as a very prestigious profession and that is how things should remain if the snobbery that continues to push thousands of young people to study this discipline of knowledge is to gain any confirmation in the subsequent professional life of future graduates. The competition in entrance ex- aminations is hard to understand, considering that less than 30 percent of graduates of architectural studies in Poland are able to find employment that is in accordance with their studies. The rest have to be retrained, which turns out to be very easy for architects. Schools of architecture, although expensive, develop imagination and provide skills that are useful in many popular disciplines; among them are a philosophical ability to think in an abstract way, an ability to combine various techniques and facts, a certain curiosity about life, as well as artistic and mystical abilities characteristic of Eastern Europe; the latter reveal themselves easily, as students express transitory values by means of artistic and visual techniques.

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The Work of Architecture

The greatness of a work of art bears testimony to the greatness of its creator. What I am referring here to is not the technical greatness—the literal shape that can be measured by means of a ruler and a scale, but the mental and spiritual greatness, which is full of expression, content, and elusive values understandable only to those in the know and those who are sensitive, those who are more or less vulnerable as well as those who are hard-headed. Great architecture makes an impression on everyone. Sometimes, it is a moving ruin or a poor shrine with deep connotations or a breathtaking cathedral. Similar impressions are also made by magnificent views of sky-high mountain ranges, of somber-looking lakes between the rocks, of sinister breaking ocean waves, sun-flooded valleys, of all magnificent landscapes, miracles, and cathedrals of nature. It is the architecture of natural landscape. We all recall the unique views of awe-inspiring Tatra mountains, the sober-looking Morskie Oko lake, the soothing sight of sand in Jurata, the coolness and refreshing scent of breeze blowing from the Baltic Sea, the mysterious look of the mists over the Hańcza river, or the darkness of Polish woods and forests. Sometimes, the same degree of emotion can be attained only by the sight of a mountain stream flowing between boulders or a gracious innocent-looking flower, maybe an edelweiss, anemone, or gentian violet, or the sight of an unusual butterfly with its extraordinary short-lived beauty—comparable to the most expensive paper-thin porcelain. Such emotions are aroused by genuine art. Architecture that arouses such emotions should, without a doubt, be regarded as great. Such architecture must be regarded as a fine art. Examples of architecture that appeal to our emotions abound. For those not interested in its beauty, the list is shorter, whereas for genuine art lovers, it is much longer. For the connoisseurs and artists, the sphere of interest moves toward various values that constitute one’s favorite fields. Yet surely, no one who saw Antoni Gaudi’s cathedral Sagrada Família in Barcelona in person could walk away unmoved. It is the only building in the world that continues to be built, dozens of years after its creator’s death, unchangeably in accordance with his design and continuing the author’s great work, regardless of whether someone regards it as beautiful or refers to its creator as a “madman”—due to the extraordinary accumulation of a great number of elements, the richness and variety of forms, materials, and motifs. The ambiguity of the messages conveyed in the languages of the various arts that coexist in this singular architectural realization is wonderfully summed up by the soaring neo-Gothic crown, which, as it were, surrounds what is holy on the earth and directs it toward heaven, in the unceasing tale about the history of our life on earth and our longing for the eternal—all encrypted in stone. The formal greatness and abundance in all likelihood do not exhaust the entire diversity of our earthly existence, although the author had tasted a considerable amount of its pleasures before he immersed himself in his work and subsequently even in asceti- cism. He was considered a genius by some and as a producer of kitsch by others. His work often constitutes a turning point in the evaluation of works of art.

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In fact, there is no clear boundary between them as the latter belongs exclusively to the emotional sphere of the recipient. We feel powerless in not being able to rationally take in excess at a single glance, particularly in the absence of a lack of a clear-cut order and equivalence of the accumulated values. And thus, for instance, in our own homes, we often use expressions such as “artistic chaos,” “refined order,” and so forth in an attempt to conceal and dismiss our own incompetence with a good-natured chastisement of the author for his untidiness and, at the same time, trying to indicate that the problem is harmless and of little significance. However, as a society, we increasingly often tolerate otherness; we are beginning to understand and appreciate the world of civilization and mental diseases, or those that are only commonly regarded as such; we look at the world of autism with more and more understanding; we respect ever-greater areas of schizophrenic consciousness and behavior; we consciously shift the boundaries between good and evil. The constantly rising level of social awareness improves the norms of correctness of behavior. The process of increasing our sensitivity to art in all its forms follows a similar course. The process of understanding the artist and his art consists of awakening our ability to feel and experience, which we acquire with practice and only to a small degree by learning. It is the world of our ego—the world of the soul and feelings that allows us to live more beautifully and to experience more deeply—in accordance with the principles of learning (to mention only the “pyramid of Maslow”). Architecture is the world on a micro-scale: it is stable and safe thanks to acquired knowledge and skills; it is also rich in feelings and emotions.

Cathedrals of Architecture

Let us therefore treat this building as an example of a great work of art and of great architecture. It cannot be denied that this architecture makes an immense impression on every visitor and viewer. Like many other cathedrals, Sagrada Famí- lia constitutes the best illustration of the architectural message. It epitomizes a masterpiece of engineering with respect to the construction of tall buildings with an unusual shape and breath-taking appearance that combine not only the goal of sheltering the crowds who are gathered inside but also that of surrounding them with a uniform communal space. It is a space whose interior possesses a magical aura and a mystic dimension; its mystical message is communicated to those gathered there to the accompaniment of organ and choir music specially composed by selected musicians—so as to create an atmosphere of religious and artistic elation. Today, we are fortunately returning to the presentation of monumental music, including contemporary music, precisely in churches, particularly those characterized by good acoustics, original atmospheric interiors, and a special unique charisma, which lift each concert to the level of a special musical event. Character, style, atmosphere, specially designed lighting, wall openings, and perforations—all of these elements help build up the scenography and are of use in directing both sacral and lay per- formances. They are elements of the specific world of atmosphere in which instru-

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ments are specially selected to fit in with the mood and where elements of interior decoration executed by the very best artists or artisans are also specially selected; the latter often constitute fragments of the walls and are specially added or constitute fragments of construction or the existing decorative elements. All these elements jointly elevate us to the heights of art. It is not only the organs in Oliwa, Leżajsk, or Święta Lipka that make a lasting impression on listeners; the organ in the tiny village of Barcice near Stary Sącz (e.g., Schonberg’s music) also has an intensely sublime and electrifying sound. This is precisely what art is: an act of elation, illumination, a beautiful experience, a magnificent feeling of being lifted above mediocrity. And the goal of architecture is precisely to provide us with such acts of elation, to give a higher dimension to our everyday efforts, and to liberate us from the chains of everyday routine and uniformity. Such is precisely the mission that architecture should fulfill.

Architecture Without Boundaries

A similar goal offering the highest joy and delightful experiences due to par- ticipation in moving spectacles that are technically mounted thanks to architecture is fulfilled by buildings that are dedicated to art: opera buildings, philharmonic halls, theaters and amphitheaters, and recently even sports stadiums, movie theaters, and entertainment arenas. In spite of their entirely lay character, these buildings have features that are analogous to those of the cathedrals and are also able to raise the value of cultural experiences to the level of equally elevating and memorable experiences. As objects of top-quality art, they become the main centers of celebration of cultural events and the gauge of quality of the entire cultural life of the city. Such was the case, for instance, with the Palace of Art in Kraków, which was designed by Franciszek Mączyński, who had been commissioned to do so by the Society of Friends of the Fine Arts in Kraków;3 the Palace was erected so as to present in Poland the magnificent paintings of Polish émigré painters who emigrated to Paris, Munich, or Vienna, in search of opportunities to study as well as better conditions for development. These painters, many of whom became very successful abroad during their lifetime and also posthumously, remain unknown in Poland. Cultural institutions facilitate the exchange and popularization of art that is not limited by specific local rules or restrictions. After all, as a medium of art, architecture freely transfers stylistic, cultural, and technological patterns; it does not blindly conform to orders that bid one to close political or geographic borders. This, too, constitutes a contribution to a broad artistic dimension of architecture.

3. M. Mizia, lecture delivered at the Palace of the Fine Arts, Kraków, March 25, 2007, as part of talks organized by the Society of Friends of the Fine Arts, on “The architecture of understanding by means of art—on the unity of all manifestations of creativity and on architecture which unites all aspects of life.”

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Architecture or Applied Art?

In principle, art is supposed to arouse emotions. The time has passed when something had to be pretty to be called art. Beauty has turned out to be contro- versial; in any case, its boundaries have become blurred and continue to shift. Not everything that is bad is ugly, and not everything that is good is always liked. The great philosophical triad (beauty, goodness, and truth) has weakened in the face of contemporary dialogue. The pseudo-democratic permission for everyone to do only what they like has led to a reassessment of traditional meanings, rules, and values, and in everyday life, it has led to a deepening of social inequalities and virtual inability to lead a decent life. What remains is hope for a return of order and a gradual stabilization of the system of reference; there is a general search for models to be emulated. Hence, the popularity of biographical literature, a dreamlike wish to return to nature, fetishization of struggle, and a belief in the regeneration of man’s vital powers. All these needs can be explained by art and its media. New ideas about which the general public is still unaware but are vaguely sensed by the most sensitive minority, made up of artists, that have already acquired form and shape in the appropriate medium thanks to the most creative individuals—that is how new trends arise and that is where artists look for ways to improve the current situation. In a natural way, architecture treads but one step behind the manifesto of the liberal–unapplied arts that are not in any way restricted by the material limitations that bring to life contemporary knowledge, order, and polish. Out of sheer necessity, architecture is closer to every man’s heart than art, particularly its avant-garde variety, for if a need arises, we can always “tame” its fragment for our own needs; we can adapt a fragment of a building for our own needs—but here we also find one of the reasons there is a need to introduce a clear-cut distinction between “practical building” and architecture; why it is necessary to distinguish between building craft and the representative function of architecture, which lends class and status to each event or place; why it is necessary to distinguish between the universal and decent-looking architecture of necessity, which is a prerequisite of fulfilled life, from the lightness of decorative, open-work architecture, to garden, landscape, construction-engineering, symbolic para architecture, and sculpture architecture. Yet as long as we talk of architecture, we should automatically take into consideration its charm and beauty, which are implied in its very appellation.

Architecture as an Art of Communication

If architecture makes use of the language of art, art itself uses the language of emotions—the language of communication in the sphere of nonverbal media: these communications are sensed but not necessarily visible; they are not always heard, but in most cases they are received as a whole—by means of the senses. We communicate much more quickly by means of art; moreover, we do so in an un- equivocal and much more precise way, for we also set in motion our intuition and

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our subconscious. Such techniques are used in advertisements that use icons and pictograms—images that instantly appeal to the viewer’s imagination. The method of interprofessional communication—that is, communication between the arts, sciences, and every creative discipline that use the same building structures—points out their fundamental unity: the unity of creativity and inventiveness. Both the arts and the sciences make use of the same compositional elements: rhythm, tone, color, dominants, specific gravity. The creative-mental process is identical in both, whereas mutual inspirations are more and more commonly employed in this era of “creative fusions,” by both the artistic and scientific sectors; both make use of mutual transpositions of their works, irrespective of the type of medium employed. One also uses interchangeably various terms referring to the arts (architecture of image, altars, light, poem, music). Thus architecture is a method of interprofessional communication, and it points to a multilayered structure of a given work of art. Although art is a feature of architecture, it is a feature that is equally necessary and fundamental, as its construction principles—as its structure. Both are necessary and inseparable.

The Genius Loci of Architecture

In the search for innovation, the process of borrowing patterns and models and of deriving certain inspirations, as well as of mutual multidirectional transposition of works and creative ideas, seems to be universally acceptable. Yet if “art knows no boundaries,” architecture must take into account certain limitations associated with places and localities. These may have to do with climatic, cultural, and adaptation conditions or may simply be linked to topographical considerations. In such situations, except for the technical skill of adaptation, what comes in useful is the science of ethnology. Ethnology constitutes a specific discipline of knowledge whose prospects for future development are considerable in the present day and age; it translates or, rather, transposes into local language and local realities other/alien values. It specializes in cultural transposition, which has acquired special significance for communication today, in the era of the “global village,” or, as futurologists call it, in the global city. An architect is not only a translator of the cultural values of architecture to adjust it to the needs of the place. He is also a translator of the local investment needs to adjust them to the local physical conditions and the required shapes. And conversely: every place emanates its own genius loci and exerts its own impact on the form of the design solutions. Therefore, it may be said that the occupation of an architect–translator-negotiator is a profession involving social trust, similar to that of a doctor, judge, priest, or government official. He has an obligation to improve the conditions of human life or least not to make them worse. He designs in accordance with the principle of man’s (the client’s) best interest. Maybe it is here that we should look for the elements of the Polish national character in our native architecture.

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An architect is a translator, and architecture is an art of understanding. Both phenomena combine and unite various arts, sciences, and skills. The apparently contradictory nature of architecture as a hard, down-to-earth, technical reality and the transitory nature of art do not have to struggle with each other. It is precisely architecture that, in its essence, combines all manifestations of art, science, and technology and, in this way and maybe because of it, serves the cause of communication, exchange of information, and the creation of a polyphony and diversity among the unity of approaches and best serves the cause of mediation between the parties; it helps translate behavioral differences. Therefore, it may be regarded as an art of translation, an art of reconciliation—an art of understanding.

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