The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges of an old low-standard urban district with a strong historical and cultural heritage and propose more sustainable renovation solutions, acceptable for the residents and municipality. The challenges of physical renovation or refurbishment are complex due to poor condition of the buildings, municipal ownership and governance, mixed management with community and low rents, which are insufficient to cover the costs. The paper discusses the proposed solutions of living standards, supported by the research in two directions: (i) available resources and reuse of materials, (ii) developing a renovation guidance for inhabitants from the building physics perspective, including indoor environment quality. Challenges related to energy efficiency are addressed from the decision-making perspective to overcome the barrier of lack of motivation to invest in energy-efficient measures at the individual and community level. The interdisciplinary approach complements engineering-focused studies with a focus on the comfort conditions and the influence of occupant habits in sustainable buildings. The methods used were literature review, case studies with observations and survey, looking to cover all technical, social, and historical aspects of sustainable renovation of cultural heritage buildings with the same level of importance. Results show that to keep a sustainable, low-cost urban living model, instructions for self-renovation are a valuable guidance for non-professional actors to make more sustainable choices. In conclusion, we can emphasize that inhabitants are accustomed to lower living standards, so the project is aimed to present the proper solutions for improvement as a balance between new sustainable technical solutions, personal self-renovation skills, habits, and health.

The view from the window is an important parameter of living comfort. Previous studies have defined several important characteristics of views, but there are very few studies that addressed window views in dense urban environments and their influence on the perceptual elements of the view. The scope of the study was to define the influence of design elements in window views that can trigger negative reactions from viewers. In our study the questionnaire survey was used as a method for obtaining the research data. A group of architecture students who participated as respondents selected different reactions to views and reasons for such responses. Only the window views that received poor responses were further investigated. The results were statistically analyzed according to the most frequent responses and the variability of responses. The homogeneity of the groups of responses as well as the groups of reasons was tested using the Fischer-Snedercor test. The analysis showed that the negative response to a window view depends not only on the short distance between the buildings, but also on the visual aesthetics, especially the composition quality, the surface characteristics and the maintenance of the observed building. The results show that interventions, especially natural elements such as vegetation, can increase the dynamics of the window view.

Window views can enable restorativeness. Previous studies define characteristics of natural environment that trigger restorativeness, but fewer studies are dealing with restorative characteristics of urban environment. The purpose of this study is to identify qualities that enable restorativeness in natural and urban window views. Using a questionnaire survey as a method for obtaining the research data, responses of architectural students are analysed. To identify restorative potential in window views evaluation method according to Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory (ART) is used. Additional evaluation method for urban views is applied using Lynch’s theory of designing urban space that people can enjoy. Our findings show that urban views can be analysed according to Lynch’s visual qualities to identify the restorative potential of urban environments. Our findings also show that Lynch’s criteria may coincide with Kaplan’s criteria for assessing restorativeness. To define restorative potential in urban views in an early design phase, new evaluation methods are needed to transcend the renowned Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory into more approachable design mechanisms for designers and decision makers. Well-being of the inhabitants in a future dense urban environment will only be provided with an adequate window view.

Urbanisation and densification of the built environment is an important feature of the future sustainable environment, which importantly influences the window view quality. This survey addresses a research gap on unfavourable reactions to window views in dense urban environments, where the distance between buildings enables only the view of the neighbouring façade, and also the question of which architectural visual elements specifically trigger them. The typical variables of the studied window views are the various degrees of maintenance, compositional quality, surface quality, activity dynamics, and complexity. The quantitative data, such as general reactions of the observers to window views, the reasons for the reactions, and the assessment of specific features, were collected by means of a close-ended questionnaire. The targeted population was predominantly the work-active population, the population performing sedentary/office work for at least part of the working day. The analyses of the results are predominantly performed using descriptive statistics and encompass overall reactions to similar window views and correlations between gender, age, and window view preferences. An important finding is that gender and the way the respondents spend their workday do not significantly affect the response to the motifs of the window view. The research further shows that it is very difficult to incite and retain enough visual interest to specific window views with standard architectural approaches and subdued architectural design.

Our surroundings, as viewed through the window, have a significant impact on how we feel, how we think, and how productive we are. In order to build settings that promote pleasant emotions and support mental health, whether at home or at work, it is crucial to take the window view into account as well as any potential consequences it may have. In this study, we first conduct a bibliometric analysis of the topic using Elsevier SciVal data. Then, using a questionnaire survey, we proceed to determine what is the respondents’ favourite window view and what is the reason they look through the window. The results show that the preferred window view contains greenery, and the main reason for looking through the window is mental disconnection. The Chi-Square test results suggest that there is a correlation between age and the preferred window view. Furthermore, the results also showed that there is a connection between the environment where the respondents spend the majority of their workday and the reason for looking through the window.