Sacral objects are an important part of Europe’s religious heritage. For centuries, temples have constituted a key element in the urban morphology; they fit into the urban fabric of European cities and are permanently embedded there. Due to the current laicization of Europe, the adaptation of sacred buildings into secular functions has become a necessity for economic reasons. Their owners, architects, conservators and historians are faced with a dilemma: whether to preserve an object or transform it into another function? Places of worship cannot be considered in solely economic terms due to the identity of the place, its current function and its symbolism. Sacred spaces, apart from their function, structure and form, also have meaning. In holy sites, the symbol becomes a narrative tool. The purpose of a narrative in the cultural context is related to the site, the narrator, the recipient and the time of the narrative. Narrative research into semantic architecture, as one of the means of researching sacred architecture, has potential both in analysis and as a tool to facilitate design processes for the appropriate transformation of sacred buildings to serve secular functions.

Modular housing represents an opportunity for the mass provision of housing of an appropriate standard, implemented sustainably. We analyzed the theoretical basis of this type of housing for refugee populations. We identified several generations of housing provision, from tented camps to container settlements, and ultimately to units resembling traditional housing estates. The latter is feasible due to technological advancements. Our research contributes to the implementation of the principles of the New European Bauhaus initiative, which underpins the European Green Deal policy on space design. Using the Research through Design (RtD) method within the framework of a settlement project for the Ukrainian population migrating from war zones (Modular Refugees Settlement Project “ProModSe”), we tested the suitability of these principles in extreme and critical war-related situations. The most important criteria were speed of implementation, the prospect of long-term residence, and ensuring safety. We analyzed the social, environmental, and aesthetic–functional aspects, comparing them with existing practices in the design of settlements for displaced persons, modular settlements, and quality standards in residential environments. The results demonstrate, at multiple scales, the critical interdependence of sustainable development, aesthetics and functionality, and community creation. We emphasize the need to include security as an essential fourth axis within the New European Bauhaus concept. This study contributes to addressing the complex housing problem for refugee populations. The generalizations formulated based on empirical research complement the knowledge of housing and the functioning of the sociotechnological system.

In this article, we will show the diversity of architectonic solutions that include water in the permanent structure of the object, which offers its prominent material and symbolic role. The method used for this research is the inquiry and the analysis of contemporary sacral things in which water plays the role of prima materiel. The research will use the author’s narrative method to analysed the architecture of meaning. This study of the architectonic piece will be led through five deliberate and narrative aspects, exploring the author’s intention – location, creation date, and narration, among others -project ideas. After a previous search, the project was selected as an example of meaningful objects. The objects are divided into four groups of signifiers: artificial landscape, ecological stream, memory space, and axiomatic medium. The research aimed to show that water as crematoria in meaningful objects does not only have a functional role, it also has a symbolic meaning. The current state of knowledge indicates that, at present, there are no scientific publications that analyse ‘water’ as an element of parametria. The water in architecture usually is analysed in practical and technical aspects; the semantic part of the project is generally excluded. The question will be studied using projects or finished objects in contemporary sacral architecture.

The authors analyzed the numerous limitations accompanying Le Corbusier in his professional work and their impact on the final shape of residential buildings constructed in Paris. At the same time, they point to the sources of this architecture and discuss various conditions that caused changes in the architect’s decisions. The text will include the authors’ observations resulting from visits to the facilities designed by Le Corbusier, the relationship with investors during the design of residential houses will be presented, their current condition and the transformations that have taken place over the twentieth century will be presented. The text was created as a result of the analysis of source materials, a query at Fondation Le Corbusier, research conducted in situ and interviews with users.

The goal of the interdisciplinary study presented in this paper was to identify opportunities for innovative applications of mycelium in construction, including housing construction. This solution is gaining significance due to its sustainability and eco-friendliness. Mycelium can be seen as an innovative alternative to traditional building materials, and can be transformed into permanent structures using mycotecture. In 2023, within the framework of cooperation between researchers from the Warsaw University of Technology and experts from the Łukasiewicz Research Network Institute, an experimental study was conducted and produced interesting results. The study is at the testing stage. The interdisciplinary research team grew to include researchers from the Cracow University of Technology, Eurac Research from Italy and InnoRenew CoE from Slovenia. The methodology of research on mycotecture is a comprehensive process that begins with defining research goals and analyzing the literature. After analyzing existing cases and drawing conclusions, research experiments are designed, which include both laboratory tests and field tests. Field tests of the material produced during the study was linked with the participation of students from the Warsaw University of Technology, who built the Future Pavilion also known as the “We Stand For” initiative, where a prototype mycelium brick was used in the pavilion’s structure.