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The paper is dedicated to contemporary tendencies in artistic lighting. The tendencies are disclosed through lighting of both urban holistic specific architectural and engineering objects, and analysis of lighting tool tendencies is proposed. The paper deals with an idea that contemporary lighting integrates new functions into architecture - different types of art and communication. Tools of contemporary lighting are related to scientific and technical progress and new opportunities. An idea is proposed that due to profound planning of lighting, the light, form and technology might be used in the process of creating urban lighting. In this process a great role belongs to urban aesthetics, media and ecology. A conclusion is drawn, that contemporary lighting integrates new functions into architecture; the priorities of tendencies in contemporary artistic urban lighting should be given in complex: combining aesthetical and economic subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents and analyses in detail the content and significance of the new definition of architecture "as the art and science of designing the environment (space)" for contemporary architecturology and architectural practice. It discusses in greater detail the social and ecological tasks of architecture in contemporary society as well as the responsibility of the architect and new research trends in architecturology. The paper also focuses on the importance of regionality trend in the context of modern globalization and touches upon the questions of architects' professional training specialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the evolution of high-rise buildings counts the second centenary, there is no overall criterion used to characterize them. Different are the reasons of their origin and evolution (in view of urbanism, heritage preservation, etc.) in various countries. As a result of analising building code attitudes in some countries and literature sources, in this paper we try to propose a criterion of defining high-rise buildings. The paper also analyses the reasons of their uprise in different continents and evolution peculiarities as well as differences in architectural-planning solutions of these buildings in different world cities and their influence on urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the recent decade, the number of architectural competitions organised in Lithuania has been continuously growing. Analysis and inventory of the competitions reveal the essential features of the period, qualitative and dynamic changes in this field, and at the same time may be useful for improvement of the competition organisation system in the nearest future. The paper deals with the legislation changes that influence the competitions as well as introduces quantitative and typological analysis of the competitions of 1999-2009 comparing it with that of other periods. Achievements of the Lithuanian architects at international competitions, participation of foreign architects at creative contests of Lithuania are described. New manifestations of architectural criticism of competitions, the theme of plagiarism, gaps in competition organization, "commercialization", the tendency of strengthening pragmatic ambitions are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to make a review of reasons for the use of colour, bringing together the guidelines for the analysis of colour in architectural composition and analysing the use of colour in the new Vilnius architecture during the first years of the 21st century. The overview of colour usage in Vilnius architecture was based on the methodical scheme proposed by I. Araujo. As far as the relation between colour and architecture is concerned, he suggests employment of the following closely intertwined components: volume and surface, colour and light. Light in the Araujo's scheme is not solely a physical or metaphysical factor; it is an equivalent compositional constituent part in terms of colour. The foregoing allows including the stages of achromatic modern architecture into the research of chromatic composition. Having carried out an overview of colour usage in today's architecture of Vilnius, it must be stated that the peculiarities functioning in the city are not based on holistic or global principles. Different chromatic conceptions are simultaneously applied in the city. One of them pursues a contemporary achromatic line in architecture. The other conception makes an attempt at continuing the tradition of colour usage in architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Louis Kahn's creativity and thoughts are somewhere between modernism and postmodernism. His works respect the architectural traditions and eternal human values. Presented and commented Louis Kahn's thoughts about architecture, as an artistic field of creation, are presented and commented in the paper. It reviews the essence of creativity, feelings and actions that accompany creativity, and analyses the importance of such issues as proportion, material and their naturalistic character in today's architecture as well as the importance of the conception and respect for rules in the architect's work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is devoted to different aesthetic categories of the existing environment and to disjuncture between the social order, creators' ideas and public conception of the results. Architectural design presented as a dominating subject among artistic subjects reflects development of human culture as well as regular evolution of the whole civilization. Conflict sources reflect society's miscommunication reasons. Evaluation of artistic activities is based on outstanding examples of former and contemporary projects and realizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developments in the field of computer science and architecture lead to a new relationship between these two areas which influences architectural education and practice. The contemporary architectural design process in its individuality and uncertainty is characterized by the integration of different media and design instruments. There is an urgent need for architectural schools to recognize the value and use of the computer as an essential tool in architectural education and practice. The paper describes experimental results concerning new policy and objectives of teaching computer-aided architectural design (CAAD). The experiment performed also outlines relationship between teaching of CAAD and its application in architectural practice. We discuss problems and opportunities in teaching students of architecture CAAD and with CAAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper, while emphasing cognitive nature of locus cultural identity as well as theoretical and practical implications comprised by the so-called non-classical scientific paradigm, concentrates on ontological aspects of locus cultural identity. Although the role of an urban historic context in structuring of decisions, concerning the respectation of locus cultural identity, is generally acknowledged, however, the context itself is mostly considered on a visual, non-cognitive basis. On the other hand, too much confidence is put on the opinion of individual experts, thus narrowing the cognitive basis of a consideration area. Although factors determining identity of locus usually possess physical configurations, ontology of identity itself exists through a fundamental cognitive dimension and is revealed indirectly - through an active participation of recipients' structures of consciousness. Factors of locus identity can be discovered through a phenomenological analysis of evolution of locus treated in terms of a dynamic system. These factors can be indirectly presented by a certain system of symptoms that can be used for testing the fact of respectation (or disrespectation) of locus identity. Factors as well as symptoms organically function on a different ontological level than the identity itself. With the help of symptoms indicating them they inform about the conditions of continuity of locus treated as a certain evolutioning (alive) subject. They indirectly present a historic context in a packaged form, and, while containing certain structures of consciousness, they can provoke related ideas and associations in the mind of contemporary agents (designers, politicians), thus including a modern context into the process of locus identity respectation. One of the main reasons, why the mentioned ontological differences of identity and its factors are not reflected in the structure of territory planning regulations (codes), is the influence of theoretical models of a classical paradigm. It would be effective to extend the theoretical basis of locus cultural identity problems by already available concepts developed in the scientific areas of knowledge engineering, cogitology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]