Łukasz Wesołowski
Abstract
At the end of 19th there was a short period of increasing popularity of wooden buildings. Alpen Tyrol-like objects which local typology become visible in crow-dy locations. Development of wood machining technology was a factor for evo-lution of decorative architectural forms. Timber verandas turned to be a trademark on newly developed SPA locations. Firstly visible on guesthouses with a time found their place in villas and even on tenement houses.
In verandas there ware social meetings organized, it was a place for meals serving and rain covered shelter. It worked as a buffer zone on windy conditions, during a winter with large glazing surfaces it provided light and worm and during sum-mer it was one of the cooling spaces. Thermal performance simulations showed that it was an example of solar architecture a century before the definition was estabished. Historic verandas were elements of modern designed building that are include solar gains and increase overall energy performance of a building.
Verandas are nowdays an established architectural form of Sopot that is desired and proposed in city urban planning. With traditional building materials like bricks and reinforced concrete or fully glazed it has lost proportions and character of lightweight timber structure. With newly intoruced on our markets mass timber technology – which EU is promoting in sustainability programs for buildings sector – it can become a return to the roots of decorative, light and transparent historical forms of buildings with eco-friendly and great energy performance that will support individual character of unique traditional SPA cities like Sopot.
Keywords
Sustainable buildings in wood, timber verandas, solar timber architecture, decora-tive wooden architectural forms
