Rewaloryzacja kamienic czynszowych z początku XX w. na przykładzie ulicy Piastowskiej we Wrocławiu

Although problems of the renewal enjoy an ever bigger appreciation of the society, in most cases they are, as a rule, limited to historic old-town centres and mainly cover structures of high historic merit. The same holds true of the problem of conservation, modernization and adaptation of housing resources from the 19th century. The problems are dealt with by various research centres in, i.a., Warsaw, Cracow, Gdańsk, Łódź and Wroclaw. The most interesting and worth restoring part of Wroclaw is the complex at Piastowska Street. Its most valuable part with high architectural values comprises 21 houses in eastern and western frontages as well as a small rectangular square jutting out onto the western elevation. Despite formal differences in the façades of individual buildings, on the whole they represent a stylistically uniform entity. War destruction as well as post-war repair works have only slightly affected a technical condition and functional arrangement of the buildings, while the standard of apartments that are found there does not satisfy to-day’s requirements. A similar situation prevails in the entire region of Grunwaldzki Square in Wroclaw. All lived-in apartments have to be renewed and their renewal must be based on thorough studies comprising all aspects of the whole complex phenomenon. Decisions on reconstruction should be related to a strategy of rebuilding which must determine spatial transformation in the entire town; of course, historic and cultural values of individual structures must be taken into consideration. When analyzing in such a way Piastowska street and the 19th century buildings in Wroclaw the conclusion may be reached that its most interesting and worth preserving elements are factors associated mainly with the architectural form. Functional factors, inconsistent with present requirements, decide of the necessity to modernize. Due to limited possibilities of the transformation of old constructional and functional systems, repair and modernization works aimed to restore original technical and aesthetic values and to improve functional values make impossible the achievement in full of the necessary standard. Therefore it seems necessary to renounce traditional forms of repairing and to introduce new bold methods of constructional and building transformations, carried out in a somewhat industrialized way. Actions aimed at a full restoration of the 19th century housing resources should be concentrated on undertakings in the field of organizational, legal and methodological changes in renewal processes.