Methodology of Visual Pollution Assessment for Natural Landscapes

In 2014 the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania initiated creation of Methodology of the Assessment of Visual Pollution to Natural Landscape Complexes and Objetcs. In order to prepare the Methodology legal (international and national level) and theoretical framework (world-wide and Lithuanian experience in the field of visual impact assessment (VIA) and assessment of landscape visual-aethetic potential) was analysed and evaluated. Using the method of logical analogy and considering the results of analysis of legal and theoretical framework of VIA, and peculiarities of Lithuanian landscape, the concept of visual pollution and the main methodological stages of visual pollution assessment (VPA) for natural landscapes were proposed. The authors of the methodology state that the assessment of visual pollution should be based on: the establishment of the overall landscape character, visual character, visual capacity, and other aspects as the starting point for the evaluation of visual pollution; assessment of visibility of a pollution object; description of physical, visual and other characteristics of the pollution object; evaluation of negative visual impact (visual pollution) according the level of contrast of physical, visual and other characteristics of landscape and the pollution object

Urbanistinių struktūrų potencialo vertinimas: Kauno centras miesto visumos kontekste

The regenerative potential of a city as an ever- changing complex system is revealed by the evaluation results of the potentials of its subsystems. To reach this aim, method of fractal analysis can be used, which not only reveals the form properties of an evaluated structure but its functionality as well. The urban potential is understood as meta-functional possibilities of city territories, which are determined by fractal indexes of structures (as generators of streams), streets (as connections between generators), greenery (as eco-compensational territories and green generators of streams in bipolar system of meta-functional zones of a city) and public spaces (as generators of streams and spaces of communications). Using this method, evaluation of potential of Kaunas urban structures was performed. The results of the analysis allowed identifying meta-functional zones of Kaunas city: urban frame, nature frame and background areas with unused potential of urban qualitative and quantitative development, indicating the weak sides of their urban morphological structure. The results also allowed identifying complex parameters of a spatial code of valuable urban areas that can be applied regulating use of the territories. Santrauka Miesto, kaip nuolat besikeičiančios sudėtingos sistemos, atsinaujinimo ir evoliucionavimo potencialą atskleidžia apibendrinti jo posistemių potencialų įvertinimo rezultatai. Tam tikslui gali būti naudojamas fraktalinės analizės metodas, kuris atskleidžia ne tik vertinamos struktūros formos savybes, bet ir jos funkcines galimybes. Urbanistinis potencialas suprantamas kaip metafunkcinės miesto teritorijų ir erdvinių struktūrų galimybės, kurias parodo pastatų (srautų generatoriai), gatvių (ryšiai tarp generatorių), želdynų (ekokompensacinės teritorijos ir žalieji srautų generatoriai miesto bipolėje metafunkcinių zonų sistemoje) ir viešųjų erdvių (srautų generatoriai ir ryšių erdvės) fraktaliniai indeksai. Naudojant šį metodą atliktas Kauno urbanistinių struktūrų potencialo vertinimas. Tyrimo rezultatai leidžia išryškinti metafunkcines Kauno miesto zonas: urbanistinį karkasą, gamtinį karkasą ir fonines, neišnaudotų urbanistinės kokybinės ir kiekybinės plėtros galimybių teritorijas, nurodant jų urbanistinės morfostruktūros trūkumus. Rezultatai taip pat leidžia identifikuoti vertingų urbanistinių teritorijų erdvinio kodo kompleksiškus parametrus, kurie gali būti naudojami reglamentuojant teritorijų panaudojimą. First Publish Online: 22 May 2013 Reikšminiai žodžiai: urbanistinis potencialas, urbanistinė morfostruktūra, viešosios erdvės, gatvių tinklas, želdynai, Kauna

Darnios pastatų architektūros genotipas ir fenotipas

Sustainable design and construction are the trends of environmental design and management gaining an increasing acknowledgement and popularity. The definitions targeted at the environmentally friendly building architecture, such as “sustainable architecture”, “ecological architecture”, “green architecture” are widespread in literature; however, the analysis of literature has also revealed the insufficient attention to the theoretical basis of the application of the principles of sustainability to the field of architectural design: no unified definition of sustainable building architecture is provided, insufficient attention is devoted to the visual and aesthetic aspects of sustainable design, to the links of sustainable buildings with the contextual environment, and the wider influence of the sustainable architectural design on the development of the built environment is also rarely analysed. These aspects of the problem justify the aim of the article, which is to highlight the main features of sustainable building architecture, the main trends of its visual expression, and to link them with the particular contextual environments using the example of Kaunas city. The entire analysis is carried out using analogies from natural sciences – genotype and phenotype – and the character of their interconnections. Santrauka Darnus projektavimas ir darni statyba – tai vis labiau populiarėjančios ir plačiau pripažįstamos aplinkos formavimo veiklos kryptys. Nors literatūroje dažnai sutinkami aplinką tausojančią pastatų architektūrą apibūdinantys terminai, tokie kaip „darni architektūra“, „ekologiška architektūra“, „žalioji architektūra“, tačiau kartu pastebimas ir nepakankamas dėmesys teoriniam darnaus vystymosi principais paremto projektavimo pagrindui: nėra pateikiamas konkretus darnios pastatų architektūros apibrėžimas, mažai skiriama dėmesio vizualiniams, estetiniams darnaus projektavimo klausimams, darnios architektūros pastatų santykiui su kontekstine aplinka, darnaus vystymosi principais paremtos architektūros kūrimo įtakai darniam užstatytos aplinkos vystymuisi platesniu mastu. Šie problemos aspektai pagrindžia straipsnio tikslą – remiantis iš gamtos mokslų perimtomis genotipo ir fenotipo sąvokomis ir jų tarpusavio sąsajomis, išryškinti svarbiausius darnios pastatų architektūros bruožus, jos vizualinės raiškos kryptis ir, remiantis Kauno miesto pavyzdžiu, susieti jas su konkrečia kontekstine aplinka. First Publish Online: 22 May 2013 Reikšminiai žodžiai: darnus vystymasis, darni architektūra, genotipas, fenotipas, Kaunas

Innovations of architectural studies at Kaunas University of Technology

During the last decade in the context of the desired results of architectural studies described in European directive 2013/55/EU the following problems and challenges in the field of learning quality at KTU could be observed: the lack of study process flexibility; the lack of students’ ability to integrate knowledge gained from different study subjects; the lack of analytical and communication skills, etc. Having in mind three basic elements, like systematicity, integrity, and flexibility, we are gradually improving architectural studies by trying to integrate related study subjects and put stronger emphasis on architectural design and urban planning study modules; to develop study results which are directly related with the precise skills necessary for architect; to seek for the new study methods, etc. We also state that even small improvements of the study methods can lead to the efficient solution of these problems. Our solutions are unusual and innovative in the context of East European traditional learning of architecture. The aim of the paper is to review the experience of solving the mentioned problems in KTU by improving study aims, results, methods, and curriculum of the first cycle study program

Using space syntax method and GIS-based analysis for the spatial allocation of roadside rest areas

A well-grounded system of Roadside Rest Areas (RRA) for transit travellers and local inhabitants in Latvia and Lithuania is absent. To select places for the location of RRA on Latvian–Lithuanian cross-border roads space syntax method and GIS-based analysis was used. The aim of this article is to present the developed methodology, results of the performed research and to lead discussion for the further development and applicability of the methodology. The application of space syntax method to nine transit roads in Latvian–Lithuanian border zone reveals that considering both local and regional contexts three roads or their parts could be recommended for the location of RRA. For the more precise location of RRA GIS-based method was developed. This method includes the GIS capabilities of information collection, spatial analysis and multi-criteria (eight criteria were selected) evaluation. The main proposed methodical stages are: creation of the thematic GIS database; formulation of RRA sites selection criteria, division of the analysed road into intervals, and assignment of attribute data according to the criteria to the road intervals; generation of buffer zones for the analysed road and evaluation of them according the selected criteria; assignment of values provided to the buffer zones to the road intervals attribute data and total rating of roadside area potential to equip rest areas; elaboration of road buffer zone area suitable for the location of RRA

Visual identity of city gateways - the problem and possible solutions

City gateways are a part of the urban framework important from the functional and compositional point of view, the purpose of which is formation of city's visual identity, visual (and not only) orientation in the city environment, space for people to communicate and so on. Today we have annihilated the function of visual identity of city gateways as well as other problems such as: undeveloped social infrastructure, monotonous mono-functional urban spaces, the prioritisation of motor-transport over pedestrians etc. These problems have arisen because of the badly managed phenomenon of urban sprawl. The aim of the article is to propose some principles upon which city gateways may be formed seeking to revitalise and sustain their function of creating the visual identity of a city. In order to achieve this aim, the conception of city gateways as a representative object of a city is discussed on the juridical and territory planning level, the reasons of the loss of the visual identity of Lithuanian cities gateways are highlighted, the means and examples of formation of distinctive city gateways in foreign cities are also reviewe

Landscape Ontology of Arctic Yakutia: An Interdisciplinary Spatial Approach

International audienceThe aim of the paper is to present an interdisciplinary spatial methodological approach of transformation and construction of knowledge about the arctic landscape. The construction of socio-cultural, socio-environmental and territorial knowledge is based on: (a) the development of an interdisciplinary methodology integrated and formalized ontologically, where researchers initially follow a positivist approach; (b) the systematic collection of geographical, sociolinguistic, spatial, and archaeological land data, maps, toponyms, linguistic dictionaries; (c) the integration of the collected data into a geolinguistic and geographic database, organized, merged and structured according to the ontological model created integrating it into a geographic information system (GIS); (d) the acquisition of spatial remote sensing data. The established geographical indicators encompass geographical, cultural, anthropological, historical and territorial objects modelled by Earth satellite remote sensing. It also gives the possibility to extract ontologies of landscapes: the geographic objects, geolocalised, and as an element or a whole ontologically defining a place