Corporate culture of a successful school: Current situation at the FA STU or Where to pay more attention?
By Branislav Jelenčík
This paper focuses on the issue of corporate culture, particularly in the environment of the FA STU. Partly, as a tool for the analysis of relationships, values, attitudes, internal policies (author called it metaphorically as a mirror of an organization), also as a complex management approach to improving motivation and interaction of groups for a successful future of organizations – schools. Last but not least, as it is particular for the FA STU preparing young specialists – creators of the future material world, it presents the chance to integrate the issue of corporate culture in some of the subjects of their study. Again, in combination – both obtaining the necessary information for businessmen, owners of studios, and for employees in modern sophisticatedly controlled companies (our graduates are often more successful abroad). That is a matter of theory of how to gain control over the business. The paper also emphasizes the use of corporate culture issue in creating the so-called material (tangible) demonstrations. In many of their contracts, future architects or designers will have to take into account the requirements of the investors ́ corporate culture. This paper offers a list of school assignments where the connection of professional parameters and the presented requirements is clear and challenging. It is a quite pragmatic enrichment of classical school assignments. The author believes that this approach has the potential for even greater cooperation with practice and sponsors. The paper is divided into key chapters on theory, origin and the appropriateness of corporate culture, the problem of spontaneous and managed corporate culture, and finally the implementation of the above-mentioned issue into the study at FA STU. This article emphasizes the need for multicultural adaptability of organizations and individuals for the future, the experience obtained by building an effective corporate culture helps to achieve this goal. Relevant corporate culture, compatible with other influential cultures facilitates better involvement of organizations, their survival in difficult conditions and a successful perspective.
Houses need slaves
By Stanislav Števo
The article deals with the energy aspect of modern houses – housing in the context of the overall life cycle assessment. It describes many misconceptions of energy and environmental assessments of buildings, which lead together with cheap fossil fuels – “energy slaves” to current unsustainable standard of living. In many examples the senseless spiral of wasting is demonstrated, which spins the requirements of our homes. The second part of the article is devoted to the basic principles of construction and use of the houses heading towards sustainability. Inevitably, the conceptual and operational principles of the oldest known sustainable system – nature should be applied. As the nature builds and lives from that “what is by hand”, the sustainable house will have to be an integral part of its surroundings which covers all necessary materials, energy and food requirements. The final part of the article discusses the principles of perma-culture design of sustainable human residences and challenges in housing, which we will have to face in the future.
Abode of the homeless: Current conditions of homeless shelters
By Michal Czafík
The article deals with a current topic in the society – housing of homeless people in Bratislava and Nitra. The target groups are individually living people without permanent homes, whose main characteristic is their adaptability in the environment. The problem of housing of homeless people has been getting considerable lately as their number is increasing. The issue involves several disciplines of science, whereby in architecture it has not been sufficiently researched yet. As a basis for further research it is important to know the current localization of their shelters and the level of their social segregation in urban structures. Further it is necessary to examine the ways of accommodation and their physiological needs in context of Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs. The paper points out the essence of these aspects and deduces impulses for necessary humanization of housing environment in shelters in the near future.
Designed landscape in the Turiec region
By Miriam Heinrichová
A unique landscape masterpiece can be created by a lot of specific elements. They can infl uence the landscape scene. The composed historic landscape is one of the phenomena, which has arisen thanks to human wisdom and respect to landscape. The manor in Mošovce town is one example of such a human aesthetic participation in land use. The first important natural element which can influence the historic landscape is topography. In case of the historic landscape in Mošovce, the plain terrain influenced the land for an agricultural usage. An open, agricultural country was the result of agricultural utilization. The garden masterpiece is composed in contrast to open agricultural country. It is represented by closed character. This contrast is a result of the ambition to create a green oasis in contrast to the plain and weather-beaten soil. The concept is closed and richly articulated to an inner garden. But it does not mean that the composition is finished there. The garden communicates with its surroundings by the long-range ways bordered by alleys. The structure of interlocked green lines reminds of arteries, by which the energy pulses from and to the garden. The historic garden composition is thus not sunk in the landscape as it in the example of Štiavnička manor, but it is centralized to one point. From the compositional gravity centre it is shot out to the landscape by alley rays. The alley geometric structures (all with a strong functional context in history) give the landscape a unique identity. Water is an equally significant phenomenon in the garden composition as the previous landscape attribute. It is very interesting to see how natural it becomes a member of a garden composition. The historic water works in Mošovce manor have mostly functional character. However, the preserved historic pictures show beautiful pond sceneries e.g. an idyllic lover island or the composition of calm path lines flanking the ponds. Creativity and a piece of heart are presented in all elements. An integral part of the landscape creation is greenery. The historic garden masterpiece in Mošovce seems like if it was created by Slovak nature. A woodland character is alternating with clearings, water ponds and mountain views. The garden has successfully avoided a time period of intensive plant introduction. It is a great example of common tree species use. As for the tree composition there is a strong contrast between the natural scenes inside the masterpiece and the landscape open space surrounding. The contrast and harmony feature is also felt in the alleys system. The geometry symbolizes system and hierarchy, but wayfaring on the paths lined by alleys, accompanied by leave whisper and shadow under the trees, has a very romantic character.
On the disturbing aesthetics of the architect Štefan Svetko
By Jarmila Bencová
In the reflections, texts and committed lectures as well as in the widely commented work of Štefan Svetko (1926 – 2009) one can notice impatience and disturbance by the unfair social system, which influences and deforms personal and institutional professional processes. The disturbed character of the architect is also obvious in his unmistakable creative hand which lacks delicate elements, fine lines or subtle volumes in architecture as well in his drawing. Especially during his top architectural and urban design period of the 1960s and 70s, the constant search for optimal schemes and forced compromises between a brief and his creativity is still very obvious; the dilemma is reflected in the schemes of volumes and masses of his architectures and an effort for complexity, which is actually unachievable. On one hand, as an architectural office leader and a renowned architect and on the other hand his role of an author with distinctive and critical harsh perception of the world, he searches architectural and urban forms responsibly but at the same time studiously considers their technical and functional running, their performance while also bearing in mind their extraordinary aesthetic expression. This approach is often concentrated in expressive figurative forms and large scales of volumes or spaces. Svetko’s aesthetics opinion corresponds to the one of Le Corbusier, and in Slovakia it is close to Gahura’s architectural aesthetics. In tune with Svetko’s reasoning, he says: “– architecture strives for aesthetic form which could correspond with new construction forms; it searches for new arrangements, proportions and rhythm. It deals with the issues of implementation of those criteria into constructions of architectural works and enriching them. While fully respecting function and construction we form the mass so that it dynamically disturbs where it is necessary in the aesthetic sense.” In his architecture, the disturbance which Svetko achieves by the form and composition of volumes and by his unique expression, and which, it seems, he purposely cultivates. Alike in Svetko’s work, the creative and aesthetic disturbance is an inspiring moving force of many architectural and urban works of the late modernist era in Slovakia.