April 26, 2025
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Summary of approved PhD theses

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Placemaking—a tool for the transformation of public areas of the housing estate
Ing. arch. Viktor Kasala, PhD.

Petržalka, as a new urban sector of Bratislava, was planned as a complex part of the settlement, expanding the urban environment of the capital. During the planning process, it was a showcase applying contemporary trends in urban design, a discipline that at that time was living its golden age in the socialist Czechoslovakia, embodied by Prof. Emanuel Hruška and his new urban planning school. Complex considerations from the international competition were transformed into urban situations and plans. The basic principles of a multi-level housing estate with segregated various types of mobility were fundamentally reduced during the development of the project documentation for individual building objects and structures. Main reductions of complex idea were made during the construction process. The result is a mono-functional and barrier urban structure isolated from the heart of Bratislava by a mighty river Danube with its inundation zone, the still undeveloped Petržalka centre, an inner-city highway, and a railway line. The research elaborates on the topic of public spaces in the Bratislava’s city sector of Petržalka. The topic focuses on the phenomenon of the so-called terraces of Petržalka, which represent elevated pedestrian walkways. They were supposed to connect and make accessible linear structures of apartment buildings with built-in civic amenities, multifunctional ground floor of buildings, stops of the main public transport system (planned as underground) and buildings with higher-level public amenities. The public was not usually part of the planning process in the times when Petržalka was being planned; the kind of practice opposite to the current principle of planning and development. The aim of the research is to clarify the role of these structures, intended by the authors of urban plans, within the planning process, to clarify the current state from the point of view of strategic development, social and societal perception, as well as the current construction state, and to present the possibilities of developing these structures in the short and long term. Moreover, the research wishes to define the role of residents in the transformation of their neighbourhood and a suitable way of their involvement, from obtaining initial data to exploring suitable forms of active participation. Petržalka has the potential to be a “Petri dish” for such complex considerations and studies that would apply current global trends and present them to other municipalities in Slovakia and abroad.

Temporary forms of performative space
Ing. arch. Kristína Boháčová, PhD.

The thesis addresses non-theatre spaces, supplemented by various forms of temporary objects, assuming the role of theatre architecture. In the introduction, we clarify the subject of our research, define the terminology used, and state the research objectives, questions and methods. In the practical part of the research, we design and build our own temporary form of performative space. Applying critical reflection, we evaluate the positives and negatives of the project, and later, using the form of an experiment, we explore the potential of similar projects in diversifying the theatrical audience and making the performing arts more inclusive. In conclusion, we present the data obtained during the implementation of the object, which, together with the theoretical basis, create a comprehensive picture of the addressed issue and confirm the posited hypothesis.

The phenomenon of temporary architecture
Ing. arch. Simona Kolimárová, PhD.

The dissertation thesis addresses the topic of temporary architecture, which may be defined as non-permanent objects. It may be stated that the relationship between these objects and time is a defining aspect of their nature, and that this relationship is in some way more fundamental than their relationship to space. In the introduction, we the subject of our research and the theoretical background of temporality in architectural discourse are clarified, associated terms are defined, and the research questions and objectives of the dissertation are specified. The thesis is based on a case study approach to evaluate the characteristics of implemented projects and identify pivotal moments in its evolution—when relationship between temporary architecture and time has changed. The individual characteristics and milestones are presented in diagrams and charts, demonstrating the variations and changes in the functional content and means of articulating the objects of temporary architecture. The next part of the thesis narrows its focus and presents temporary architecture in Slovakia, thus presenting the specifics of the structures, further research tendencies and verification of the theoretical knowledge evaluated in the thesis.