Work

The Role of Tall Buildings in Sustainable Urban Composition—The Case of Hanza Tower in Szczecin (Poland)

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Tall buildings are a unique category of architectural objects, as they are characterized by a strong self-presentation effect and have a significant visual impact on the urban composition and the surrounding cityscape. This contextual impact has a one-way character—it is directed from the tall building to its surroundings, the neighborhood, the entire urban area, and the landscape. The context of the surroundings generally has no effect on tall buildings. Tall buildings are usually solitary structures, focused on their own composition. Conversely, the impact of a tall building is multifaceted: it is symbolic, iconic, and compositional, in the sense that it is a ‘strong’ form that draws attention to itself. This study analyzes and evaluates the case of the Hanza Tower, a tall building in Szczecin, and its impact on the city of Szczecin in terms of urban, architectural, and historical contexts, as well as its location in relation to its surroundings. In this case, the authors have considered the spatial and cityscape impact of skyscrapers when viewed from a distance, as well as the role a skyscraper plays in terms of its symbolic, contextual, and compositional significance within the city. Attention is drawn to the sustainable correlation of the placement of the tall building with the spatial composition of the city layout to make its overall structure legible.

Source: Arts

DOI: 10.3390/arts14020030

Authors: Zbigniew Władysław Paszkowski, Klara Czyńska, Natalia Emilia Paszkowska-Kaczmarek

Institutions: Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Centre for Economic Analysis - CenEA

Language: English

Topic: Architecture, Modernity, and Design

Subfield: Architecture

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,689