Updating or permanent modification of buildings to increase their utility qualities and improve the aesthetics of the developed environment.

Large-scale activities encompassing constructive multidimensional (social, architectural, planning and economic) transformation of the areas which were affected by adverse economic conditions and social factors as a result of change of function or long-lasting degradation.

Teaching of architecture, urban planning and spatial management at universities of the given type, e.g. technical universities.

Architecture which challenges the conventional concepts and norms and cannot be developed. It includes fantastic, absolute or simulated architecture. Such projects are frequently Utopian. They may also serve as a platform for critical opinions.

Projects which involve local community not only on the consultations and design stage but also during construction phase, and they take advantage of local community’s resources.

Exhibition of a prototype or fragment of future structure, which gives a real-life experience.

Art of space planning and designing for living, aesthetic or ideological purposes. It includes design and construction of buildings, landscape, interiors, as well as other structures.

Field of academic research into human communities in the context of urban space.

Branch of psychology which examines the relationship between the physical surrounding and human behavior. As a meta-discipline rooted in sciences and architecture, it analyzes natural, geographic, social, cultural and psychological environments.

Field of research which is derived from environmental psychology and architecture and examines urban environment. It analyzes dependencies between people and the environment in anthropological, sociological, behavioral and semantic context.

Field of research which examines the impact of space on human relations, ways of communication and people’s attitudes towards the surrounding environment – in various cultures.

Field of research related to observation and analysis of senses, the brain and the mind, in particular through modeling. In architecture, it may be applied to cognitive processes.

Research of the city from the standpoint of its cultural, political, economic and social systems.

Treating architecture as a system of characters and a manner of communication, which may be analyzed based on linguistic theories.

Interdisciplinary research and analysis of the city, which utilizes methods typical to geography such as maps, statistics and records.

Variation of phenomenology which examines and describes the experience of space and its significance.

Research of cultural phenomena concerning humans, their behavior and habits in the context of urban environment.

Digital tools for creating prototypes – laser cutting and CNC, 3D printing (e.g. FAB-LAB).

Coordination of activities and investments and cooperation between administrations of various levels, NGOs, private individuals and communities, related to management of processes.

Spatial analysis method, which utilizes dedicated software to determine relationships between the interiors and the space. It predicts potential decisions of users of that space and displays them on graphs.

Usage of modern materials in architectural and construction industry.

Participatory democratic processes of finding agreements between the various stakeholders of the project (e.g. EASW).

Method of solving problems through simplification, hierarchizing, information hiding or replacing diagrams for analysis of materials. Initially used in information technology, it may be also applied to architecture.

Programming method which utilizes autonomous units referred to as “agents”. It may be applied e.g. to perform crowd behavior simulations.

Introduction of new technological solutions streamlining the construction process.

Field of technical knowledge concerned with construction materials, their characteristics, structure, properties, processing and wear and tear.

Ability to give the project the physical shape and specific form. Ability to consistently conduct the process from idea to development.

New solutions for construction planning and management.

Development of solutions and templates for CAD programming environments.

Building Information Modelling – Integrated processing of digital data related to the project, which are entered by all the industries involved in the investment process.

Solutions utilizing the architects’ ability of associative thinking and combining various skills, including designing of processes or cost-reducing solutions.

Projects performed to support specific social, educational or popularization initiatives.

Voluntary design work for economically disadvantaged members of society or individuals affected by natural disasters.

Creating the platform for constructive mediation and discussion of problems and initiating public debate.

Interdisciplinary consultations concerning issues of city living, conducted with participation of representatives of all stakeholders (e.g. designers, partners, authorities, citizens, end users) in the design process in order to help ensure the product usability.

Active participation in work of central and local governments to improve aspects related to construction industry, e.g. housing policy.

Design practice which assumes re-use of materials, saving of resources and reduction of waste. Related to efficient resources management and alternative aesthetics and lifestyle, e.g. Cradle-to-Cradle design.

Searching for new construction materials whose production or extraction is least detrimental to the environment.

Idea of active and open-minded civil society which shapes the environment in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.

Municipal management consistent with principles of sustainable development and environmentally responsible models and procedures.

Estimation – performed by an expert – of the given building’s electricity demand.

Buildings constructed in traditional form and from materials which were originally used for construction on the given area.

Energy efficient buildings which are not connected to municipal grids and networks. They are fitted with the systems for gathering water, generating electricity and treating sewage.

Projects created with environmentally-friendly materials and technologies. This is usually confirmed by relevant energy performance certificates.

Buildings which measure actual environmental conditions and adapt their form, shape, color or character responsively.

Unconventional structures often erected with non-standard building materials. The most important trends include recycling, transformation and ephemeral architecture. Practiced by individuals searching for environmentally-friendly solutions or aesthetic experience.

Form of financing projects through soliciting small non-recurring payments from large number of individuals who have interest in the given initiative.

Utilization of cooperation and debate to enhance knowledge, skills and abilities. Used in problem-solving and group work (e.g. in workshops).

Using online encyclopedias as a tool to create, develop and disseminate knowledge. This term also applies to Internet users who indiscriminately rely on online sources.

Searching and creating future architectural trends, most frequently through self-publishing and blogs.

Positioning of projects, architects and architectural offices through PR activities and establishing support and advocacy groups.

Process of generating cultural information which becomes popular and thus begins to determine the meaning of phrases and affects architectural trends.

Formalized discussion and exchange of opinions during public meetings or in the media.

Presentation of private opinions and experience in online blogs related to architecture.

Online databases of designs, software and applications, which constitute a mass distribution channel for innovative sustainable designs to improve the quality of life for all.

Bringing the things that were omitted or forgotten back to the debate about the city. Preserving the disappearing landscapes or informal phenomena through publications, documentation or interventions.

Method of revitalizing the public spaces, literally “making of the place”, through Light, Quick, Cheap (LQC) projects. This method treats the members of local community as representatives of the place in which they live.

Creating the space and giving the residents the reasons to adopt customs and habits of city lifestyle and social practices desired by local community.

Activities aiming at addressing problems and issues of cities and local communities, e.g. tenant activism.

Bottom-up activism consisting in development or temporary occupation of buildings, wastelands or spaces that have been abandoned or whose ownership status is unclear – to organize events, for residential purposes (squats, ruin pubs), etc.

Research, popularization and activities aiming at preserving and revitalizing valuable architectural and urban heritage, initiated by enthusiasts, NGOs and local government institutions.

Events connected with activities of non-governmental organizations creating and supporting bottom-up initiatives.

Informal groups improving the city public space through spectacular actions – which were not agreed with public administration or administrators of the given area – whose purpose is to attract the municipal authorities’ attention to local communities’ issues and problems.

Modifications or small objects introduced usually into public spaces to change the manner of usage, nature or perception of those spaces.

Comprehensive learning and study trips oriented on architecture and its cultural contexts. Frequently dedicated to a specific topic.

Collaborative design sessions with participation of architects and urban planners as well as representatives of local community and decision-makers, which are usually finalized with a discussion between the parties concerned.

Group design sessions for people who do not work together on daily basis.

Training and courses on how to use professional software aiding the design process.

Providing assistance to artists through grants, scholarships and residency programs.

Educational publications, including traditional publications such as scripts and textbooks as well as publications made on vertical portals, blogs and social networking sites.

Experience gained through internships, vocational training or participation in specialist courses.

Practice of development of innovations and research technologies through cooperation between universities, research entities, businesses and government entities.

Postgraduate studies and design labs with their own methodological and programming orientation and high degree of specialization.

Performing repetitive activities, undertaking similar projects and improving practice through small innovations. Learning undertaken for the purpose of specialization in the field of architecture.

Conducting courses on architectural drawing, in most of cases to prepare candidates for an entrance examination administered by a school of architecture.

Organization of self-education meetings of architects, exchange of reading materials, creating study groups.

Tidying up knowledge and creating knowledge resources. Development of collections and archives, e.g. online services and databases dedicated to the topic.

Training, workshops and discussions organized to broaden the knowledge of architecture.

Introduction of architectural education in kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school and senior high school curricula.

Learning which takes place outside of university systems, usually through practice, apprenticeship or by combined or self-developed methods, including self-teaching (e.g. Waldorf (Steiner) education).

Preparation of grant proposals and projects aiming at developing and introducing innovations.

Working in teams created by different laboratories and institutions. The members of such teams have complementary qualifications and skills. The work is performed via direct means of remote communication, usually networks or digital platforms.

Planning of cognitive activities (observation of users, analysis of the context in which things are used, testing), and outlining the area of cooperation between industries in the process of developing business strategy. Also known as creativity of the production process.

Application of technologies which utilize micro particles, e.g. micro crystals used in development of new building materials (nanotechnology).

Solutions improving quality of life in large cities, e.g. infrastructure which responds to traffic intensity, wireless network-based energy saving improvements such as automatically activated lighting which can sense a person with a mobile phone, smart trash bin sensors.

Use of methods and tools which comprehensively integrate various technical and non-technical aspects of design and development process. Activities are performed within a multidisciplinary workshop.

Creating forms and structures inspired by nature, which may be developed thanks to advanced technologies (e.g. blobitecture).

Anticipation of specific phenomena or changes in the way things are used.

Design which utilizes sensory interactions, such as sound installations, smell installations or spaces formulated to deceive or disturb the sense of orientation.

Development of new types of building complexes and their spatial and functional structures, whose aim is to tackle specific design problems. They include multifunctional hyperbuildings or self-contained cities.

Spaces in which the real environment is combined with computer-generated visualizations in real time, e.g. Augmented Reality.

Searching for alternative ways of shaping urban environment. Involves innovative solutions to improve air quality, develop wastelands, improve city parks and green areas and increase life quality in general.

A general term referring to digital architecture and real environments, which contain elements of electronic services or augmented reality (e.g. soft-spaces, trans-architecture).

Interdisciplinary research field encompassing the analyses of all types of environments, such as material, geographic, architectural, social and virtual environments and interactions between them.

Research field which has its origins in military engineering and aeronautics. Recently, it has been applied to optimization and simulation of building forms.

Architectural visions displayed as visualizations or mock-ups. They usually do not pertain to real life situations. Their purpose is to depict unrealistic or non-existent ideas or spaces.

Buildings which – due to the way they were built and their function – may be moved from place to place (e.g. floating architecture). They have mobile parts and may be moved entirely or in part.

Projects designed to serve as habitats in extreme environments, such as polar zones, underwater bases, orbital stations.

Architecture generated with digital tools. Its shape is the result of application of the set of rules and algorithms. Generative architecture is often an experiment whose outcomes depend on the assumed degree of randomness.

Virtual space designs used in motion pictures or video games; also used to portray physical spaces, e.g. digital reconstructions, virtual museums.

Competitions which aim at analyzing the potential solutions to a specific problem related to architecture or urban planning. Their purpose is also to develop guidelines for other projects.

Competition organized to select the best architectural concept which will serve the defined purpose. This concept will be subsequently developed.

Procedures for selection of offers to conclude an agreement, conducted by e.g. public entities and governed by public procurement law. Frequently treated as an equivalent of architectural competition.

Contests for ideas or projects of small informal structures, forms, interventions; call for papers – an open call to write an article dedicated to the given topic in a magazine or in other media.

Awards in a specific category granted for completed objects or awards granted to architects for their achievements; also architectural “beauty contests” such as e.g. Mister of Warsaw (Mister Warszawy).

Individual or group tourism whose purpose is to learn about architectural works. It is supported by publications, online services and local information in the field.

Selected lectures or discussions provided by universities, institutions or museums or recordings thereof in the form of e.g. podcasts.

Scientific, popular science, informational or marketing lectures or seminars.

Usage of space as background or context for the exhibited objects (works of art, trends, ideas, accomplishments); designing permanent exhibitions in the townscape.

Special exhibitions, e.g. jubilee exhibitions, which use architecture as a setting or carrier of a message or image. Information boards, publications and guides are also used.

Exhibitions presenting visions and forecasts of trends, phenomena and predicted shape of cities, environments and ideas.

Open-air permanent museum exhibition of historic buildings.

Constructions of model buildings, building exhibitions
(e.g. IBA, Interbau – Internationale Bauausstellung).

Areas for collective sensory experience, which feature interaction with the audience and utilization of multimedia.

Exhibitions of reproductions of architecture or aspects related to it, which promote ideas, objectives and achievements. They may include educational, historical or critical exhibitions.

Periodic thematic events dedicated to architecture, theory and the city (e.g. architecture biennale).

Influence exerted by the locality not through its substance, i.e. material which was used to build it, but through its impact (actions of its users).

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Anthologies, monographs, popular publications, biographies, hagiographies, self-publications, exhibition catalogs, magazines.

Books explaining various issues related to architecture in the manner understandable to a future recipient, e.g. books for children, illustrated dictionaries, textbooks for students of architecture.

Original or only slightly modified editions of important publications, frequently provided with a commentary.

Comprehensive collection of written scientific statements on architecture. Includes the following types of texts: historiographical texts, indexes, dictionaries, lexicons, biographies, encyclopedias, statistical data.

Publications intended for architecture and construction industry professionals, including professional magazines and templates of technical solutions and materials.

Articles, editorials, discussions, interviews, chronicles, reports, comments or blogs published in mass media (nonrecurring publications, press, radio, TV, Internet, books).

Items created to promote sites, ideas or brands, such as decorative elements or miniatures. Often designed to resemble popular science publications (guides, archimaps).

Alternative publications on architecture. Frequently they constitute the platform for critical opinions and unofficial circulation of information.

Meetings initiated by specialists to conduct research related to space planning and design problems.

Independent non-profit research groups which generate and accumulate knowledge and which act as platforms for exchange of experience and search for solutions.

Design procedures, research and scenarios of design processes utilized in practice and in design research, e.g. mapping, operations analysis, data modeling, comparative studies.

Searching for information in the archives, e.g. in photographic archives or private collections.

Carrying out educational, promotional, research and social projects through non-governmental organizations.

Stimulation of debate on architecture through organizing exhibitions, making publications etc.

Design research formula in which the process of deduction and investigation is not based on traditional textbook deduction methods (e.g. CUDOS) but on experimentation. It involves selection of methods based on practice and data which result from the designing process itself.

Investigation and acquisition of knowledge specific to the process of designing. Research of design methods and processes supported by tools from various fields, such as knowledge management, statistics or historiography. Currently, this research constitutes an autonomous field of activity related to architecture.

Formulating theoretical basis and opinions about architecture outside of academic community.

Formulation and verbalization of architectural problems as part of scientific activity.

Comparative studies and analyses of links between schools and directions of architectural discourse. This may also include impact on other disciplines and areas of art.

Commenting designs, executed projects and urban architectural ideas, and evaluating them according to qualitative, social and economic criteria.

Image-building tactic based on radical solutions, excessive conceptualization and pretending to utilize specialist knowledge for marketing or self-promotion purposes.

Participation in processes of improving the image of future investment sites. Such activities include designing temporary facilities, organizing events and renting spaces in existing buildings to architects/designers at preferential rates.

Use of public anxiety or panic in order to create demand for certain type of architecture, e.g. use of green PR to create market for certain architectural solutions, referred to as greenwash.

Creating urban spaces to serve the needs of a narrow group of people, usually financial elite, without consulting the general public; an element of the real estate market.

Loyalty agreements between designers and suppliers or contractors – constitute a form of a bribe if concluded without investor’s knowledge.

Generating information whose main objective is to attract media attention for image-related and marketing purposes. Decoy projects.

Work without salary or for a salary lower than the salary which is usually paid for unskilled work, undertaken for prestige or for the purpose of finding a permanent job.

Development of commercial materials, visualizations and simulations preceding the construction of a building.

Providing design services to engineering and construction industry, e.g. execution of infrastructural projects in the context of accompanying architectural objects.

Designers’ role as consultants e.g. when devising preferential rent plans.

Designing with the aim of earning maximum profit without or with little regard to values other than money.

Architecture as a motive of popular culture, e.g. interior design magazines, pop-up shops, guerrilla boutiques, architecture tabloids and TV channels.

Projects endorsed by celebrity architects, which attract media attention.

Giving preference to formal qualities, which results in changing or diminishing the significance of other dimensions of the project, e.g. cost or ability to serve its purpose. Superficial application of popular formal solutions to satisfy the designer’s ambitions or achieve PR purposes.

Looking for loopholes in regulations and procedures to achieve particular objectives – usually increase profits.

Complete redesign of the site to change its manner of usage, including installation of control tools (e.g. lighting as a tool of eradication of undesired behavior, installation of preventive architectural elements such as grind stoppers or monitoring system).

Design which follows imposed standards, e.g. standards of distribution, function, visual codes (retail chains, offices).

Miniature architectural structures such as e.g. mailboxes, animal houses, bird feeders or dog kennels, which are shaped according to current architectural fashion trends.

Ancient building design practice based on scientifically unproven “energies of Earth and Cosmos”, which is used in designing buildings and cities in China to this day.

Designing of facilities, structures and systems for the architectural objects, e.g. specialist equipment of the museums, airports, etc.

Spatial setting of events, installations and arrangements, which involves coordination, mediation and production.

Introduction of new urbanism practices such as green urbanism, flexible urbanism, networked urbanism, peer-to-peer, tactical urbanism – to build and enhance social capital.

Neighborhood projects carried out in a local community, which aim at improving the quality of life in the neighborhood.

Application of KBD systems and multi-criteria assessments to resolve complex project-related problems or mitigate risk.

Interest in forgotten craftsmanship techniques, production of limited series of interior decoration/alternative architecture items.

Development and update of prevailing norms and standards of design.

Tendency to use nostalgic retro style, in particular elements of 20th century city design and landscape such as neons, graphics and interior arrangement.

Large-size installations formed in relation to size of a person and to the scale of landscape, which integrate art and urban development.

Designing of mass-produced systemic elements, which serve as a tool for the users to co-create and transform architecture.

Movement towards independently finding jobs or problems which may be performed/resolved using tools of design.

Art performances utilizing the city or its architecture as background for or site of performance.

Creation of architectural facilities and spaces as an outcome or element of art.

Movement towards in-house creation or distribution of products or organizing events, supported by instructions and tools available online. Initially unofficial, such publications recently have become mainstream.

Recomprehension and retrospection of ideas, comparisons of designs. Implementation of an idea in a new context.

Market value assessment of a building, a structure or part thereof performed by property valuation experts.

Printing outlets and printing houses which specialize in architecture and provide services on the architectural and construction market.

Creating drawings and paintings of architecture using traditional methods.

Development and sale of specialist architectural design software .

Expert assessments and legal assistance in the process of concluding contracts, and assistance in resolving disputes with customers, contractors and industry specialists.

Office administration and coordination, archiving, PR, HR.

Trade and distribution services related to architectural and construction industry (sale of construction materials, furnishings, machinery, etc.).

Making of wooden, plastic, cardboard, etc. scale models of spatial composition or architectural forms, to be used in presentation after completion of the design process.

Drafting the architectural documentation and making technical drawings.

Office financial services, insurance, administration of the investment project.

Development of information graphics explaining the designs and processes, and creating the spatial orientation aiding systems.

Graphic design performed by and for the architects.

Taking pictures of architectural objects, city and landscape for documentation, presentation and scientific purposes.

Specialist or general consultations and professional advice.

Verification/signing of designs, validation of the design, validation of plans.

Activities of chambers of architects, professional organizations and professional self-governments of various levels.

Municipal, local and state offices and services responsible for construction, zoning and municipal aesthetics.

Active participation in drafting or amending laws governing the work conditions of architects and urban planners (co-drafting new legal regulations).

Summaries, lists, documentation and archival resources used in management of resources and processes.

Architects working as experts, appraisers, inspectors, producers or substitutionary investors.

Mass-produced street furniture, pedestrian footbridges, bus stops and other small architectural objects.

Overseeing and providing engineering support for construction projects.

The art of shaping the theatrical spaces and settings for live shows and film presentations.

Mathematical operations involving systematizing and adjusting the statistical data to be used in graphical presentations or in works performed prior to making a design.

Designs which are created without being officially ordered. They act as an illustration of an idea or means of acquiring the orders proper.

Preparation of architectural presentations which illustrate the design (computer-generated 3D visualizations, isometries, perspective layouts, animations, which use the newest imaging techniques).

Creation of study models, taking pictures and performing other auxiliary works in the course of the design process.

Development of image and identity of products, places and space.
(Identity branding and city branding).

Adjustment of space to the human body to ensure maximum convenience.

Facilities intentionally created without participation of professional architects. They include traditional vernacular architecture objects, recreational cabins, structures built without obtaining an official permit, market place stands, etc.

Putting in place the rules for usage and maintenance of the existing architectural and urban heritage.

Running the process related to execution of the project, including drafting the project schedule and work organization plan.

Model collections and sets of illustrations, building plans, details and furnishings, which can be easily used in subsequent designs.

Studies aiming at drafting the model investments and procedures, which will be the most effective from the standpoint of the criteria assumed. They primarily include preparation of scenarios and forecasts of cause-and-effect relationships.

Restoration of a highly valuable building (e.g. a historic building which is an important architectural object) or spatial arrangement (e.g. landscape park).

Removal of worn building structures and partial or complete restoration of the original condition.

Application of specialist knowledge to fit the design needs of particular technology or manner of usage, e.g. laboratories or hospital buildings.

Activities aiming at protecting historic buildings and heritage, maintaining them in good technical condition and preserving their architectural qualities.

Comprehensive organization of construction-related activities from drafting the concept of the investment, through planning, designing, making arrangements, performance of finishing works, acceptances, to commissioning.

Long-term contracts concluded between a public entity and a private entity in the Develop and Build (D–B) or Public-Private Partnership (PPP) formula. They include designing, financing models and construction works related to public procurements.

Activities aiming at changing the size, form, typology, functions or designations of buildings.

Long-term comprehensive plans which cover large areas and broad range of topics. They define the processes and policies for achievement of community objectives.

Activities related to recording and documenting of the existing construction facilities and furnishings.

Making decisions related to and planning of processes of designating and using land or space. Includes complex processes ranging from launching of business activity to protection of landscape.

Specialist analyses of designs and finished construction facilities, which include analyses of structure, technical parameters, building problems or planned modifications.

Investing in construction or improvement of buildings, and for-profit management of finished real estate.

Temporary structural facilities used for a limited period of time as e.g. workshops or exhibition stands.

Arrangement of interiors involving dividing of space, designing of functional layout, style, décor and selection of furnishings.

Process of designing and building architectural structures for proprietary needs. Includes projects carried out for private needs (such as residential housing) as well as non-profit landscaping projects.

Shaping of landscape using greenery, spatial architecture, earthworks, water features and small architectural objects. Organization and transformation of landscape.

Analysis of land development possibilities – usually performed prior to making a design to estimate the investment’s profitability.

Practice of spatial programming and shaping of non-urbanized areas. It aims at finding a compromise between the development needs and protection of environment and cultural heritage, and between private and public interests.

Planning of rural, agricultural or recreational landscape; structural planning of non-urbanized areas.

Interdisciplinary activities consisting of analyses, studies, reports, forecasts and documents related to planning, which integrate different levels of planning (national, regional, municipal, urban and metropolitan).

Science of organization of the built environment, which utilizes theoretical and practical knowledge to design buildings and structures.