Abstract:

The higher education system in Poland has not changed significantly over the past two decades. At many universities, the same subjects are still taught using the same methods and tools, the same issues are discussed at lectures as 20 years ago. The education of architects is similar - the didactic program is based on that from several decades ago. However, the world has changed a lot during this time. Environmental conditions have changed, the needs of users of buildings and architectural interiors have changed. The time has come for a broader view of the world, its current ecological status and the needs of all its inhabitants, to become the key to construct the modern didactic program. Nowadays, only a few, sensitive young architects do notice environmental problems that are associated with an improperly shaped building - a growing amount of building materials and interior equipment waste, large number of renovation works, excessive energy consumption etc. Looking at the university curriculum implemented, one can get the impression that the issue of ecology runs somewhere next to, parallel to the education of an architect, but on a separate track.

The paper focuses on residential interiors architecture as the environment closest to people. As a part of one research area, which is the conscious, pro-ecological approach to shaping housing development, two analyzes will be presented, constituting two threads of the same task.

The first part of the paper will present the didactic framework program related to residential interior architecture, currently implemented at the Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology, majoring in Interior Design. Conceptual projects of residential interiors will be analysed. The research material will be students’ works carried out during the second semester of study, under the supervision of one of the authors of the paper. Particular attention will be paid to the presence of pro-ecological solutions in projects and the conscious implementation, by students, of the principles of sustainable development: the selection of proper shape of the house structure, choosing proper materials and interior furnishings.

The second part of the paper will be an attempt to present one of the aspects discussed in the doctoral dissertation of the second author, who will examine the current state of ecological awareness of Polish housing estates designers and users. The concept of pre-project research on consumer choices of residents related to: preferences in the selection of finishing materials, furniture, furnishings and interior decorations, etc. will be presented. The research is aimed not only at diagnosing the real needs of users, but above all at diagnosing the level of awareness of residents towards solutions related to the idea of less waste, sustainable development and generally understood human well-being - what solutions could make life easier for residents, while not having a negative impact on the natural environment.

The conclusions will lead to the indication of broad guidelines related to the improvement of education and supplementing the curriculum for students of architecture with subjects or courses related to building a strong ecological awareness focused on local environmental conditions and the types of pollution or waste occurring in the immediate surroundings.

Keywords:

Environmental awareness, architecture and ecology, interior design teaching.