Face of the Facade: Stucco Renderings in Interwar Cracow Architecture

摘要

The Modernist architecture of the mid-war era speaks to us through the simple form,colour and texture of buildings’facades rather than through rich decoration.In this purity,each element had a specific meaning.Smooth walls of cuboids articulated with horizontal fenestration,occasionally enriched with a modest cornice introduced a sense of harmony,peace and organization into the city skyline,no matter whether it was a streamlined building,or a residence in a garden.For these reasons,one of the most important features of Modernist architecture was the manner in which architectural surfaces were finished and as a result of their relative simplicity,stucco renderings gathered great popularity at the time.In the mid-war period,Cracow experienced exceptional growth: the area of the city expanded from 6 km~2 to almost 47 km~2 by the beginning of WWII,with most of this development occurring during the Modernist era.It constitutes a valuable architectural resource which should be preserved and restored for its exceptional functional and architectural values.This paper will discuss one of the many issues which have not been widely recognized so far: stucco renderings,which were widely introduced in the discussed period and which constitute an important aspect of the character of Modernist architecture as a such.The text will cover a short discussion of the characteristics of this heritage resource,along with the associated techniques and technology of Modernist stucco,together with difficulties encountered during renovation work.