73 INTEGRATED URBAN LANDSCAPE. NATURE AS AN ELEMENT OF TRANSITION SPACE COMPOSITION Patrycja Haupt PhD Arch., Assistant Professor, Chair of Housing Environment, Institute of Urban Design, Faculty of Architecture, Cracow University of Technology ul. Podchorążych 1, 30-074 Cracow ph@pro.onet.pl a-32@pk.edu.pl +48 12 6282433 +48 12 6282022 (F) Key words: Urban landscape, Transition space, Architecture vs. Nature Abstract The paper explains the genesis, methods and consequences of introducing elements of nature into contemporary cityscape. It shows their significance in creating a new image of the city. The discussion is conducted on the basis of joined urban theories such as: softening the city edge, fluency of space, narrative paths, multilayer structure of urban space. Contemporary forms of relationships between the building and its surroundings are presented in order to prove the tendencies in shaping the connection zone between the building and the city simultaneously, influenced by both of those reactants. This zone, observed as transition space between the building and its surroundings, is constantly changing and growing, generating a variety of urban spaces adjoining, interlacing, penetrating the building structure. It also creates an area of introducing nature as compositional and functional element. The paper discusses the examples of the new types of relationships between architecture and nature emerging in contemporary urban space. Contemporary urban space The space of urban areas that come into being in the contemporary times is characterised by a polymorphous structure. It consists of – according to contemporary concepts – the physical, material structure of the city, and the non-physical layer – soft, cultural, informative in character. On one hand it stands for geometry, composition, proportion, shape, colour, perception, which could be determined by the notion of ‘pure form’, as defined by W. Kosiński 1 , where the conscious perception of components of spaces and their juxtapositions evokes a subconscious aesthetic sensation. In this case the city’s spatial elements which interact with each other should be regarded as the material that cities are made of. On the other hand, however, the nature of the urban space could be search for in intangible values, such as cultural or historical heritage, and via the conditions of life. The interest in other dynamic factors has been growing – 1 W. Kosiński, Miasto i piękno miasta, Cracow University of Technology, 2011, p. 155.