Balance of the built environment in structural terms

The subject of this work is an in-depth analysis of the structure of the built environment as a system of organised relations. Three elementary aspects expressed in binary oppositions were distinguished: interior – exterior (formal aspect), individual – collective (social aspect), variable – permanent (dynami c aspect). These aspects reflect the diverse psychophysical needs and existential states of a human being. The reorganisation of a habitat is a change in the internal relationships of these categories in a specific region and spatial scale. A healthy environment can be defined as one that balances polar categories at each level of the analysis. Reforms and re-evaluations in the built environment can be interpreted as attempts to restore balance, as illustrated with examples from the history of architecture and urban planning. The results of the work contribute to the general theory of the built environment, essential for the proper design process in a wide spectrum of spatial scale.