From tenement houses to mini-cities. A Brief History of Multifamily Housing in Russia
Miscellaneous / / July 13, 2023
Tenement houses: housing for students, scientists and workers
Until the 18th century, people in Russia lived in small private houses or multi-storey mansions. The revision of the building was influenced by the rapid growth of cities in the era of Catherine II. Thanks to the development of science, education and industry, students, scientists and workers began to come to Moscow and St. Petersburg. They needed somewhere to live. So appeared tenement houses are multi-apartment buildings created specifically for rent. At that time, many people were able to earn money by renting out housing: different estates were invested in it - from rich peasants to close associates of the emperor.
At first, tenement houses were single. Mass construction began in the 19th century. At the same time, their classic look took shape: many floors and stairwells with several apartments on the site. Downstairs, shops, salons and restaurants were usually opened. Most often, the houses had beautiful facades: a nice finish attracted guests. The cost and living conditions varied: there was accommodation for the rich with expensive furniture and laundry, and for the middle class, and for the poor - rooms in the basement.
Communal apartments and communal houses: one bedroom and a shared kitchen
A similar type of housing was tried in Russia in the 19th century. Philosophy of communal houses was in the liberation of a person from everyday worries: food was provided in the dining room, inside there were many areas for recreation. And even neighbors were selected like-minded people. For example, the artist Ivan Kramskoy and the writer Vasily Sleptsov stayed in this one. The development of communes took place in the early Soviet period. First, houses appeared for officials, artists, writers: they were not rebuilt, but placed in former mansions and hotels. Next, the young workers decided to apply the approach - they organized their communities in the accessible premises of factories.
The construction of communal houses from scratch began in the late 1920s: these were large buildings in the avant-garde or constructivist style. The amenity premises were taken out to a separate block - they connected it with the residential one with the help of transitions. But this type of apartment building did not last long: not all tenants wanted to spend time with their neighbors and share cleaning duties. As a result, in 1930, the idea was recognized as impractical - the houses were rebuilt or turned into hostels.
Communal apartments also appeared together with the USSR. Their task was different - to save on housing due to a smaller area and public kitchens and bathrooms. There was no longer any question of the similarity of interests of the neighbors: a young composer and a seasoned hard worker could be on the same territory. The amount of personal space was meager: for example, in 1924 the norm was eight square meters per person.
Now the housing problem is solved differently. Government decisions and a national project help to create houses and entire residential complexes quickly, efficiently and without compromising comfort.Housing and urban environment». For example, the strategic New Rhythm of Construction initiative allows developers to start work without delay, because it cuts down on the number of bureaucratic issues. In order for the preparation and certification of documents to take place quickly in an online format, the Digital Construction super service was launched. By 2030, it is planned to reduce the time from an idea to the start of construction to just 7 days. Also, according to forecasts, by the end of the 2020s, about a billion square meters of housing will be built in Russia.
In the national projectHousing and urban environment» includes initiatives for apartment buyers. For example, preferential mortgage program allows you to make real estate in new residential complexes more accessible. A program for the resettlement of owners emergency houses - replace living conditions with comfortable ones. Thanks to her, only in the first half of 2023 new apartments got more than 59 thousand people.
View other initiatives
Stalinki: many rooms and high ceilings
Such apartment buildings began to be built in the 30s of the XX century to improve the housing stock. They were distinguished by architecture in the style of neoclassicism, or the Stalinist Empire style, a pleasant house territory, brick walls and a spacious layout. High Stalinist ceilings - at least three meters - are still considered a good interior solution.
At first, stalinkas were built according to individual projects - such houses called nomenclature. They were especially large: 7-10 floors and with rooms up to 30 square meters. But in the late 1940s, the concept of "new house - new project" became ineffective: it was necessary to build housing faster in order to provide people with apartments. Then Stalin started typing. There were many series: the number of floors varied from 2 to 10, the area of the rooms became smaller, in some versions the ceilings also dropped, but only slightly - up to 2.7 meters.
Khrushchev: compactness and ergonomics
The typification of apartment buildings continued into the 1950s. However, the format of construction has changed: housing had to be made more budgetary, and therefore more compact. The height of the ceilings was reduced to 2.5 meters, the area of the rooms reduced. But then they tried to work on the ergonomics of space. For example, the layout of the kitchen was made such that cooking did not require unnecessary movements. Also, innovations appeared in the apartments, such as a window in the bathroom, which was supposed to protect the wall in the event of an explosion, and a cabinet with a vent under the kitchen window - a kind of refrigerator.
Khrushchevs were built quickly. Not only because of the standard drawings, but also because of the material of the walls. Instead of brick with laborious masonry took cinder block panels. Welding was used to fasten them, and not concrete or mounting foam - the house was ready for occupancy almost immediately after construction. In addition, the Khrushchevs were distinguished by a small height - five floors maximum. This made it possible to do without elevators and waste time on their installation.
Brezhnevka: balconies and a separate bathroom
The following format of typical apartment buildings appeared in the 60s, but the active period of construction falls on the 70s and 80s. Brezhnevka had another popular name - "improvements", because the conditions became more pleasant. The compact rooms were made more spacious, the ceilings were raised to 2.7 meters, the bathroom was divided into a bathroom and toilet (combined options could only be found in odnushki), added to the entrances garbage chutes. And most importantly, balconies appeared in the apartments.
The height of the houses was increased: eight- and nine-story buildings were more common, but there were also options with 12, 14 or 17 floors. For comfort, they installed elevators. At the same time, small five-story buildings also existed at that time. Some houses were built of brick, but still more often used panels. This is where the main disadvantage of Brezhnevka is hidden: due to the small thickness of the outer walls, they turned out to be cold.
Club houses: elite living space with underground parking
After the collapse of the USSR, again appeared request for individual projects - luxury real estate with premium conditions. Club houses were usually brick and with a small number of apartments - from 8 to 25 for the entire building. The fewer neighbors, the more attractive housing was considered. In such houses, underground parking and security were organized, and they also paid special attention to the location - the view from the window had to be impressive.
Typical high-rise buildings during this period also did not disappear anywhere. But in addition to panels and bricks, monolithic reinforced concrete began to be used for their construction.
Mini-city: residential complex with developed infrastructure
Modern LCDs are increasingly reminiscent of cities in miniature. Moreover, there are similar ones in different price categories and not only in megacities. In addition to the apartments themselves, the houses house cafes, shops, gyms, private clinics, development centers and other establishments necessary for comfort. If the residential complex is large and is being built in a new area, schools, kindergartens and hospitals are being built nearby.
The local area in mini-cities is made large. They usually equip a playground and other recreation areas for different age groups, such as sports grounds or squares for walking.
A beautiful area near the house with various leisure options helps to make life in the city more comfortable. And to get one, it is not necessary to buy housing in a new residential complex. The national project helps to improve the adjacent plots "Housing and urban environment». According to it, an online vote is held annually: the Russians themselves choose which parks, squares, embankments, playgrounds or yards should be put in order. Winners receive funding. Since 2019, thanks to the national project, more than 55,000 public spaces and courtyards have been equipped.
On multi-apartment development and landscaping, the national project "Housing and urban environment' does not stop. For people who want to live in their own home, the My Private Home initiative has been launched: by 2030 it is planned to issue about 500,000 loans for construction, including under the "Preferential Mortgage" program.
Learn more