Does anyone have any idea what the prefab elements looked like during the Soviet "million program" in the 60s?
I'm wondering about things like the dimensions of thermal insulation, concrete, window type/U-value, ventilation system, etc., in all the Khrushchyovka houses that were built.
Are they similar to those used during the Swedish "million program"?
I am very grateful for answers, please provide sources if you can.
Kind regards, Dileman
I'm wondering about things like the dimensions of thermal insulation, concrete, window type/U-value, ventilation system, etc., in all the Khrushchyovka houses that were built.
Are they similar to those used during the Swedish "million program"?
I am very grateful for answers, please provide sources if you can.
Kind regards, Dileman
Last edited:
Assume that most of it was much worse than the Swedish miljonprogrammet.
Well, because in the former Soviet Union there are millions of buildings that, compared to today's standards, are poorly insulated and require high heating costs.mexitegel said:
In wealthy areas, they often can afford a full renovation or simply demolish these and replace them with new houses, but the poorer areas cannot afford this, such as Mongolia etc.
I'm in the process of trying to calculate what it would cost to renovate these to a reasonable level but lack the data to calculate.
I actually have no idea where to find such information, I've been searching for several days to no avail...
This is kind of my last chance, hoping there's someone here who knows where to turn.
There are plenty of Baltic craftsmen here in the country who were presumably Soviet craftsmen until walls and unions fell. Maybe you can search for some company that employs Baltic craftsmen and ask if they have any true seniors who were around during the Cold War days. Because I assume that Riga's outskirts were built somewhat like Moscow's?
I have been exploring a rental building in Ukraine built in 1980. The buildings in that city are generally in very poor condition. There has probably been no maintenance since 1991. The building is also very poorly constructed. The exterior walls and load-bearing walls are built with bricks. The walls are about 50 cm thick. Inside there is a layer of stone followed by air without insulation. Outside of that, I do not know how many layers of stone there are. Concrete beams have been embedded over doors and windows. Non-load-bearing interior walls are built from gypsum blocks approximately 50 x 100 cm in size, about 10 cm thick. All walls are plastered inside with 1-3 cm soft plaster of "glina". The flooring consists of prefabricated hollow concrete elements. In the apartment I visited, the concrete elements were carelessly laid, resulting in a 4-5 cm height difference between two adjacent elements. The interior floors are raised wooden floors. Ventilation is natural draught. Each apartment has its own flue in the kitchen. Fresh air vents are missing. In every room, you can open a smaller part of the window for airing. The electricity is run in the plaster without conduits.
I have spent quite a bit of time in a couple of apartments in a Hungarian "panel house" from the sixties (I don't know the year it was built, but my in-law relative has lived in one of the apartments since the late sixties).
The building seems to consist of prefab concrete elements, at least the floors and exterior walls.
The apartments mostly have parquet floors, creaky and slightly springy but apparently durable, as they seem to be original.
Lots of window space - most of the exterior wall consists of windows, many of which can be opened.
Heating is provided by waterborne radiators from a central heat source of unknown type. But it can be quite cold in the winter.
Hot water is also centrally produced (unlike in older buildings in central Budapest, where it seems common to have a small gas-powered water heater in each apartment, placed in the bathroom).
Gas stove.
The plumbing installations are impressive, or terrifying, depending on how you see it... a lot of visible pipes, and in the stairwell, you can see extremely large metal pipes (cast iron?) with big bolts at the joints. Looks more like something from an old freight ship than a building. Probably requires quite a bit of maintenance - I get the impression that the hot water is often turned off for service.
The apartments are quite cramped. The one I've been in the most is a two-room apartment with a total area smaller than many Swedish studio apartments: One room about 12 square meters... one about 5-6 square meters... a windowless kitchenette, with just enough floor space for the cook to stand... a bathroom with a rather small bathtub, toilet, sink, a small top-loading washing machine, and as much floor space as the kitchenette. Very few wardrobes, free-standing closets are a must.
I will probably visit that building this summer, so I can check more details then!
The building seems to consist of prefab concrete elements, at least the floors and exterior walls.
The apartments mostly have parquet floors, creaky and slightly springy but apparently durable, as they seem to be original.
Lots of window space - most of the exterior wall consists of windows, many of which can be opened.
Heating is provided by waterborne radiators from a central heat source of unknown type. But it can be quite cold in the winter.
Hot water is also centrally produced (unlike in older buildings in central Budapest, where it seems common to have a small gas-powered water heater in each apartment, placed in the bathroom).
Gas stove.
The plumbing installations are impressive, or terrifying, depending on how you see it... a lot of visible pipes, and in the stairwell, you can see extremely large metal pipes (cast iron?) with big bolts at the joints. Looks more like something from an old freight ship than a building. Probably requires quite a bit of maintenance - I get the impression that the hot water is often turned off for service.
The apartments are quite cramped. The one I've been in the most is a two-room apartment with a total area smaller than many Swedish studio apartments: One room about 12 square meters... one about 5-6 square meters... a windowless kitchenette, with just enough floor space for the cook to stand... a bathroom with a rather small bathtub, toilet, sink, a small top-loading washing machine, and as much floor space as the kitchenette. Very few wardrobes, free-standing closets are a must.
I will probably visit that building this summer, so I can check more details then!