What We Know About Khrushchyovkas: 6 Interesting Facts

For several years now, we have been hearing news about the demolition of khrushchyovkas. It is impossible to simply get rid of an entire generation of our culture. That is why we decided to recall where it all started.

The idea originated elsewhere

Although these types of houses were named after Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchyov, they were actually invented by the French architect Le Corbusier. After World War II, France was in decline, and people had nowhere to live. That is when the first panel houses were designed — they could be built quickly with minimal costs.

Similar buildings later appeared in Amsterdam and Berlin, after which Stalin noticed them. In the USSR, engineer Raymond Camus even came to present construction plans. They were then bought, adapted, and the work began. Most of these buildings were constructed under Khrushchyov — hence the name.

Le Corbusier's Residential Unit

But they still differ from Western equivalents

Today, the oldest khrushchyovkas are being demolished — it is believed that in a few decades they will be in an emergency state. However, in Western countries, people chose not to let buildings reach such a condition — instead, they restored them.

For example, in Germany, architect Stefan Forster transformed aging buildings under the Regeneration East project. In some buildings, extra floors were removed and converted into open terraces. Take a look for yourself!

Photo source: varlamov.ru

The grandfather of a famous musician completed the project

Vitaly Lagutenco became head of Moscow's Architectural and Planning Department in 1956 and designed the khrushchyovka in the familiar form. But we know him as the grandfather of Ilya Lagutenco, leader of the band Mumiy Troll.

They were built very quickly, but demolition is slow

We already mentioned in the first point that panel houses can be built quickly — because they are literally assembled from pre-made blocks. On average, a five-story building was erected in two weeks, while internal finishing took more than a month. There is a legend that one building in Leningrad was built in just five days. Whether this is true and where it currently stands (if it still exists) remains unknown.

It turned out to be difficult to demolish khrushchyovkas. Originally, they were built as temporary housing, and a renovation program was started as early as 1999. Complete demolition of all five-story buildings is planned for 2032. By the way, over 1.5 million people live in these buildings.

Photo source: rg.ru

Everything was saved on

For example, they immediately opted out of elevators — since the buildings only had five floors. Interestingly, according to one legend, Khrushchyov never made it to the top floor by foot. However, without elevators, they saved 8% of the budget — which is quite a lot.

In buildings of series K-7, balconies and basements were also discarded. The ceilings were originally intended to be 270 cm high, but in the end, they were lowered to 250 cm. Savings were also made on finishing and sound insulation, and now many of these buildings are considered unsuitable for living.

Not all khrushchyovkas will be demolished

Remember the beautifully restored khrushchyovka in Germany (from point 2)? Russian architects also believe that not all buildings should be demolished. For example, Alexey Krutov restored a 1965 building on Khimkinsky Boulevard.

He added four more floors to the five-story building and doubled its area — all in just nine months. According to the architect, renovating an old building is 30–40% cheaper than constructing a new one. Also, older apartments can be re-planned if desired.

Photo source: the-village.ru

Bonus: Cool Interiors in Khrushchyovkas

A typical khrushchyovka with a five-square-meter kitchen and a cute cat. This apartment was rented for some time, but the renovation was done beautifully. Interestingly, cats also live here (coincidence?). Designers turned the khrushchyovka into a cozy space and decorated it with art objects. If you don’t like the layout of your apartment, you can always redesign it. Take inspiration from our heroes.

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