It is no secret that during the Soviet era, quite a lot of residential buildings were built, not only of nine floors. In the cities of the former USSR, there are many five-story panel buildings, designed according to the idea of Nikita Khrushchev. The first secretary of the CPSU Central Committee was aware of the economic and practical benefits of such an approach to construction. Structures of the same type did not require huge financial costs (these were the minimum investments). Moreover, these houses were popular.
More and more residents from the countryside were constantly moving to the city. Gradually, there were more people from the villages than the native city dwellers. Since people did not have so much money, they could not afford to purchase expensive square meters. Cheap standard apartments were the only suitable option.
Residential nine-storey buildings remained especially popular. Many people have a logical question regarding the number of floors: why are there, for example, not 10 or 8, but nine? The answer is simple enough.
Safety and reliability
In the USSR, architects at all stages of the design of residential complexes strictly adhered to the requirements and standards adopted in the world. The bottom line was the presence of a smoke-free staircase in the structure, the height of which is more than 28 meters. This was necessary to ensure the safety of residents in the event of a fire. So they had the opportunity to quickly leave the building. The stairs should be located separately from the landings of each floor in the leeward part. An obligatory element was additional emergency lighting.
In those days, fire trucks were equipped with ladders twenty-eight meters long. This fact was an indirect reason for the fact that the buildings were mostly nine-story. Also one of the requirements was the presence of ventilation and smoke removal systems. In the course of design and construction, this often caused a number of difficulties.
The economic side of the issue
The authorities tried to use the state budget as economically as possible. The massive construction of residential buildings implied significant financial costs. To resolve the issue, the country's leadership tried to find an alternative solution.
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Before starting the construction of five-story buildings, domestic architects carefully studied the positive experience of specialists from other countries. At that time, panel-type houses, built in record time, were especially popular abroad.
It is interesting! Soviet engineers calculated that building a nine-story building was cheaper than five. But it was impractical to build higher houses. It was necessary to spend money on a smoke exhaust system and a freight-type lift. Fifteen-story buildings were advantageous. Unfortunately, it was not possible to build these skyscrapers everywhere, everything depended on the soil and its features.
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Another point is the price of housing in a high-rise building. It would not suit ordinary citizens. Due to the standard of living, most people were looking for inexpensive deals. It was the nine-storey buildings that were able to fully satisfy the needs of the citizens of the USSR.
Over time, they began to produce improved type fire engines, modified. The stairs in them were already 40 meters long. The need to build just nine-story buildings has disappeared. Gradually, higher structures began to appear on the streets of cities.
Want to know more, then read, why such small kitchens were built in Soviet apartments
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/050320/53677/