The name “Khrushchev” panel houses received in honor of comrade Khrushchev, who allegedly invented them. However, this is not true.
In fact, as we know them, they were invented by the French architect Le Corbusier.
According to his own table of calculations, which he made, based on proportions and growth, it was decided that the ceiling 2.5m – it’s convenient.
The author of the project in the USSR was a civil engineer Lagutenko Valery Pavlovich.
Few Belarusian people know that he comes from Mogilev, and his grandson is known to many as the soloist of the group “Mumiy Troll” – Ilya Lagutenko.
The project of a five-story house type K-7 was developed. The main advantage of the house was in cheapness and simplicity – the minimum size of apartments, the absence of a basement.
But the house was extremely simple for manufacturers, it was collected as a shelf and mounted using the “without mortar” method. It all consisted of only two dozen items and was built by an integrated team working in three shifts, plumbers, electricians, plasterers and carpenters worked in parallel with the installers.
Khrushchev with all the “corn” zeal began to implement the idea of panel houses, supplying it with fierce slogans. Since then it has been believed that the panel and brick houses built by Comrade Khrushchev are called “Khrushchevs.”
After two years of testing this method, the four-section five-storey house K-7 was mounted in record time – only 12 working days. It was this project that best suited the requirements of the time.
The Khrushchev project was first and foremost viewed as a social one, it clearly showed the primacy of construction in relation to architecture. At the same time, the temporary status of houses was emphasized – they had to stand before the onset of communism in 1980 …
This accommodation equalized the living conditions of people. Of course, these conditions were far from ideal. But then it never occurred to anyone to criticize new buildings for lack of balconies, combined bathrooms, thin wall partitions. All these were trivialities in comparison with that colossal change in the way of life of the Soviet people, which was due to the new construction program. There was an opportunity to resettle the crowded communal areas.
“Khrushchev” had a calculated resource of 50 years, later studies showed that the resource can be extended to 150 years.
In the real “Khrushchev” there was a feeling of at least very unsteady, but happy. It is short-lived, naive, collides with realities, dissipates and leaves a bright memory and an aching sadness about itself …
Because, probably, the exhibition project of our museum “Khrushchevka 60’s” is so loved by visitors. In memory of the “housing issue” of the 60’s in Lida, dedicated.
In our “apartment” you will not find documents and photographs of real people – only silent witnesses – objects.
