The history of the development of architecture in modern Russia can be divided into four voluminous milestones. The first stage is wooden and stone architecture dating from the XV-XVI centuries. The second stage - the traditions of the construction of the XVII-XIX centuries. The third period is the XX century, the fourth is the present.
Social housing: communal
During the formation of Soviet power, the construction of residential and public facilities underwent a number of changes that cannot be called positive. Architects took over the worst moments from the existing at that time way of solving housing problems, adapting it to new, even tougher realities.
In the early twenties of the XX century, the leadership of Soviet Russia did not consider the need to commission new residential facilities. The problem with the resettlement of citizens was solved by the notorious “compaction” of the most ordinary apartments, which subsequently received communal status.
Barracks
Around the same time, in the everyday life of Soviet people, such a word as "barrack" appears. This is another attempt by the authorities to use the achievements of their predecessors, who resettled factory and factory workers in the barracks, and build a cheap house. In such precarious buildings in the pre-revolutionary era, families of steelworkers, miners, turners, grinders and others huddled.
The barrack is a building of elongated rectangular shape, which consists of one floor. Living rooms are located on both sides of the corridor, which stretches along the entire hut in its central part. At one end of the building there is a cooking zone, at the other - a utility block.
Barack is a temporary home. That is how it was presented to workers by enterprise managers. As conceived by the “optimizers,” the barracks-type house was supposed to serve no more than five, maximum ten years. In fact, many residents have spent more than three decades in barracks.
Front building
In the fifties of the XX century, a massive relocation took place, which allowed millions of workers to leave the hut forever. This has become a landmark event. During this period, the country produced reinforced concrete structures, from which multi-story residential blocks were erected.
In contrast to the chaotic buildings of the barracks type and compaction according to the principle of communal resettlement, the location of the new houses was subject to a strict architectural plan.
It reflected embankments, squares, traffic intersections, public buildings, educational, health, sports, culture and leisure institutions.
Khrushchev
The basis of frontal development was a standard five-story residential building. It had no elevators, nor any hint of comfort. But there were hundreds of cramped apartment blocks with combined sanitary facilities. The height of the ceilings in them was the lowest possible.
Thanks to the Khrushchevs, it was possible to significantly improve the living conditions of Soviet workers, who were moving to new buildings from basements, communal apartments and barracks.
The standard layout of the neighborhoods provided for a residential area of a certain number of five-story houses and a public one. The public zone included secondary schools, kindergartens, grocery stores and other social infrastructure facilities.