The wrecking ball swings at Moscow – a photo essay
Some of those smaller buildings (4 floors or less) are probably some of the nicest that were built in the Communist Era. I don't know about that particular neighborhood, but some smaller buildings like that were sometimes built to house important members of the Communist Party.
And tearing down that historical villa in the middle of the article is a crime.
It looks like some people made their apartments look very nice inside, plus there seemed to be a good amount of greenery in that area. The huge buildings that are going to be built look uninviting.
its wrong to call all 4- 5 floors houses for "Khrushchevkas " , actually those houses best what Muscovites could ever have. why Putler does it? 1) Money( corruption ) 2) Populism . result will be the total
traffic collapse in Moscow city.
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German-Style Renovation in Ukraine
In Germany these renovations were often financed by city administrations, which in turn demanded higher rents–buildings were usually state-owned and most residents were tenants, who benefitted by paying lower utility bills due to increased energy efficiency after the renovation. When applied to Ukraine, where most apartment residents own their apartments, a key part of the renovation pre-planning phase would be a structural inspection of a building’s foundation to determine if it could support the addition of a 6th or 7th floor–a necessary prerequisite for attracting private investors finance the renovation of a Khrushchevka. In 2010-2011 Dr. Markus Liemich organized a network of companies from eastern Germany, with the Weimar Institute acting as the project leader and European funds provided financing for a pre-audit of a concrete apartment block in Lviv. In theory, the idea was appealing for local officials, however, this effort required a lot of organizational work on their part before further efforts could be financed, unsurprisingly, there was a lack of cooperation among local officials (organizing meetings, getting info, etc.) and a pilot project never moved forward. Because German companies have performed thousands of renovations they potentially have lots of expertise that would be helpful for reconstructing Khrushchevky in Kiev; for example, the deep construction planning process could be done by one of several design institutes in Weimar, Germany. However, this would be paid work and in Ukraine it can be especially hard to find private sector investors who are willing to invest in the project development/feasibility phase; one possible solution might obtaining an EU-type grant or other multilateral lender financing perhaps under a energy efficiency program. If this initial funding could be obtained, then German institutes could also assist with due diligence and oversee construction by partnering with local design institutes in Ukraine.
But how could a German-style renovation of Kiev’s Khrushchevky be financed? One potential idea would be to create a multi-party consortium with financing from Kiev city, individual apartment owners, private investors (for buildings with additional floors), and private Energy Service Companies (“ESCO’s”) The ESCO’s could provide energy audits of the buildings to be renovated and then implement energy-saving solutions (insulating walls, replacing windows and doors and other solutions)–with payment in the form of energy savings over a period of years to recoup their capital outlay with a profit margin. In 2015-2016 laws were passed to pave the way for implementing ESCO projects in Ukraine’s public sector (schools, hospitals) as well as for multi-apartment buildings. Potential energy savings of up to 70-80% could make these renovation projects feasible–by some estimates, heating costs per square meter in these flats are three times higher than those in Poland. In addition to the obvious economic benefits, successfully implementing energy efficiency projects in Ukraine would have the added benefit of lowering energy dependence on imports. And while not a popular move, to obtain funds for financing renovations, Kiev’s government might use this opportunity to implement an effective property tax–sooner or later such a tax will be need to bring order to the city’s real estate market and to shore up public finances for services.
