From time to time, each person begins to be interested in things that he had never thought about before. For example, one of these is the question of why Soviet high-rise buildings had 9 floors. After all, it would be much more practical to erect 10-storey buildings. Let's take a closer look at this and find out what the domestic architects were guided by in the period from the early 60s to the late 90s.
What is the reason for this trend?
Any real estate, whether residential or commercial, is built in accordance with the regulatory documents. If the finished building does not meet all the established standards, then it will simply not be allowed to operate.
This is the main reason why houses in the Soviet Union had 9 floors, not 10 or 15. Compliance with the requirements is very important, since they were drawn up based on considerations of practicality and safety of building operation.
What is written in the technical documentation?
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In apartment buildings from the Soviet era, the average ceiling height was in the range from 2.8 to 3 meters. In addition, the length of the mechanized fire escape was supposed to be 28 meters. This is the whole secret why the houses had only 9 floors, and not more.
Otherwise, a specialized emergency evacuation structure would not cover all floors. As a result, in the event of a fire, some of the residents would simply not be able to get out of the burning building.
If the buildings were higher, then each entrance should have been provided with two passenger elevators instead of one. This, in turn, increases the financial costs of construction, technical equipment and maintenance of the building in order to maintain it in proper condition.
A few words about the types of fire escapes
This is also an important aspect to pay attention to. In average apartment buildings on 9 floors, fire escapes of the H2 class were erected. If they had 10 or more floors, then in order to ensure a normal level of safety, it is necessary to use smoke-free H1 structures. They are much more expensive, so engineers and designers have come to a decision about the appropriateness of their use in residential buildings with 14 or more floors.
Thus, the main focus in the USSR was on providing citizens with affordable and practical housing. That is why houses with only 9 floors were built. It is not entirely clear, but it is a fact.
Ekaterina Petrova