House-Commune “Cultural Revolution”

Brief Information

In this communal house, housing was conceived not as a set of separate apartments, but as an interconnected system of everyday life. The blocks were linked by suspended passages at the level of the second and fifth floors: through them, residents could reach the shared facilities without going outside. The dining room, showers, library, medical station, and assembly hall were meant to relieve residents of some everyday concerns.

The complex was built in 1929–1932 to a design by V. V. Medvedev. Today it is still used as a residential building, and this changes the way one views the Constructivist experiment: what stands before you is not a museum model of a new way of life, but a rare case in which a communal house has largely retained its original function.

What to Notice First

It is worth comparing the connections between the blocks with the facades themselves. The suspended passages show the main idea of the project: shared infrastructure was meant to be part of everyday movement through the building. Their current unsafe condition is especially noticeable against the backdrop of the 2023–2024 renovation, when the walls and balconies were painted in a color close to the historical one.

The front facades are defined by the projecting stairwell blocks and the concrete balcony-loggias attached to them; the end walls are complemented by small “French” balconies. The rear facades are arranged differently: they are large, smooth planes without that kind of sculptural articulation. Textured terrazite plaster adds surface texture, while the pitched roof recalls a later repair: the original flat roof was replaced because of leaks, making the intended Constructivist volume less exact.