Tower block archive - Soviet Russia edition 

In Soviet Russia, You don't review the Tower Block. The Tower Block reviews YOU!

Those balconies are cantilevering slabs. Balconies for residential buildings are ought to be designed to support loads of about 175 kg/m2. That’s the live load, the slef weight not included. But those window frames are not that heavy. Those big extensions look really dodgy though, especially if they have not reinfoced it with extra steel. Those ecclectic alterations are a building inspector’s nightmare or wet dream depending on how you look at it. I’ve never seen things this dodgy. Everything looks so krusty and in a state where it could fail at any moment just by looking at it. Also interresting is the bricks they used for exteriour, they are calcium silicate blocks which are normally used for structural interiour walls, they are not great for exteriour uses as they are quite porous. Also the masonry could use some re-pointing on the joins.

I read that when the Soviet states had collapsed and most of the public property was privatized a lot of these flats were bought by their residents. So a lot of these places won't have one landlord who can set up rules on what windows should be put in etc. Still those massive additions do look quite questionable and should be illegal, no doubt about that.

Been looking forward to this one!

I love the editing you did in this video, and the length! You've really improved!!

Loved those blocks, very very interesting

The all new otis gen 4!

I know that you don't like lifts being replaced, but in case of ex-USSR countries it's a different story. Like you said these lifts are not safe. And goddamit you are right. These lifts are made to last only for 15 years and a lot of these lifts are already 25 or 30 years old. Apart from the fact that doors are so basic and may still be open while the lift is moving, but there have been A LOT of cases of brake fail which led to people being injured or in some cases DEAD. Sometimes there have been cases of cable snapping which led to lifts falling down. Although you consider it bullshit, I've seen photos from the incidents and cctv footage and sometimes cabels don't resist and snap, maybe because they were made for cheap metal. I read a lot of news stories on this topic, and many people from tower blocks demand the local companies to replace the so called "Boxes of Death" with new lifts. So in a few words, these lifts were replaced for safety reasons.

Really good epic Soviet era building and lifts. I visited Kiev from 9th to 14th October 2009 (went to Minsk via Korosten thereafter), and the Hostelling International hostel in Kiev I stayed at was next to the US consulate. The building where it was located was so grotty and the hostel office was some nondescript office room on one of the floors, hostel rooms in only two of the floors, the rest were independent private rental rooms. Wifi from the hostel was kind of slipshot, worked only depending of what part of the room you were in. Lifts were epic USSR-era. They did not serve every floor, but every other floor. On one side of the building the lift served floors 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. The lift on the other side served ground floor, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12. Both speeds were about 1.2 m/s. Note the lift at @5:55, reminds me of the ones at the Intourist Riga Latvia (July 1990) and at the former Oktyabrskaya, now the Prezident, that I stayed at from 15th to 17th October 2009 in Minsk, Belarus, prior to modernization and remodeling.

Don't let the babushkas catch you!

Really interesting video Beno :)

IT'S BODGY MISH-MASH BUILDING TIME!

Those lifts are made by KMZ.

Enjoyed this video, the 5 storey Soviet block is of course ubiquitous and these days, usually delapidated. Still, I don't expect they have much of a problem with homelessness. All the different balcony mods are interesting, its a bit like allotment sheds. 😂😂😂

Nice architecture

The poster at 16:30 is not about this tower, it's about how energy efficient towers work or something... no idea why that is there

It's Glorious

The Lift Surfs You!

That's a pretty common sight in Bulgaria as well.

OTIS use different indicators in eastern Europe. The screen panels are different sizes to accommodate the different lift designs. These lifts are all retro-fitted.

I love all of your videos,been!

My grandparents live in georgia in a soviet style apartment. The apartments are pripyat style and it's very creepy

13:28 That lift seems in quite a good condition compared to the others...

Come to Iceland many interesting lift and block here

You Don't Surf The Lift! The Lift Surfs You!

Dang very grotty I once went to a very old sports field the lift wasn’t modded IT WAS A ORIGINAL EXPRESS

We have this type of communist blocks in Bucharest Romania

"Tower blocks" are these, as mainly shown, towerblocks? (Interesting though! :o)

You can see this in Poland too, but in much smaller scale

I need one of those Soviet elevators in my house

Oh and fun fact, those "shitty" buildings were originally a stopgap solution and they were built from "lego blocks" to last 15-25 years :) Sorry im in a rush so my grammar ia not perfect haha.

Hahahahaha did you see my comment on the mlm lifts hahahaha, if you go to Lithuania, pleeaaaaseee go to Klaipeda.

Fun fact Schindler 3300 with capacitive buttons also have set panels with floors "buttons" that don't exist, except only the buttons for existing floors are illuminated as white (registered calls illuminated as red). The rest are not lit up and can't be seen easily.

Did you find Sigma lifts in Kiev?

14:05 at least Otis have took this on, they know it’s better than a gen2

Me, a Ukrainian: our commie blocks are depressing, the buildings are in horrible condition. The modern ones or the historical buildings are better. Beno: OHMYGODLOOKATTHESEBALCONYSTHEYARESOWEIRDTHATISSOINTERESING

In estonia most of the old soviet lifts have been replaced with generics

Sadly the bathrooms were modded :( I thought I was gonna see original urinals and toilets but no it’s just armitage shanks doing it’s thing

:O

I live in Soviet building

A thing that looks weird to me is that the ground floor is 1

The last tower is not soviet

Soviet microdistrict vs USA Suburban

Central Independent Television

Fantastic Video worth waiting for. I was really shocked by the soviet lifts being extremely unsafe i.e. Door Safety, Door Sensors, etc.

21:01 fake Otis buttons too

I think modern Otis lifts in Russia aren't very good. ElevatorsinRussia calls Otis Gen2s Craptis Crap2s.

Hi

now there is a war so do not copy

На видео не Россия, а Украина! По лифтам и балконам определил! Хотя в России тоже старых лифтов ещё много осталось.

omg yes

Ben

In Soviet Russia, You don't film buildings, Buildings film you (and send to secret service).

IN SOVIET RUSSIA, scottish horse rides ben

Can you life in slum in africa

In Soviet Russia the Lift Surfs You! LOL

In Soviet Russia you don’t ride lift... LIFT RIDES YOU!!!!

in solvet russia, lift films you.

Hi Ben

Я

these buildings look run down like slums in 3rd world countries...

LMAO Russia looks very similar to Ukraine

Ukraine is not "Soviet Russia." I grew up in Lithuania and many of the flats from this era are very similar. Why do you narrate your videos with that fake OTT voice? You do not actually speak like that in everyday life.

communism

Soviet union XD

Dont go in Ukraine in 2023 there is the war

Hi