Construction practices

In Central Asian countries, the residential building stock is dominated by rural constructions, mostly in adobe, unreinforced masonry, and wood. In Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, for example, rural housing stock accounts for about 60% of the total number of residential buildings. This results in a relatively low expected replacement value for the stock. (Pittore et al., 2020)

Detached houses are predominant, not only in rural but also in urban contexts, and represent about 70% of total dwellings in Uzbekistan (UNECE, 2015) and 85% of the residential buildings in Kazakhstan (UNECE, 2018). In terms of housing floor area, multi-apartment houses in Kazakhstan account for about 50% of the total floor area (UNECE, 2018).

As a result of years of underinvestment in housing maintenance, most of the building stock built during the Soviet era is, nowadays, damaged and in need of renovation. The privatization of the housing sector, together with the lack of financial capacity of the homeowners, and the building costs increase, postponed the necessary works, leading to a building stock that does not correspond to the actual comfort and quality standards. (UNECE, 2011) In rural settlements, due to limited financial resources and the lack of construction materials and skilled craftspeople, home renovations are mostly carried out by homeowners, assisted by neighbours. (Hard, 2023)

Traditional houses in Central Asia were mainly built with loam bricks, made of a particular aeolian clay called loess - a mixture of sand, silt and clay. Using this type of construction has significant advantages, because the material is abundant in the region, the execution of unfired bricks is quite simple, and these “mud bricks” can be made on site. Besides, thick loam walls create stable indoor temperatures, both in summer and in winter. (Hard, 2023) Mud bricks are mostly employed in rural areas, but also present in urban settlements. (Fodde, 2009)

Mud-brick construction in Kyrgyzstan. Source: Fodde (2009)

Mud-brick moulding in Tajikistan. Source: Fodde (2009)

Rammed earth is also a common material in rural areas, sometimes used in combination with mud-bricks. Walls can be made up entirely with rammed earth or in combination with timber frames. In some areas ring wooden beams are employed to improve earthquake resistance. (Fodde, 2009)

Timber framed building with mud infill in Tajikistan. Source: Fodde (2009)

Rammed earth construction in Kyrgyzstan. Source: Fodde (2009)

Although flat soil roofs were traditionally present and widespread in Central Asia, currently they are present in remote and mountainous regions only. (Fodde, 2009)

Flat soil roofs in Tajikistan. Source: Fodde (2009)

Apartment buildings, mostly concentrated in urban areas, are primarily reinforced concrete structures, in many cases built with prefabricated large-panel, frame-panel or large-blocks. The 5-, 9-, and 12-storey buildings in Soviet neighbourhoods, characteristic of the Soviet-style architecture, started to be built in the 60s to respond to a housing shortage. The prefabricated concrete panels and blocks built in the initial period were designed as a whole and had to be built as such. (Malaia, 2020)

Prefabricated panel construction in the 60s. Source: Malaia (2020)

Plant of a frameless panel building. Source: Malaia (2020)

By the 1970s, the ‘block-section method’ became a dominant approach to housing construction. Unlike the first prefabricated panel buildings, the block-section method offered more variety and visual relevance through a mix-and-match system of sections that could be combined differently, to meet site-specific needs. (Malaia, 2020)

Typical large-panel building in Central Asia. Source: Imanbekov et al. (1999)

Detail of the construction of a large-panel building in Central Asia. Source: Imanbekov et al. (1999)

In general, reinforced concrete residential buildings tend to have low seismic resistance, due to multiple factors such as their age, deterioration, low seismic code requirements at the time of construction, underestimation of the hazard and poor construction quality. (Imanbekov et al.,1999)

References

Hard, Mikael (2023) Microhistories of Technology Making the World, Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology, Springer Nature, Switzerland. DOI: doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22813-1

Pittore M, Haas M, Silva V (2020) Variable resolution probabilistic modelling of residential exposure and vulnerability for risk applications, Earthquake Spectra Vol. 36(S1) 321–344

UNECE (2015) Country Profiles on Housing and Land Management in Uzbekistan, United Nations, New York and Geneva

UNECE (2018) Country Profiles on the Housing Sector in the Republic of Kazakhstan, United Nations, New York and Geneva

UNECE (2011) Country Profiles on the Housing Sector in Tajikistan, United Nations, New York and Geneva

Fodde (2009) Traditional Earthen Building Techniques in Central Asia, International Journal of Architectural Heritage, 3: 145–168, DOI: 10.1080/15583050802279081

Imanbekov S, Uranova S, Iwan W (1999) Earthquake Resistance of multi-storey residential buildings in Central Asian capital cities, Seismic Hazard and Building Vulnerability in Post-Soviet Central Asian Republics, 45-65, Kluwer Academic Publishers