The House Today

Narkomfin has not undergone proper restoration since its construction. However, despite its lamentable appearance, Narkomfin is stronger than it looks, a huge credit to its architects and engineers. Approximately one half of its apartments are still lived in and used as artist’s studios. Nikolai Milyutin’s ‘penthouse’ is in a state of advanced decay since it was left in the 1980s. The ground floor of the building is used as offices, while the utilities block has been abandoned for some 20 years and has been used by the homeless as a squat. There is a lift in the building, added in the thirties, which will be removed during restoration. The park in front of the building, recently tidied up, is enjoyed by the inhabitants of Narkomfin and other Muscovites. The view from the roof still commands a fine view of the city, as it did when Narkomfin was built, only now several later buildings dominate the skyline, including the Stalinist high-rise to the north and the White House to the west.

Narkomfin looks like a ruin but its actual condition has yet to be established, for all the surveys made of the building have been fragmentary and visual. The conclusion made by all those who have made visual surveys of Narkomfin over the years is that it is in need of comprehensive restoration. However, surveys have also shown that despite corrosion, the lode bearing walls are still strong and it is hoped that they will not need to be replaced.

The main problem is the external walls made up of furnace clinker blocks and plastered over. The furnace clinker blocks, that were made on site, are in poor condition. Ginzburg actually wrote in his book «Housing», that these walls would need to be regularly water-proofed in order to survive. They were not, and damp and extreme cold has caused much destruction. The plasterwork on the external and internal walls has also suffered, mostly from damp, and has fallen away. Concrete has been used to patch it up in some areas. This will have to be removed and the plasterwork restored.

Many of the original wooden window frames have been replaced with PVC/plastic frames that have caused water damage to the building. The original windows, made from slender wooden profiles to look like metal, will have to be recreated. Several exist that have to be copied, and it is posisble that some of them can be restored. Over the years, these wooden frames have helped the building 'breathe' in a way that the metal window frames in german buildings of the same period, were unable to do.

In 2007, MARSS made a visual survey of Narkomfin and also used a survey made by Arkhproekt in 1990 under A. Studenikin for Vladimir Ginzburg's restoration project. MARSS came to the following conclusions:

The external (non lode-bearing) walls of the apartment building, especially floors 3-5 are in poor condition due to damp caused by defects in the roof and the water drainage system. Water damage has also led to the deterioration of the state of the window profiles.

However, the external walls of the utilities block and the enclosed corridor leading to it from the main building are in a good state with little visual evidence of serious degradation.

The state of the plasterwork and paintwork of the main building are in a bad state. The plasterwork is cracked and much of it has fallen away, leading to the further destruction of the walls. Paint has been applied over the years, but patchily.

The internal walls are in a satisfactory condition with some insignificant defects. Plywood tiles are in good condition. However the plasterwork and paintwork of the internal walls and partitions and ceilings are in a poor condition and affected by mould.

The paintwork of the internal walls and partitions has amassed over the years – multiple layers has caused cracking and partial destruction over quite large areas.

Paintwork and plastwork has been damaged due to damp that has led to an increase in acid. Evidence of sulphuric acid induced by damp and mould has been found. Added to this the chemical compounds within the materials has partially broken down due to damp. The various types of mould found in the building also cause destruction as they spread.

However, surveys have shown that there is nothing from the original construction that has not survived in some form, ie original window frames, door handles, doors, paint colours, flooring, all exist within the building. This means that if necessary they can be reproduced, during restoration.

Clementine Cecil