We know that the most modern advanced goods, products, and projects can be typically found in large metropolitan cities, where technology is developing rapidly. At the same time, in small towns, all innovations come with a delay, and the development of the environment is evolving slowly, if not at all. The city of Tartu, however, is not the same.
When you visit Tartu, you will be impressed at how much energy the city government puts into developing a comfortable urban environment. Today I’m going to discuss one of the most remarkable initiatives – converting Soviet-era or “khrushchevka” houses into “smart buildings”.
What is a khrushchevka?
Khrushchevka is a term familiar to many people in the post-Soviet space. In the 1960s, during the rule of Nikita Khrushchev at the beginning of the Cold War, hundreds of thousands of houses were built throughout the Soviet Union to meet the housing needs of the expanding urban population. These were model projects: concrete boxes with cramped apartment layouts, yet they gave many people access to affordable housing. In Tartu, there remain about 100 khrushchevka.
Since 2016, Tartu has been participating in the SmartEnCity project (https://tarktartu.ee/eng/). The goal of the project is to make outdated houses smart and modern (other European cities are also participating in this project). Of the 42 homes chosen to take part in the project, 18 buildings in the city center have already undergone renovations. The houses have been fully renovated, from the basement to the roof. Electrical wiring, water lines, and heating pipes have all been updated. In addition to insulating facades and replacing windows, the roofs were fitted with solar panels.
Energy Efficient
The most ambitious part of the project is to turn old houses with inefficient heating and power systems into houses with the lowest possible energy consumption. The average energy consumption in khrushchevka is 240-300 kWh/m2 per year, which is an F energy label, and the heating of the apartments cannot be regulated by the residents themselves. Updated houses received an energy rating of A, which means an annual consumption of 90 kWh/m2. Speaking in terms of money: if residents normally pay about 10-11 euros per square meter for heating, in the new house, they will pay 2-3 euros per square meter. In addition, the heating can be adjusted according to need, and fresh air circulates in the rooms.
Smart Solutions in Apartments
All apartments inside renovated buildings are equipped with smart home solutions (Estonian nutikodu), which make the inhabitants’ everyday life easier and help them consume energy more consciously. The installation of “smart solutions” is free of charge. Each apartment has its own control panel. It shows the current temperature in each room, you can select the room and set the desired temperature. The concentration of carbon dioxide in each apartment is shown in real-time. The consumption of water, hot water, electricity, and gas in cubic meters for the current month is shown. Also displayed are the time, date, and temperature of the air outside. The control panel application can be installed on the tenant’s phone and you can adjust the data of the apartment from almost anywhere in the world.
From an old building to a piece of art
The Tartu khrushchevka houses now have got a new face. As part of the project, most of the houses were decorated with wall murals, while two buildings had sculptures installed in the yard. Twenty artists from all over the world took part in the initiative. For example, one of the first art objects was a house on Tähe Street where an artist from Argentina painted bright and cheerful cartoon characters on it. Thus, we can admit that the renovation has brought the center of Tartu a unique artistic environment.
Other plans for the smart district project
The project is not yet complete. Innovative solutions for district heating, transportation, street lighting, the use of renewable energy, and the involvement of residents will be implemented in the near future. In the “smart district” charging points for electric cars and rental stations for electric cars and electric bicycles will be installed.To date, 19 houses have been completed. You can easily find them on the map. These houses have decorated the city with murals and have definitely brightened the dull cityscape. These houses have received the new name “smartovka” replacing “khruchshevka”.
(All photos belong to the author unless otherwise mentioned)
