5 ms·

I recall finding the below blog post on HN not long ago which I think pairs well with this. https://austinvernon.eth.link/blog/construction.html https://austin

by glasss 5y ago

I recall finding the below blog post on HN not long ago which I think pairs well with this. https://austinvernon.eth.link/blog/construction.html https://austinvernon.eth.link/blog/construction.html

aaron695 5y ago
This should be required reading for probably anyone who votes. This quote is my take away - "Almost every advancement in construction is small enough for a man to carry"
- scotty79 5y ago
  Not quite. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plattenbau https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plattenbau
  - frosted-flakes 5y ago
    The article mentions those. There's a reason they are not used much outside of parking garages.
    - kazen44 5y ago
      modern plattenbau is used extensively in Europa. almost all modern construction uses pre made segments. it doesn't look the same as a Soviet era building project, but the technology and system is roughly the same.
    - scotty79 5y ago
      In some cities in Europe as much as 97% of population lives in those and they rise in value faster than other types of housing there. Article dismisses them unjustly.
  - aaron695 5y ago
    Looking at the documentation on those - "Industrialized Building In the Soviet Union" (1969) - "Panels and slabs average 5 tons up to a maximum of 10 tons. Transportation is considered within economic limits if factory to job site is no more than 150 kilometres" Which is what the original article says on pre-fab - "Because of transportation costs, they are all limited to selling within a few hundred miles of their factory." They were also considered disposable in the USSR, and no one wants to live in them. Also talked about in the article, it's a good article give it a read.
    - oriolid 5y ago
      These are quite common in Finland, not just Rovaniemi (which does not really have extraordinary cost of living unless you have electric heating). So, here's how I see it: - When whole new neighborhoods are built, it's not unusual to start with building a factory to manufacture the elements. For smaller projects there's usually a factory within 150 kilometers. This is not Siberia. - There's always insulation and outer wall on top of the panels. The result is not always pretty, but not necessarily worse than concrete poured on site. - The construction crews aren't always competent and there are many ways to screw up a concrete cast. Quality wise both precast and on site casting have their own problems. - The seams between element need periodic repair. If the house owners decide to save money here, it's going to be expensive later. They're also a huge sound insulation problem.

by glasss 5y ago

I recall finding the below blog post on HN not long ago which I think pairs well with this. https://austinvernon.eth.link/blog/construction.html https://austinvernon.eth.link/blog/construction.html

aaron695 5y ago

This should be required reading for probably anyone who votes. This quote is my take away - "Almost every advancement in construction is small enough for a man to carry"

scotty79 5y ago
Not quite. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plattenbau https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plattenbau
- frosted-flakes 5y ago
  The article mentions those. There's a reason they are not used much outside of parking garages.
  - kazen44 5y ago
    modern plattenbau is used extensively in Europa. almost all modern construction uses pre made segments. it doesn't look the same as a Soviet era building project, but the technology and system is roughly the same.
  - scotty79 5y ago
    In some cities in Europe as much as 97% of population lives in those and they rise in value faster than other types of housing there. Article dismisses them unjustly.
- aaron695 5y ago
  Looking at the documentation on those - "Industrialized Building In the Soviet Union" (1969) - "Panels and slabs average 5 tons up to a maximum of 10 tons. Transportation is considered within economic limits if factory to job site is no more than 150 kilometres" Which is what the original article says on pre-fab - "Because of transportation costs, they are all limited to selling within a few hundred miles of their factory." They were also considered disposable in the USSR, and no one wants to live in them. Also talked about in the article, it's a good article give it a read.
  - oriolid 5y ago
    These are quite common in Finland, not just Rovaniemi (which does not really have extraordinary cost of living unless you have electric heating). So, here's how I see it: - When whole new neighborhoods are built, it's not unusual to start with building a factory to manufacture the elements. For smaller projects there's usually a factory within 150 kilometers. This is not Siberia. - There's always insulation and outer wall on top of the panels. The result is not always pretty, but not necessarily worse than concrete poured on site. - The construction crews aren't always competent and there are many ways to screw up a concrete cast. Quality wise both precast and on site casting have their own problems. - The seams between element need periodic repair. If the house owners decide to save money here, it's going to be expensive later. They're also a huge sound insulation problem.