What is the window in the bathroom for? Window in the bathroom: to be or not to be? If your walls are your ceiling

In houses old building a window between the kitchen and bathroom was the norm. Anyone who has ever seen such a window has wondered, “Why is it there?” What is the purpose of these strange windows, whether to leave them or seal them up in the apartment, the WINDOWS MEDIA portal is looking into it.

Window between kitchen and bathroom - reasons for its appearance

Windows between the kitchen and bathroom have always caused some discomfort among residents. Privacy privacy could be violated at any moment. There are several versions of the purpose of these strange windows.

The window between the bathroom and the kitchen fights tuberculosis

Supporters of this version believe that the window between the kitchen and the bathroom was created as one of the ways to combat the causative agent of tuberculosis with Koch's bacillus. Indeed, at the time these windows appeared, the incidence of tuberculosis was very high. And a dark and damp bathroom - the best place for the growth of bacteria. However, Koch's bacillus dies only when directly exposed to sunlight and ultraviolet irradiation. Direct sunlight through small window couldn't get to the bathroom, but ultraviolet radiation was screened out by several glasses. Therefore, the version of the fight against tuberculosis can hardly be considered legitimate.

Window between kitchen and bathroom - protection against gas explosion

No less mysterious are suggestions that the window is intended to absorb the blast wave during a domestic gas explosion. Some houses with windows between the kitchen and bathroom had geysers for heating water. In some, but not in all. It would be possible to take into account the requirements of clause 7.3.8 of SNiP 31-01-2003 to place heat generators in non-residential premises with a window. But the windows were most often “solid”, which does not meet these requirements. Moreover, windows are present in houses where there are no, never were, and were not even planned for gas water heaters and gas supply in principle. It turns out that the explosion-proof version cannot be accepted as the main one.

A window between the bathroom and the kitchen as a security feature

Proponents of this option are largely right. The bathroom and toilet rooms are extremely small, the corridors in front of them are quite narrow, the doors in old houses were strong and opened inward. If the lock jammed or something bad happened to someone in the household, and strokes and heart attacks often occur in these rooms, it was very difficult to open the door from the outside. The only way to get inside was the window, which, of course, had to be broken.

Photo: janitor Fyodor climbs out the window to help Sharikov (still from the film “Heart of a Dog”) This version is also supported by the case described in Mikhail Bulgakov’s famous novel “The Heart of a Dog.” Help for Sharikov, who had locked himself in the bathroom, came precisely through the window. By the way, the house of Yakov Rekka on Prechistenka 13, described in the novel, was built in 1911 - long before the Khrushchev era, and it already had windows between the bathroom and the kitchen.

Window between bathroom and kitchen as a light source

This version is most similar to the truth. Residents of apartments with windows between the bathroom and kitchen confirm that using a bathroom with a window is convenient. During the day, you don’t need to turn on the light every time you need to wash your hands. This option is also supported by the fact that windows appeared in bathrooms before electricity appeared, and it was inconvenient to light a kerosene lamp every time to go to a dark bathroom. Windows came into Stalin and Khrushchev buildings for the same reason - a source of light. During their construction, power outages were common, and sometimes it was simply turned off during work time in order to save money.

Windows between the kitchen and bathroom - do they need to be sealed?

Not all owners of mysterious windows try to get rid of them. For those who decide to leave this light source in their apartments, manufacturers of modern windows offer a lot of modernization options. Considering high humidity premises, excellent choice will plastic window With frosted glass or stained glass.

Photo: modern window from the bathroom to the kitchen If the desire to maintain privacy wins, you can always get rid of the window. It is better to do this during a bathroom renovation. Without unnecessary hassle the window will close if the room is being decorated plastic panels or drywall. In this case, the cladding goes over the window and it does not have to be dismantled. You just need to remember that in the place of the window opening it will not be possible to fix anything on the wall. If you plan to lay tiles, then the opening will first have to be covered with a brick or a board made of moisture-resistant material.

Surely many who have visited residents of five-story buildings have noticed a small window located between the kitchen and the bathroom or the kitchen and the bathroom. Even not all residents of Soviet-era buildings know the true purpose of such windows. AiF.ru decided to look into this issue and asked the architect for what purpose the architects designed window openings inside the apartment.

What versions are there?

Exists a large number of myths and various guesses on this matter, says architect Ruslan Kirnichansky. “The most odious, in my opinion, is in order to gas equipment in the event of an explosion, the wall was not damaged, but the shock wave went through the window. But in fact, the partition between the kitchen and the bathroom of the Khrushchev-era building is thin, and not a single window can save it,” says the specialist.

Which version is correct?

The only correct version of why a window between the bathroom and the kitchen was needed, according to the architect, was to ensure plumbing safety standards. “According to the standards for insolation (light level) in all rooms in residential apartments there should be sunlight for at least two hours a day, explains Kirnichansky. — Five-story buildings were developed in the fifties and sixties of the twentieth century. At this time, the fight against tuberculosis was actively underway. In order to avoid the occurrence of the tuberculosis bacillus and prevent it from multiplying (as is known, it multiplies in a humid environment), a window was provided in the five-story buildings. So that the light from the window in the kitchen gets into the bathroom (in five-story buildings, bathrooms and restrooms in the first series were always combined), because sunlight disinfects the air and kills bacteria.”

Why exactly the window?

In those years in apartment buildings hoods already existed, but the system was still of rather low quality, explains the architect. “Ventilation was provided, but it was impossible to disinfect the room. Therefore, engineers, designers, and architects agreed that it was necessary to create a window between the kitchen and the bathroom. These windows did not open, they were blocked. But they had to give light,” says Kirnichansky.

Did it cope with the task?

No, according to the specialist, the need for windows between the bathroom and the kitchen has disappeared. “From an efficiency point of view, this window did not really justify itself: it was located quite high. Still, it was not the window that defeated the disease, but medicine, which stepped forward. In addition, forced fans appeared,” notes the architect. “In addition, the window created a lot of problems. It was a little uncomfortable that you could see what was happening in the bathroom from the kitchen. And people often removed these windows and painted them over.”

Are they making windows like this now?

According to Kirnichansky, now the insolation standards are advisory in nature. “If we look at the typical development of a Soviet microdistrict, we will not find practically a single apartment there where sunlight does not enter the apartments. With the exception of the first floors, which are overgrown with tall trees and bushes. Now all SNiPs regarding the level of illumination are advisory in nature. The developer can design the house so that sunlight enters it, or maybe so that it does not. People who know how important sunlight is to disinfect the air in our latitudes prefer to buy apartments facing the sunny south or southwest,” adds the specialist.

Anton Pogorelsky, Alexandra Vladimirova, Olga Mamaeva

Why did the creators of five-story buildings invent a refrigerated cabinet under the window sill, can the location of the houses protect residents from the wind, and what is the similarity of five-meter kitchens with a spaceship - in great history about how Khrushchev buildings are arranged

Task: count the number and trajectory of body movements that a person makes when preparing food. Goal: to create a convenient and ergonomic kitchen for daily use by one family. Solution: kitchen area of 5 square meters. m, in which the hostess can easily reach any necessary thing.

The work of creating a new type of housing for Soviet people was divided into approximately these sub-items. The result of engineering research was Khrushchevka - five-story buildings, which immediately solved the problem of the shortage of real estate in the cities of the USSR.

Despite their modest appearance, the Soviet five-story buildings turned out to be a breakthrough - both in construction technology and in the level of comfort that residents received. We asked historians, architects and local historians to tell us what life was really like in Soviet-era five-story buildings and in what ways the creators of the Khrushchev buildings were ahead of their time.

Five-story buildings began to be built en masse in the fifties of the last century - and typical kitchen for one family became a new entity for Soviet housing construction. This entity has replaced communal kitchens in communal apartments ah, where residents of five or seven rooms simultaneously prepared food in one room. In Khrushchev buildings, the need for a large area simply disappeared: where there is no queue for gas stove, no extra required square meters.

Typically, the size of kitchens in five-story buildings varied between 5–7 square meters. m. This area contained a suite, a table with chairs and a refrigerator - and under the window there was still space for a special refrigerator, which was cooled from the street using a hole in the wall. If desired, the hole could be closed with a brick. This cabinet is a genuine innovation that appeared precisely in Khrushchev-era buildings.

In winter, it was indispensable for storing perishable food: in the fifties and sixties of the last century electric refrigerators have not yet become widespread, and therefore the ability to store products in a convenient and functional compartment was a breakthrough.

“Soviet design was characterized by the search for ergonomic solutions: the lack of space in Khrushchev buildings was brightened up with architectural finds,” explains CEO studio IND Architects Amir Idiatulin, exploring the influence of Khrushchev on the modern vision of design and design methods. - For example, the famous window in the wall between the bathroom and the kitchen not only served natural light, but also served for safety: in the event of a gas explosion, the shock wave, according to calculations, should only knock out the glass instead of the whole wall.”

Products

Storing food in the wall - before the advent of Khrushchev, this seemed impossible. Refrigerated cabinets in five-story buildings the phrase “put under the window” was introduced into use

Of course, the ergonomics of kitchens were not limited to a window cabinet or a window into the bathroom. “In the first place was rationality and functionality,” explains Alexander Balabin, general director of the architectural company Severin-proekt, who uses the best practices of the Khrushchev-era builders in his daily work. - Before the start of construction, an analysis of the behavior of future residents was carried out. As a result, the sizes of kitchens and kitchen furniture were calculated based on an analysis of the movements of the housewife preparing a typical ration of dishes.”

This seems incredible, but back in the middle of the last century, Soviet engineers mathematically calculated how a person preparing food moves - and created an environment that was as friendly as possible to such a “cook”. Experts approached the layout of compartments in spaceships with a similar level of elaboration: minimum emotions, maximum efficiency. In the middle of the last century, this ergonomics was highly valued: Soviet citizens who moved from barracks and communal apartments did not think of criticizing Khrushchev-era apartments for their “small” kitchens.

Soviet experts analyzed not only the features of cooking, but also whether it would be convenient for other residents in the kitchen. “Calculations have shown that in order to get up from the table, a person of normal build requires a distance of at least 40 cm between the wall and the table,” adds Balabin.

Apartment

Along with the kitchens in Khrushchev-era buildings, entire apartments have shrunk. The place of five- and six-room apartments with enfilades, characteristic of Stalinist and pre-revolutionary houses, was taken by “one-room apartments” and “two-room apartments” with an area of 30–40 square meters. m. Simultaneously with the decrease in the total area, the provision of real estate for an individual family has sharply increased. If previously there was about 15 square meters per family. m - that is, one room in a communal apartment - then in the Khrushchevka one household already corresponded to a separate apartment.

Historians and sociologists called the changes a household revolution, which resulted in a population explosion. Many families immediately received separate living space - and stopped depending on their neighbors. The Soviet birth boom occurred in the fifties and sixties of the last century - a time of active settlement of Khrushchev houses.

There are also three- and even four-room apartments in five-story buildings: in the ideal world of a Soviet citizen, everyone should have had enough living space. It is no coincidence that Khrushchev’s apartment buildings became the first point in the program of providing apartments to all residents of the USSR: at a time when the country was being built up with five-story buildings, the party declared its goal to completely get rid of communal apartments by the year 2000.

With the advent of Khrushchev, the design of the Soviet furniture and items everyday life went to new level. Interiors have become functional, affordable and at the same time stylish

The layouts of apartments in Soviet five-story buildings are often superior in terms of comfort to the layouts of modern new buildings, says Alexander Tomashenko, a partner in the architectural studio Ai-architects, who designs apartments in both Khrushchev and new buildings. “In modern comfort-class residential complexes the picture will be depressing,” says Tomashenko. - In some cases, the square meters spent on corridors reach 35% of the total area of the apartment. The corridors of the Khrushchev buildings were mostly cramped and narrow, however effective area apartments were used as efficiently as possible. Many types of Khrushchev apartments have built-in wardrobes and storage rooms. Not at all modern houses thought out storage spaces or any built-in solutions.”

Indeed, corridors were not needed in Khrushchev buildings: the main emphasis was on rooms and kitchens, and the hallway remained a purely auxiliary area for passage between the main rooms. In some series of five-story buildings, a window was made in the kitchen wall to serve dishes in the living-dining room, recalls Alexander Balabin. According to him, when calculating the size of the rooms, the possibility of reasonable savings in cleaning time and effort was also taken into account.

Interior

"IN Soviet cities Five-story buildings formed not just residential areas, but a full-fledged closed structure where people lived, united by the same interests. If the intelligentsia was located in the center, where there were professorial houses, houses of artists and directors, then the Khrushchev-era apartment buildings in the residential areas united the working class,” says Alexander Korolev, head of the architectural studio Alexander Korolev Architects.

Render: Alexander Korolev Architects

At the request of RBC Real Estate, Korolev’s studio studied and recreated the typical interior of a Khrushchev-era apartment in the late fifties of the last century. During the work, the designer discovered significant similarities between the standard apartment interiors of 60 years ago and modern collections of famous furniture brands.

“Chairs with wooden armrests, original for those years, are very relevant today and cost a lot of money. In stores like IKEA, the latest season’s collection borrows a lot from those times, Korolev is convinced. - Don’t forget about the massive cabinets with mezzanines, which not only performed their direct function, but also provided zoning of space, playing the role of partitions. Carpets served as sound insulation and were an element of luxury. The Khrushchev style is still used in various interiors as eye-catching retro details.”

Render: Alexander Korolev Architects

The main advantage of Khrushchev-era architecture is the neutrality of such houses, said architects interviewed by the editors of RBC Real Estate. “The appearance of these buildings was very ascetic, but this simplicity had its own charm,” says local historian Denis Romodin. “The architecture of the Khrushchev buildings does not impose visual pressure,” confirms Vadim Kirillov, managing partner of the ArtTel holding. - Such areas have comfortable low-density buildings, spacious courtyards, as well as an abundance of trees and flower beds near the houses.”

“They said about these houses that they organize space around their inhabitants: such architecture is simple and neutral,” Afisha quotes Anna Bronovitskaya, an architectural historian and teacher at the Moscow Architectural School (MARSH), who specializes in houses of the modernist era. - It is important to remember that such neutral buildings exist only together with the landscape and trees - as a background. For such architecture to remain relevant, the landscape must be maintained.”

The very existence of a five-story building with separate apartments is a full-fledged statement on the topic of how a free person should live in the Soviet Union. No hallways or useless vestibules: from the staircase a person immediately entered the apartment.

Stairwells were also calculated from the point of view of the basic needs of the population - from the need to meet a neighbor halfway to the transportation of furniture and other large items. “There is a well-known standard for organizing access spaces, when when designing stairs, the possibility of carrying out a coffin by two citizens of average build was taken into account,” recalls Alexander Balabin.

Mezzanines for storing things are an integral attribute of the Soviet Khrushchev era. You can put jars of pickles there, family archive and even skis

Almost my whole life is connected with Khrushchev. I lived in different cities and regions, but five-story buildings remained unchanged - even in Moscow. I bought my current apartment in the summer of 2002. This is a two-room apartment in Koptev on the fourth floor. By the time I bought the apartment, I had lived in Moscow for two years. At that time, all prices were measured in dollars: rent cost $150 per month, purchase cost me $37.5 thousand.

What I liked most was the location: there is a forest and a lake nearby, the area is quiet and green. Modern Koptevo is a low-rise building, so there are not too many people here. The metro, however, is a bit far away, but when I bought the apartment, my work was 20 minutes away by tram, so the distance of the subway did not bother me. At that moment, new buildings were too expensive, so I didn’t even consider the option of the primary market. Khrushchev completely suited me.

Compared to many other five-story buildings, I have great house. Ceilings are slightly higher than in standard Khrushchev buildings, sound insulation is good. When I first came here, I liked everything. For the first few months I lived without furniture, sleeping on the same mattress. Made it small redecorating, there wasn’t enough money for anything else. Perhaps because of this, the apartment seemed very large to me - there is enough space for one.

“Now, when I return from some European country, I often think what a big apartment I live in. We recently went to an exhibition in Paris, where we rented accommodation through Airbnb. Not only did the rent cost crazy amounts of money, but the apartment turned out to be very cramped - the kitchen was literally in the hallway. After the trip to London, the feeling was the same: in our Khrushchev there is space!

Yes, Khrushchev apartments have their drawbacks: kitchens are small, planning solutions are not the best. At the same time, even in more modern houses it is easy to find apartments with smaller kitchens. My girlfriend and I live together and we calmly go our separate ways - both in the kitchen and in the rooms. We also have a storage room where most of our things are stored. It is very comfortable.

When I first moved in, the neighbors said that the house would soon be demolished. 15 years have passed - as you can see, the house is still there. I feel comfortable in my apartment, I want to come back here. But the unkempt entrance, the surroundings, this creaky Iron door, which is painted with poor brown paint, sometimes makes me think that I still want to live in good home. And then the mood changes - and I think: “What’s bad here?” It's good here for one or two. It’s more difficult with a child - there is no elevator, the rooms are adjacent.

When I moved here, I was sure that this was my only purchase of an apartment and I was moving in forever - it took several years to pay off the debts that I got into because of the apartment. However, after nine to ten years I began to think about moving. I bought an apartment in a new building in Kurkino. They built a house, I began to come to that apartment, but there was something I didn’t like. Then I realized: even with closed windows It's too noisy there at two o'clock in the morning. Nearby is the Novokurkinskoe highway, which is always busy. To hear each other in the yard, you had to shout. I eventually sold that apartment.

Apartments in five-story buildings and others panel houses have always been far from ideal. They were built to quickly resettle Muscovites into separate apartments. We thought about comfort and beauty in last resort. For what reasons could a window appear between the kitchen and the bathroom in such houses?

In general, there are THREE versions of this floating around the Internet:

The first version goes like this:

...in some "Khrushchev" buildings, water was heated using a gas water heater. According to safety precautions, in the event of an unexpected explosion of the column, the shock wave should have knocked out the inner window, thereby protecting load-bearing walls from destruction.

A very weak version, considering that there is already a window in the kitchen, and the wall in the bathroom is generally flimsy.

The second reason for the presence of an internal opening is the small size of kitchens and bathrooms in Khrushchev-era apartment buildings. The window made it possible to visually expand the space.

It’s also hard to believe, because... design and visual expansion were probably the last things they thought about back then.

So what was this window for?

This is a skylight. In those days there was no cheap available electricity lighting, so they tried to use, whenever possible, daylight. The bathroom is isolated, so they made a window into the kitchen, which had a window to the street.

If you talk to residents of such apartments, they will tell you that during the day they practically do not turn on the light in the bathroom, because there was always enough natural light from the kitchen. So much for savings for people and for the state.

Surely each of us, while visiting, noticed that in some houses there are small windows between the kitchen and the bathroom (or combined toilet). Maybe some even live in such apartments.

So why are they needed, these windows, if every house has electricity? Editorial "AWESOME" I decided to look into the issue and now share the knowledge I gained with you.

According to one version, such windows are prescribed building codes for houses in which water heating is carried out using a gas water heater. In the event of an explosion, this should protect the walls from destruction. If the speaker is in the bathroom, the blast wave should, in theory, knock out the window, sparing the load-bearing walls.

However, geysers appeared relatively recently, already during the USSR, and windows between the bathroom and kitchen were still in houses under the Tsar. Suffice it to recall Bulgakov’s “Heart of a Dog,” which described in detail how Sharikov communicated with the professor through a similar window from a flooded bathroom.

It turns out that the windows in the bathroom performed several functions at once, the most important of which was saving light. The fact is that electricity began to appear in homes only at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. If household members needed to pop into the bathroom for a minute to wash their hands, lighting candles or a kerosene lamp was very inconvenient. And the window made it possible to see where the washbasin and soap were.

In addition, these windows provided better ventilation. They could be opened and quickly ventilate the room, ridding it of excess moisture. In addition, the window helped to make sure that everything was fine with the child in the bathroom, or to get into a locked room if the person in it became ill.