History of sanitary standardization in domestic housing construction in the first third of the twentieth century

Abstract

Introduction. The author analyzes principal relevant state programmes dealing with housing construction. Researchers specializing in different areas of knowledge focus on the problem of preservation and, if possible, improvement of sanitary and hygienic characteristics of housing construction. It is the maintenance of sufficient values of pre-set indicators and their well-organized control can guarantee comfortable and safe living conditions. Materials and methods. The step-by-step analysis was performed and the principal official documents were subsequently compared to get an exhaustive idea of the evolution of sanitary and hygienic standardization in the housing construction. Results. The analysis of the pre-revolutionary legislation and fundamental materials on housing construction has revealed that the main task of standardization was to prevent urban fires and ensure the adherence to private property rights. At this stage, sanitary engineers issued their first proposals concerning lighting, insolation, and ventilation standards. Immediately after the revolution, standardization was applied to distribute the available housing stock. Mass housing construction stan­dards needed revisions as new construction projects were launched. The predominance of low-rise construction projects pre-set the development and approval of standards applicable to this type of buildings. Later these norms were applied to the urban construction of residential buildings. Archival materials provided more information about the development and adoption of the main legislative acts in this area. Conclusions. Conclusions are drawn about the key role of sanitary inspectors in the development of basic sanitary and hygienic requirements in housing construction. Only their status of national legislative acts can ensure their compliance in the construction industry. At the present stage, the preservation of these standards is the only way to ensure safe living conditions in terms of numerous urban multi-storey construction projects.