In pursuit of the "cheap client," people who will buy into the cheap price per square meter, Vinnytsia developers are erecting not just "Great Chinese Walls" and nightmarish panel anthills, where the cell-like apartments with the people living there resemble the cages in factory chicken coops.
Vinnytsia companies offer homes in the "end of privacy" category, where the windows of one apartment overlook the windows of another. Your neighbors' lives—and yours, by extension—are on public display!
These “architect’s nightmares” have become something taken for granted in Vinnytsia.
The more problems a developer faces, the more money they spend on advertising. Meanwhile, a good product needs no advertising at all—in cities like Vinnytsia, word of mouth works.
The undisputed winner of the "honorary chicken coops" award in Vinnytsia is the "AVALON 5" residential complex. So what is Avalon building—houses or "domovini" (little houses) for Vinnytsia residents?
The developer touts all the perks of its project, starting with its excellent location near the city center. However, it neglects to mention some rather less-than-rosy advantages. Part of the land on which Avalon-5 is selling its yet-to-be-existing housing is located in a sanitary zone. Vinnytsia residents are being offered the chance to live next to a functioning tram depot. Not to mention the noise level and other inconveniences, these advantages also include significant health risks for both adults and children.
According to current legislation, allocating land within such a zone for residential development is strictly prohibited. However, city authorities have already issued some permits (with a number of significant violations) to the developer. In response to numerous questions from actual investors and inquiries from lawyers, local authorities have responded with formal replies.
Meanwhile, there remains hope that the "miracle structure" will not be completed. This cannot but disappoint Vinnytsia residents who have already invested in the dubious future of the Avalon 5 residential complex. The developer, on its own initiative (or perhaps at the instigation of competitors), has opened access to live cameras of the construction site on the company's public website. Even an inexperienced builder can witness the scale of the "mega-construction project," carried out by a powerful team of five craftsmen.
Incidentally, the developer of the Avalon 5 residential complex has already earned a negative reputation in Lviv. Of the five buildings, not a single one has been commissioned, including those started a couple of years ago. So what can we expect from the Vinnytsia construction site, where only the pile field for two of the 14 sections currently exists, and the completion of the building itself is scheduled for just a couple of months?
The new Andorra complex, located on the outskirts of the city, is being promoted as a marvel of modern construction in a developed area:
A highly developed and comfortable neighborhood, boasting unique infrastructure: a shopping center, a kindergarten, a car wash, individual garages and parking spaces, and recreation areas. Residents of the Andorra residential complex will benefit from the construction of a kindergarten, a shopping center, and parking garages.
This is ridiculous, to say the least. Anyone living in Vinnytsia knows what a developed and comfortable neighborhood Chekhov Street is. The railroad—a train to Haivoron, constant freight trains—is on the way. Public transportation consists of two trolleybus routes with unclear intervals. And yet, those same trolleybus routes are bringing in a thousand new passengers! A bleak prospect.
Another “miracle-yudo” of Vinnytsia is the notorious “Embankment Quarter”.
The essence of houses is "wall to wall." You can see everyone, and everyone can see you!
Fire safety violations, violations of the National Security Code, illegal construction workers, and tax evasion—that's how the scandals of the "Naberezhny Quarter" in Vinnytsia began. Particularly cynical Vinnytsia residents are waiting for the moment when this quarter, like Atlantis, will sink into the ground, after construction on peat bogs saw a 12-story building with 17 entrances slapped on top.
No one is truly responsible for the safety of this construction project, which began many years ago and continues to this day. Because the developer, Zhilstroy Housing Cooperative, hired a general contractor, who in turn hired a slew of subcontractors—and ultimately, the buyer of the apartment bears the financial responsibility for the housing cooperative's violations at every step. It's impossible to make any legal claims against the housing cooperative. Even if the building crumbles and the walls crack (which is what the architects claim will happen within three to five years of use),
Another complex from the same "quarter" is the even more scandalous "Residence" development almost in the very center of the city.
Last year, former chief architect of the Vinnytsia region, Serhiy Tsarenko, stated that the "Residence" residential complex in Vinnytsia was being built with violations. Residents of nearby buildings protested the construction, but it continues unabated.
Construction began in September 2014. When construction began, the developer did not have the necessary documents. The declaration to commence construction work was received only in November 2014. In other words, construction began first, and then the necessary documents were finalized. This is confirmed by a letter to the Department of Architecture. They documented the fact of construction, not preparatory work. A residential area already exists here. However, urban planning documentation for this block, which by law must be discussed with residents, had not been developed.
"We were simply presented with the fact that they were building a new block of high-rise buildings," said Oleg Ostradchuk, one of the residents. "We told the builders, 'Show us the documents.' They showed one at first, then another at another meeting. That was in September. At the third meeting, they showed a completely different project. So they started building without any documents."
"It's a dangerous place to build," says another "neighbor," Maria Nalepova. "Who will be held responsible if our building collapses? They want to build six sections of 10 or 11 stories here. It's insane!"
According to Maria Desyatnik, a resident and civil engineer, the building sits on filled soil and is built on an air cushion. If the ground shifts, it could slide downhill like skis. Stormwater and runoff accumulate here, starting from Pirogova Street. The soil has already been significantly undermined, and the trees holding it in place have been cut down. Groundwater is nearby. Residents fear not only for themselves but also for the people who will buy apartments in the "Residence."
Another problem is the violation of legal provisions for the development of neighboring properties, including the kindergarten. Instead of holding public hearings, the developer was allowed to decide as they saw fit. They were given five years' use of the construction site and all adjacent areas, including the emergency fire-resistant entrance to the kindergarten, the pedestrian staircases leading down to the embankment, and the access road from the embankment to Leo Tolstoy Lane via Sverdlova Street. This represents a complete disregard for the rights and interests of those who live there.
Opposite the scandalous construction site “window to window” is another scandalous construction site, the “Riviera” complex.
Like the Residence, it was built on a very dangerous site. But the builders here took an even more perverse approach to planning. To make it easier for voyeurs, the apartments face each other not at "corners," but in a semicircle—so you can see them all!
The construction site used to be Sadki, the western boundary of the city. It housed dachas, private estates, and gardens. The gardens were eventually cleared, leading to numerous disturbances to the soil that sits on the cliff. The granite-rock bedrock is unevenly distributed at varying depths, and when the amount of greenery diminishes, residual water accumulates on the surface, creating a real risk of subsidence. This situation led to technical and, ultimately, financial problems for the military in the early 1990s. Back then, modern technology didn't exist; they used pile driving. Cracks had already appeared on the first and ninth floors of the building at 21 Leo Tolstoy Street. Various projects followed. One of them was a small building to preserve the surrounding area and also the observation deck overlooking the river, with the ancient pines that are still intact there. Now, the developer apparently believes they can ensure safety with engineering. But it's impossible to guarantee it 100%.
The most impressive, of course, was the “Family” complex.
So, we imagine it: you step out onto the balcony for a smoke, and all the neighbors are watching you from their balconies. Probably only heavy, dark curtains would protect you from their gaze. But then, judging by everything, a total solar eclipse is guaranteed in your apartment 24/7, all year round.
The ravings of a drunken builder and, perhaps, the winner of the "most disgusting complex" category is the "European" complex in the Old Town. Not only will it be "very convenient" for people to get there from Pokryshkina Street, but the design itself will leave no one indifferent. Judge for yourself:
The Dynasty complex concludes our survey of Vinnytsia's construction squalor. A zigzagging squiggle in the Khimprom phosphate waste zone, with constant noise from the tram depot and rats from the former Municipal Market. Nothing more to say here…
Pavel Ivanov
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