Exploring Thung Houses – Unique Architecture from the Soviet Era Designed to Adapt to the Harsh Climate of the Far North.
These are not water tanks or storage barrels; they are fully-functional homes with bedrooms, kitchens, hot water systems, and entrances. The Soviets took pride in these modern residential structures, considering them the most suitable for habitation. Today, we can only see them in museums.
Innovative Solutions
Thung houses are extremely efficient temporary housing in the cold Far North. (Photo: Rbth.com).
In 1974, the Soviet government decided to revive an ambitious transportation project that had begun during Stalin’s era: The Baikal-Amur Railway. This railway, with a gauge of 1.52m, connects Eastern Siberia to the Russian Far East, stretching a total of 4,324 km and running parallel to the Trans-Siberian Railway.
The land traversed by the Baikal-Amur Railway is characterized by harsh cold and permafrost. The Soviet authorities anticipated the construction costs to reach up to $14 billion, and the then General Secretary, Leonid Brezhnev (1906 – 1982), regarded it as a “project of the century.”
Immediately after the decision was made for the Baikal-Amur Railway, thousands of young and strong Russian workers set out to the pristine, cold Far North to lay the tracks. The Soviet government constructed a series of wooden houses to serve as temporary housing for them, all of which were insulated to withstand the severe cold.
Unfortunately, the rectangular wooden houses could not withstand the harsh climate of the Far North. After just one night of heavy snowfall, they were buried under snow all the way to the roof. Often, workers could not go outside to work because the doors were tightly blocked by thick snow.
After much deliberation, Soviet designers created a temporary housing architecture that effectively addressed the climate issues of the Far North. This was the 100% metal thung house, named Tsubik.
True to its name, the thung house is entirely made of metal. It has a long cylindrical shape, lying horizontally, with a diameter of 3m and a length of up to 9m, and is supported by high legs to provide complete isolation from the ground. Its round shape allows snow falling on top to slide off, preventing it from being buried. Road construction workers on the Baikal-Amur Railway loved it, praising it as the housing solution that saved them.
Due to its cylindrical shape, the thung house is likened to the tub home of the philosopher Diogenes. (Photo: Rbth.com).
“Diogenes of the 20th Century”
If in antiquity, Diogenes (412/404 – 323 BC), the famous Greek philosopher and founder of Cynicism, lived in a tub, then in the 1970s and 1980s, Russians had a similar round thung house. Because of its horizontal cylindrical design, it has been likened to the “Diogenes of the 20th Century.”
Of course, compared to Diogenes’ tub, the modern thung house is much more advanced. Firstly, it is quite spacious, providing enough room to separate a bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. The kitchen is fully equipped with cooking utensils and an electric stove.
The bedroom can accommodate four single beds, serving four people. Secondly, it is equipped with a hot water system and has a separate entrance to prevent cold air from entering the interior when users come in and out. Thirdly, it is extremely easy to move and install due to its lightweight but durable metal structure.
Thanks to the thung house, construction workers on the Baikal-Amur Railway were no longer disturbed by the harsh weather of the Far North. In addition to avoiding confinement due to snow cover, they enjoyed a warm living space since the metal thung houses retained heat much better than wooden houses.
After their introduction, hundreds of thung houses sprang up along the Baikal-Amur Railway under construction. In some areas, they were closely packed together, forming entire “thung house streets.” Wherever many thung houses were assembled together, a boiler room was installed, connecting heat pipes to all structures, providing perfect warmth.
The interior of a thung house displayed at the Baikal-Amur Railway History Museum. (Photo: Rbth.com).
Over time, the thung house spread from the Baikal-Amur Railway to other regions with similarly harsh climates, such as Chukotka and Krasnoyarsk Krai. The locals loved it so much that they abandoned their solid houses to move into thung houses. In the 1980s, Soviet magazines raced to praise the thung house. Many believed that the thung house would become a permanent housing architecture in the future.
Contrary to predictions that the thung house would become a trend, the Soviet federal government viewed it only as temporary housing. Right where the thung houses were located, they planned to create a long-term living environment for the residents. Solid houses made from various building materials sprang up, including both apartments and single homes, along with complete infrastructure.
Before long, the thung houses became unnecessary. By the early 1990s, they fell into disrepair and eventually became scrap. Today, you can only see authentic thung houses at the Baikal-Amur Railway History Museum in Tynda. They have been recreated to actual size for exhibition and remembrance of the daily lives of construction workers on the Baikal-Amur Railway.
