KRASNOYARSK, July 9. /TASS/. In renovation of apartment houses in Norilsk the city will use the technology of hinged ventilated facades. Though this technology is expensive, by using it the city will cut maintenance expenses, Norilsk’s Mayor Dmitry Karasev told TASS.

"Right, at first it is more expensive, we do realize it. Thus, we will not be able to make all 100% of facades at a time. But in 2021 we will begin to use this technology and will increase (the number of renovated houses, where we will use hinged ventilated facades - TASS), and probably by 2025 we will be using 100% ventilated facades," the mayor said.

According to Norilsk’s administration, in 2021-2024 the city’s expenses on the renovation will make 7.1 billion rubles ($97 million), in 2025-2035 - 59.7 billion rubles ($817 million). The program includes dilapidated houses’ demolition, construction of new and reconstruction of existing houses, including those of historical significance for Norilsk.

At the request of the Norilsk Development Agency, the Siberian Federal University has analyzed existing facade solutions and developed recommendations for the city. The project’s leader, head of the Department of Integrated Arctic Research at the Siberian Federal University Yuri Zakharinsky told TASS, only four of the 862 apartment buildings in Norilsk have been in operation for less than ten years, 28% were built more than 50 years ago, and 55% were commissioned 31-50 years ago. The average rate of physical deterioration of the city's housing stock is 44%.

Maxim Mironov, director of the Norilsk Development Agency, told TASS that the technology of conventional facade painting would not give the city modernity, unlike the use of ventilated facades. In addition, he noted, houses with ventilated facades are much more energy efficient and durable.

According to Zakharinsky, from the practical point of view, use of hinged ventilated facades will reduce heat losses in the houses by 45-55%, which is a very good indicator for a polar city, where winters continue for more than 300 days a year and air temperatures for a long time can remain lower than 50 degrees below zero. At the same time, researchers took into account the Russian and foreign experience in house renovation, including in the Arctic city of Barentsburg on the Spitsbergen. "While analyzing and comparing hinged facade systems and conventional facades, we came to the conclusion that the use of hinged ventilated facades in the conditions of Norilsk is more durable, aesthetically pleasing, energy efficient and in the future the city will save money on house maintenance," he said.

Nil for renovation

Alexandra Frolovskaya of SFU is responsible for the Norilsk Facades projects. She told TASS, at the construction stage the cost of a hinged ventilated facade system for one house is about 40 million rubles ($547,000), a plaster insulated facade is about 37 million rubles ($506,000) and a conventional facade is about 23 million rubles ($315,000).

"However, the expenses in 30 years, taking into account renovations every 10 years, on a hinged system are nil rubles, for a system with insulation - 56.3 million rubles ($770,000), and for a regular renovation - 63.5 million rubles (869,000). I think the level of costs is clear," she said."

Associate Professor of the Peter the Great Higher School of Industrial and Civil Engineering at St. Petersburg’s Polytechnic University Daria Nemova agrees with the assessments by other experts. "In my opinion, the assumption that a hinged ventilated facade will be the best solution to renovate existing buildings is true. Indeed, the term of maintenance-free operation of this enclosing structure is much longer than that of alternative solutions, for example, of a plaster facade. Although a plaster facade will be cheaper, about 800-1000 rubles ($11-14) per square meter, but it will have to be repaired and renovated every 8-10 years," she told TASS. According to her calculations, the cost of a hinged ventilated facade is 2.5-5 thousand rubles ($34-68) per square meter. However, the service life of such systems is much higher - between 30 and 50 years.

"It all depends on whether there is an opportunity to invest in using this system at the stage of construction. In any case, it is necessary to do a comprehensive reconstruction of the building. If you simply insulate the walls, but do not upgrade the heat supply system, then you will not be able to achieve high energy efficiency of the building," she added.

The problem of outdated housing stock is acute for many Arctic cities. The technology of hinged ventilated facades is being studied, for example, in the Yamalo-Nenets Region. Yamal’s authorities told TASS, out of 7,440 apartment buildings in the region only 73% are outdated by less than 30%. Since 2020, a pilot project continues in the cities of Nadym and Novy Urengoy to renovate facades using various repair technologies: plastering, painting and hinged ventilated facades. The project involves renovation of 12 houses. It is due to be completed in August, 2021. After that, experts will study the degree of energy efficiency in every used technology.

Zakharinsky emphasizes that the issue of apartment buildings with "enclosing structures made of aerated concrete panels" remains a big problem. According to him, specialists must research whether such houses could be operated and they must offer solutions for the renovation of such houses. SFU scientists are ready to conduct such studies.

About renovation program

In February 2021, Russia’s Ministry of Regional Development, the Norilsk Nickel Company (Nornickel), the Krasnoyarsk Region’s government and Norilsk’s city administration entered an agreement on Norilsk’s socio-economic development. The document provides for renovation of the housing stock, upgrade and overhaul of the city’s municipal and engineering infrastructures, construction, reconstruction and development of social infrastructure facilities, formation of a comfortable and safe urban environment, as well as relocation of residents from Norilsk and Dudinka to areas with more favorable conditions.

The joint financing of Norilsk’s development to 2024 and further on to 2035 will make 120.1 billion rubles ($1.6 billion), where 24 billion rubles ($328 million) will come from the federal budget, 14.8 billion rubles ($202 million) - from the Krasnoyarsk Region’s budget, and 81.3 billion rubles ($1.1 billion) - from Nornickel.

Norilsk is one of the northernmost cities in the world. It is home to 180,000 people, 26% of whom are employed with the Norilsk Nickel Company. Mass construction in Norilsk was in the 1940s-1950s and in the 1960s-1990s. Presently, the city does not have new construction projects. Nornickel announced earlier, about 100 new houses of total 400 thousand square meters would be built by 2035.