DIY cardboard house for Almatygiprogor
Almatygiprogor & Kazgor
Almatygiprogor & Kazgorstroyproekt were civil engineering and building design institutes in Soviet Alma-Ata, which was then the capital of Kazakhstan. Their main purpose was to design public housing and various public buildings for the city and other locations. The institutes were part of a large network of similar organizations across the Soviet Union, each specialized in a specific field. For example, a geological institute would prepare surveys about the land where a new building was planned. Then, the design insitute would prepare the drawings.
These institutions brought together some of the best designers and engineers of the time. Many of them began their careers as construction workers. They knew the materials well and understood the process. Designers and engineers worked in teams. All designs were drawn by hand with pencils on paper, and reports were typed on typewriters. This was long before the use of computers or computer-aided design (CAD).
The most prominent years of the institutes are associated with the name of Nikolai Ivanovich Ripinsky.
Ripinsky
For many years, Nikolai Ripinsky served as the chief architect of Kazgorstroyproekt. He was born in Moscow and began working on construction sites from a young age, later becoming a draftsman. In 1931, he graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the Kiev Institute of Civil Engineering. After that, he worked in Moscow and completed several projects. Like many other talented engineers of that time, he was repressed and exiled to Kazakhstan in 1949. In 1954, he moved to Alma-Ata and joined Kazgorstroyproekt.
Ripinsky was a true master of architecture and became the leader of Kazakhstan’s national architectural school. He created several creative workshops within the institute and mentored younger architects. He also developed the city’s master plan, envisioning its growth into the twenty-first century. Under the mentorship of Nikolai Ripinsky, architects and engineers worked in teams and completed complex projects, which are considered as marvels of architecture and engineering to this day.
However, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the system of design and engineering institutes also fell apart. Many skilled architects and engineers lost their jobs. The school of architecture and engineering was diminished. The drawings were archived and entire system of building design was lost.
Kazakhstan’s economy began to stabilize only in the 2000s. New construction companies appeared and started building public houses. But they did not use the Soviet-era projects, designed by the best engineers. Instead, they commissioned new designs from small, little-known architectural bureaus. This often served as a money-laundering scheme. Construction companies could set inflated prices for design services, while the bureaus would hire fresh graduates and pay them minimum wages. Usually, only1 or 2 experienced architects (or engineers) supervised the projects, and the main goal was always to cut costs.
Series VT/VP
I truly believe that when something is created by hand, by a team of true masters, it carries a soul. Many buildings designed and built during the Soviet period still stand today. I will not mention the well-known series 464, the typical panel housing found across the former Soviet countries, even in Germany and Cuba. Instead, I want to highlight a special series of public housing unique to Almaty.
This series, known as VT or VP ("ВТ" or "ВП" in Cyrillic), was developed by Almatygiprogor & Kazgorstroyproekt. The series served as an improved alternative to standard panel houses. The apartments in these VT/VP houses were reserved for intellectual workers – engineers, designers, teachers, professors, etc. This reflected the meritocratic system of the Soviet Union.
In Almaty, people often call these buildings “sovminka” (“совминка” in Cyrillic). The name comes from the fact that they were commissioned by state ministries specifically for their best employees.
55 Amangeldy Street
Many VT/VP houses can be found across Almaty, especially in the best parts of the city. They are usually built not on the main streets, where traffic noise is high, but on secondary streets and alleys with plenty of trees and greenery.
But one building stands out in particular. It is located at 55 Amangeldy Imanov Street. This house is unique and one of a kind. It was commissioned by the Ministry of Finance, or “minfin” (“минфин” in Cyrillic), which was (as you may understand) one of the most powerful ministries in the Soviet government.
The location is excellent – right in the center of the city, in the area known as the “Golden Square” (“Золотой Квадрат” in Cyrillic). However, it's not directly on Kabanbay Batyr Street, one of the city’s main roads, but set slightly back on the quieter Amangeldy Street. The building’s design is also unusual. Unlike most rectangular houses, it has a three-leaf shape, which resembles the Mercedes-Benz sign.
DIY cardboard house
In late 2019, I had the rare chance to visit the archives of Almatygiprogor. These archives are closed to the public, and access is possible only with special permission from the institute’s director. I was fortunate to receive it.
When I first entered the archives and looked through the drawings, I was amazed by the quality of the work – the precision and craftsmanship done by hand. But something else surprised me even more. All the papers were kept on open shelves in an ordinary room without proper protection. Many documents were already in poor condition, damaged by water. None of the drawings had been digitized or uploaded to a database, even though a large digital scanner was available for that purpose.
Outcome
I found the original drawings and report for the building at 55 Amangeldy Street. After scanning all the pages, I decided to give the project a second life by digitizing the hand-made drawings in Adobe Illustrator and creating a DIY cardboard model of the house.
You can download the PDF files (below) and build your own model at home. It also makes a unique souvenir from Almaty that you can gift to friends, especially those from abroad. You can contact me, if you would like to add illustrations and sell this cardboard house in your store or website. I am also available to run workshops for children (and parents) on how to build this cardboard house.
Drawings
Building
Ripinsky
Photos
Software
Adobe Illustrator