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  "path": "/history/166732-soviet-bam-barrel-houses-tsub-architecture/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-14T16:52:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://english.pravda.ru",
  "tags": [
    "History, traditions"
  ],
  "textContent": "The construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline became a testing ground for architectural improvisation driven by necessity. Cylindrical barrel-shaped homes, known as TsUBs, evolved from temporary shelters into symbols of northern Soviet pragmatism. Engineers adapted metal structures to survive permafrost, hurricane-force winds, and extreme cold, creating one of the most unusual housing concepts in Soviet history.\nFrom Fuel Tank to Residential Module\n\nThe construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline created a major engineering dilemma. Conventional construction trailers could not withstand snowdrifts taller than the roofs themselves or winds powerful enough to turn rectangular buildings into giant sails. Workers found an improvised solution on their own: they began living inside empty fuel tanks. The cylindrical shape proved ideal for resisting the elements.\nIn the mid-1970s, Moscow engineers Alexander Nikulchev and Sergey Kamolov transformed this improvised idea into an official design. The result became the TsUB-2M — a fully metallic unified residential block. Factories produced these modules with insulation and communications systems already installed. The standard unit measured nine meters in length and three meters in diameter, becoming the basic building block of northern settlements.",
  "title": "Soviet Barrel Homes: How the USSR Turned Fuel Tanks Into Homes for BAM Workers"
}