this post was submitted on 25 Jan 2025
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What is this thing?

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Since it spans the whole floor space there must be a massive cavity in there

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[–] kikutwo 101 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

HVAC, water, elevator machinery same as any tall building.

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 25 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

Except I've seen plenty that did with just a hut

I wonder if anyone has a picture of the empty space up top

[–] flamingo_pinyata@sopuli.xyz 44 points 3 weeks ago

I think it's a design thing. It's possible to do with just a hut, but the architect thought it would look better if the entire floor was level.

[–] kabi@lemm.ee 4 points 3 weeks ago

Those types have the ground level, then a service level, then the "first" floor.

[–] kikutwo 2 points 3 weeks ago

Probably not as tall or no central air dunno

[–] Mvlad88 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

And the drying room for clothes

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I thought that was usually in the basement. Haven't personally lived in one of these though

[–] Mvlad88 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The basement is for storing your winter supplies like jars of jam, pickled.. anything.... and the various alcoholic concoctions. Some have also a room for storing bikes and strollers.

[–] ObviouslyNotBanana 1 points 1 week ago

TBF in my building the laundry rooms are on the bottom. But we also have storage down there, and that doubles as a bomb shelter.

[–] lunarul 2 points 2 weeks ago

The basement has storage spaces.

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 42 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

That's where .ml stores all the comments they find offensive.

[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 11 points 3 weeks ago

Nah, not enough room.

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Hanging above their flats like the sword of Damocles

[–] BradleyUffner 38 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Infrastructure, like air handling, electric, elevator system, etc.

[–] slazer2au 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Yea, machine room is most likely. Elevator motors, hot water systems, etc

The building likely has walls that go 6-8ft up passed the actual roof. The HVAC units and such sit on the roof exposed to the elements. I've been on several roofs like that

[–] RedEyeFlightControl 2 points 3 weeks ago

That's just what the defenestrators want you to think

[–] Madison420 24 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Others are correct, it's the infrastructure for the building that in warmer countries is generally in a basement. Most Russian buildings do not have basements unless they are government because of the cost in excavating and stabilizing it. Instead buildings especially in the very cold areas of Russia are on stilts and entry points are elevated above the average snowfall.

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago

I see. So does that mean it's a large windowless (ie dark) room that can be accessed from the central staircase? Have you ever been in/seen the entrance to it?

[–] zarathustra0 23 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Thorry84@feddit.nl 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Don't joke about nuclear war in 2025

[–] actionjbone@sh.itjust.works 15 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I've got something to put in you.

[–] Thorry84@feddit.nl 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)
[–] Twitches@lemm.ee 14 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Idk but I can tell you Moscow university was a tunnel / hallway behind those round windows. When I was there a quarter of them were broken and it was very exposed. Cold af

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Ooh. Could you go behind those railings on the roof as well or were they just for show?

[–] Twitches@lemm.ee 5 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Probably, I was a kid exploring. The locked down areas weren't locked down. This building is epic! There's underground passages, and at the time I was there, dark abandoned underground Moria like spaces that went as far as the eye could see in the dark. It was in great disrepair, but, there was a full market on one of the basement levels. Basement floors the elevator didnt go. There was an attic space that was empty as far as the eye could see in the dark. Abandoned passages went between all the buildings on the university grounds. Ended up in one building from a passage where I could look out these glass doors to the outside, but, were locked. Was there in the mid 90s, no flashlight or cell phone so I explored as much as a kid dared to. Beautiful building, all sorts of hidden places.

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago

That must have been so enthralling

[–] ladicius 11 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

We have a lot of buildings in Northern Germany with the cellar departments on top (every flat comes with a small room to store stuff outside the flat). Saves heavily on expensive underground floors and has additional advantages, especially when the ground water is sitting very high.

[–] lurklurk 5 points 3 weeks ago

Also gives a bit of buffer for insulation purposes

I think the word for it is "attic"

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Hmm it did not occur to me that the architects might do that

[–] urquell@lemm.ee 10 points 3 weeks ago
[–] _cryptagion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 3 weeks ago

That's where the stasi hide to make sure you're appropriately loyal to the party.

[–] DavidGarcia@feddit.nl 8 points 3 weeks ago

that's where they produce the brain washing rays and put the chemicals in the water that make you gay

[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 8 points 3 weeks ago

Where do you think the Stasi man sits all day with his headphones?

[–] HappySkullsplitter 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

That's where they keep Lenin's real body

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago

I bet you'd find dead bodies up there in at least a few buildings lol

[–] EfreetSK 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

We don't talk about the top floor

[–] EfreetSK 9 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

On a serious note - my bet would be that the roof just has really tall "walls", something like this, just taller

You can actually see that apparently there's a ladder there so it's probably tall

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 weeks ago

Ah good guess. You're right about the ladder bit

[–] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.org 2 points 3 weeks ago

Some hire a bit of this space to telecoms to install the networking equipment for mobile network antennas on top