Jõhvi's new social housing building to include first bomb shelter, demand down threefold in 20 years
Construction continues on a new social housing building in Jõhvi, Estonia, which will offer 45 apartments and the town's first bomb shelter, with completion planned for spring 2027.
A topping-out ceremony was held at the construction site of a new social housing building in the Estonian town of Jõhvi. The building, which will have 45 apartments, is due to be completed in spring 2027 and will cost more than three million euros to build.
The social housing complex previously consisted of two blocks. One of them was fully demolished and replaced by the new building. Although the new structure stands right next to the remaining old block, the two are completely separate and independent buildings, according to Jõhvi rural municipality's head of construction projects, Jevgeni Korniltsev.
First shelter and solar power
For the first time in Jõhvi's history, the new building includes a bomb shelter — a class C-1 above-ground shelter capable of withstanding a shockwave of 100 kilopascals and providing protection from shrapnel. A solar power installation is also planned for the roof, a key requirement for the building to reach energy efficiency class A.
The new building will provide 45 apartments. Currently around fifty residents of the municipality are in need of social housing. Those who cannot be accommodated in the new building will be offered rooms in the neighboring block. Korniltsev and Sirle Tammiste, head of the municipality's social service, note that the number of people needing social housing has fallen sharply over the past two decades — twenty years ago there were 145 such people, roughly three times today's figure.
The new building will feature an elevator, rooms with kitchens, and access to hot water for bathing. Construction of the new social housing building in Jõhvi is expected to be completed in spring 2027.
