Belarusian Builders Will Work a Four-Day Week

What's going on at MAPID?

The reduction of housing construction for people in waiting lists couldn't but affect the "well-being" of MAPID - the flagship of industrial housing construction in Minsk. According to the Director-General of the company, Mikalai Milasheuski, the factories have been transferred to a four-day week because of low workload. He told about it in an interview with Na Stroikakh Minska newspaper.

Over the past 10-15 years, MAPID plants have been modernized. However, the city's need for large-panel housing is hindered by administrative resources. New Kamennye Gorki in the north of Minsk and the suburbs of the capital have been razed out from the previously approved general plan. As a result, MAPID has small sites, many of them require demolition of the private sector. The process is exacerbated by the fact that the demolition entails a lot of administrative procedures, and sometimes results in litigations against residents.

"Due to the lack of sites, MAPID's production is only 40 per cent loaded and the factories have been work four days. This is nonsense for the summer period. Only six out of 12 houses are in the process of installation, including three commercial ones. Though the capacity allows building 450 thousand square meters of housing per year," Mikalai Milasheuski says.

The situation forces MAPID to look for orders beyond borders of the capital and Belarus. Kaluga has long been using Minsk panels for housing construction. Some workers are working at the facilities in Vilnius. So far, the Belarusians use local reinforced concrete, but the company's management plans to start supplying Belarusian panels to Lithuania in the future. There are negotiations on the possible construction of cottages made of Belarusian reinforced concrete in the Baltic States.

MAPID also strives to gain a foothold in the regions of Belarus. Now the company is seeking variants in Minsk, Vitsebsk and Mahiliou regions. This month, it is planned to start construction of an experimental house for Minsk residents in Smalevichy. Early next year, the construction of the first house on electric heating and water heating starts in Smalevichy. In the long run, the whole district heated by electricity will appear there.