AZE.US
Many homebuyers in Baku remain cautious about new residential buildings and continue to place more trust in older apartment blocks.
The argument is familiar: old buildings have stood for decades and many of them survived the 2000 earthquake. For some buyers, that has become proof that older housing is more reliable than modern developments.
Construction expert Elnur Farzaliyev disagrees with that approach.
He said Baku alone has around 11,000 old multi-apartment residential buildings that have already exceeded their service life. Despite that, many residents still consider them more dependable than new buildings.
Farzaliyev said 26 years have passed since the 2000 earthquake. Even if many older buildings withstood that event, their technical condition may have deteriorated significantly since then. In some cases, he said, those buildings had already reached the end of their service life at the time.
According to Farzaliyev, modern apartment buildings in Azerbaijan are subject to stricter technical controls. Construction projects must meet standards for the foundation, concrete grade, amount of reinforcement, column width and other structural indicators.
He said construction is monitored at different stages, including by the Ministry of Emergency Situations. If a project does not meet required standards, work can be stopped and violations must be addressed.
Farzaliyev acknowledged that new buildings in Baku also have problems. In many cases, the concerns are linked not to structural strength, but to dense development, short distances between buildings and delays in documentation.
From a structural point of view, however, he said new buildings have a clear advantage. They are built with reinforced concrete frames and deeper foundations.
The situation with older housing stock is more complicated. In many buildings, basements have been converted into non-residential spaces, some have suffered flooding, and the condition of foundations has worsened over time.
Farzaliyev said every buyer must make their own choice. But when comparing buildings by technical condition, he argued, newer developments often have the stronger position.
For buyers, the issue is not as simple as “old is safer” or “new is better.” Each building has to be assessed separately, including its year of construction, foundation condition, documents, developer reputation, surrounding density and maintenance quality.
AZE.US