Underground living refers to living below the ground's surface, whether in natural or manmade caves or structures. Underground dwellings are an alternative to above-ground dwellings for some home seekers, including those who are looking to minimize impact on the environment. Factories and office buildings can benefit from underground facilities for many of the same reasons as underground dwellings such as noise abatement, energy use, and security.
Some advantages of underground houses include resistance to severe weather, quiet living space, an unobtrusive presence in the surrounding landscape, and a nearly constant interior temperature due to the natural insulating properties of the surrounding earth. One appeal is the energy efficiency and environmental friendliness of underground dwellings. However, underground living does have certain disadvantages, such as the potential for flooding, which in some cases may require special pumping systems to be installed.
Often, underground living structures are not entirely underground; typically, they can be exposed on one side when built into a hill. This exposure can significantly improve interior lighting, although at the expense of greater exposure to the elements.
There is only written documentation of Scythian and German subterranean dwellings. Remnants have been found in Switzerland, Mecklenburg and southern Bavaria, "They had a round shape with a kettle-like widening at the bottom, from eleven to fifteen metres in diameter, and from two to four metres in depth".[1]
In parts of rural Australia, subterranean houses are built in a manner similar to prairie dog holes. There is a "chimney" placed higher than ground-level and a lower, ground-level, entrance. This orientation causes a continuous breeze throughout the house, reducing or eliminating the need for air conditioning.
Sustainable Development of Urban Underground Space (UUS)
As a step towards achieving the United Nations' SDGs (in particular Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable[3]), urban cities in developed economies of the world are increasingly looking "downwards" rather than expanding limited land resources at the surface.[4]Helsinki, Singapore, Hong Kong, Minneapolis, Tokyo, Shanghai, Montreal etc. are some of the benchmark cities in this regard.[5][6] Underground space as a valuable land resource can be integrated into a general urban resources management scheme and development policy, by rationalizing resource supply according to economic demand, and by coordinating stakeholders from the public administration, private administration, private developers and users.[6] The consideration of the other dimension (underground) in city planning holds a promising future for sustainable underground living, where it can contribute to making cities more liveable, resilient and inclusive.[7] Historically planning of subsurface facilities has been subject to an ad-hoc development approach by separate sectors and disciplines.[8] Successful integration of Urban Underground Space into city planning however requires a synergy of several disciplines and stakeholders to achieve rational use of space resources.[9]
Structures
There are various ways to develop structures for underground living.
Caves (Natural) have been used for millennia as shelter.
Caves (Constructed)/Dugouts are a common structure for underground living. Although the tunnelling techniques required to make them have been well developed by the mining industry, they can be considerably more costly and dangerous to make than some of the alternatives. On the plus side, they can be quite deep. Some examples would be the Sassi di Matera in Italy, declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site, and the town of Coober Pedy in Australia, built underground to avoid the blistering heat of the Outback. One of the traditional house types in China is the Yaodong, a cave house. Also, see the Nok and Mamproug Cave Dwellings in Togo, Africa.
Earth berm structures are essentially traditional homes that have then been buried,[10] typically leaving at least one wall exposed for lighting and ventilation. However, because they are to be buried, the structures must be made of materials capable of surviving the increased weight and moisture of being underground.
Rammed earth structures are not truly underground, in the sense of being below grade or buried beneath a berm. Instead, they are structures made of tightly packed earth, similar to concrete but without the binding properties of cement. These structures share many properties with traditional adobe construction.
Culvert structures are a very simple approach. Large precast concrete pipes and boxes a few metres across are assembled into the desired arrangement of rooms and hallways onsite, either atop the existing ground or below grade in excavated trenches, then buried. This approach can also be referred to as Cut and Cover.
Urban underground living is so common that few even think of it as underground. Many shopping malls are partially or totally underground, in the sense that they are below grade. Though not as exotic as the other underground structures, those working in such urban underground structures are in fact living underground.
Shaft structures. For example, Taisei Corporation proposed to build Alice City in TokyoJapan. The project would incorporate a very wide and deep shaft, within which would be built levels for habitation, all looking in toward a hollow core topped with a huge skylight.
Tunnels, including storm drains, are used by homeless people as shelter in large cities.
^Grothe, Solveig (20 October 2015). "Österreichs unterirdisches Nazi-Erbe: Codename "Bergkristall"" [Austria's Subtterranean Nazi Legacy: Code Name: "Mountain Crystal"]. Der Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 11 July 2022.
^"TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD: THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT" (PDF). United Nations: Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved 7 April 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Li, Amy Huanqing (2021-03-01). "Re-promoting Sustainable Underground Urbanization for Developed and Developing Countries in Our Modern History". IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 703 (1): 012019. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/703/1/012019. ISSN 1755-1307. S2CID 235292268.
^Vähäaho, Ilkka (2014-10-01). "Underground space planning in Helsinki". Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. 6 (5): 387–398. doi:10.1016/j.jrmge.2014.05.005. ISSN 1674-7755.
^ abLi, Huanqing; Li, Xiaozhao; Soh, Chee Kiong (2016-05-01). "An integrated strategy for sustainable development of the urban underground: From strategic, economic and societal aspects". Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology. Urban Underground Space: A Growing Imperative Perspectives and Current Research in Planning and Design for Underground Space Use. 55: 67–82. doi:10.1016/j.tust.2015.12.011. ISSN 0886-7798.
^Admiraal, Han; Cornaro, Antonia (2016-05-01). "Why underground space should be included in urban planning policy – And how this will enhance an urban underground future". Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology. Urban Underground Space: A Growing Imperative Perspectives and Current Research in Planning and Design for Underground Space Use. 55: 214–220. doi:10.1016/j.tust.2015.11.013. ISSN 0886-7798.
^Besner, Jacques (2016-05-01). "Underground space needs an interdisciplinary approach". Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology. Urban Underground Space: A Growing Imperative Perspectives and Current Research in Planning and Design for Underground Space Use. 55: 224–228. doi:10.1016/j.tust.2015.10.025. ISSN 0886-7798.
^Bobylev, Nikolai (2016). "Transitions to a High Density Urban Underground Space". Procedia Engineering. 165: 184–192. doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2016.11.750.
Jochelson, Waldemar. (1906). "Past and Present Subterranean Dwellings of the Tribes of North Eastern Asia and North Western America." In Congrès International des Américanistes, XVe session tenue à Québec en 1906, Vol. 2. Quebec: International Congress of Americanists, 1906, pp. 115–128. Reprinted Nendeln, Liechtenstein: Kraus Reprint, 1968.
External links
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August 18, 2023
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This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations February 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Underground living refers to living below the ground s surface whether in natural or manmade caves or structures Underground dwellings are an alternative to above ground dwellings for some home seekers including those who are looking to minimize impact on the environment Factories and office buildings can benefit from underground facilities for many of the same reasons as underground dwellings such as noise abatement energy use and security An underground house in the Sassi di Matera ItalyAn underground jewellery shop in Coober PedyAn example of an excavated house in Brhlovce SlovakiaSome advantages of underground houses include resistance to severe weather quiet living space an unobtrusive presence in the surrounding landscape and a nearly constant interior temperature due to the natural insulating properties of the surrounding earth One appeal is the energy efficiency and environmental friendliness of underground dwellings However underground living does have certain disadvantages such as the potential for flooding which in some cases may require special pumping systems to be installed It is the preferred mode of housing to communities in such extreme environments as Italy s Sassi di Matera Australia s Coober Pedy Berber caves as those in Matmata Tunisia and even Amundsen Scott South Pole Station Often underground living structures are not entirely underground typically they can be exposed on one side when built into a hill This exposure can significantly improve interior lighting although at the expense of greater exposure to the elements Contents 1 History 2 Construction methods 3 Sustainable Development of Urban Underground Space UUS 4 Structures 5 In fiction 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External linksHistory EditThere is only written documentation of Scythian and German subterranean dwellings Remnants have been found in Switzerland Mecklenburg and southern Bavaria They had a round shape with a kettle like widening at the bottom from eleven to fifteen metres in diameter and from two to four metres in depth 1 In the final stage of World War II the Nazis relocated entire armaments factories underground as the Allies air supremacy made surface structures vulnerable to daylight strategic bombing raids 2 Construction methods EditIn parts of rural Australia subterranean houses are built in a manner similar to prairie dog holes There is a chimney placed higher than ground level and a lower ground level entrance This orientation causes a continuous breeze throughout the house reducing or eliminating the need for air conditioning Sustainable Development of Urban Underground Space UUS EditAs a step towards achieving the United Nations SDGs in particular Goal 11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive safe resilient and sustainable 3 urban cities in developed economies of the world are increasingly looking downwards rather than expanding limited land resources at the surface 4 Helsinki Singapore Hong Kong Minneapolis Tokyo Shanghai Montreal etc are some of the benchmark cities in this regard 5 6 Underground space as a valuable land resource can be integrated into a general urban resources management scheme and development policy by rationalizing resource supply according to economic demand and by coordinating stakeholders from the public administration private administration private developers and users 6 The consideration of the other dimension underground in city planning holds a promising future for sustainable underground living where it can contribute to making cities more liveable resilient and inclusive 7 Historically planning of subsurface facilities has been subject to an ad hoc development approach by separate sectors and disciplines 8 Successful integration of Urban Underground Space into city planning however requires a synergy of several disciplines and stakeholders to achieve rational use of space resources 9 Structures EditThere are various ways to develop structures for underground living Caves Natural have been used for millennia as shelter Caves Constructed Dugouts are a common structure for underground living Although the tunnelling techniques required to make them have been well developed by the mining industry they can be considerably more costly and dangerous to make than some of the alternatives On the plus side they can be quite deep Some examples would be the Sassi di Matera in Italy declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site and the town of Coober Pedy in Australia built underground to avoid the blistering heat of the Outback One of the traditional house types in China is the Yaodong a cave house Also see the Nok and Mamproug Cave Dwellings in Togo Africa Earth berm structures are essentially traditional homes that have then been buried 10 typically leaving at least one wall exposed for lighting and ventilation However because they are to be buried the structures must be made of materials capable of surviving the increased weight and moisture of being underground Rammed earth structures are not truly underground in the sense of being below grade or buried beneath a berm Instead they are structures made of tightly packed earth similar to concrete but without the binding properties of cement These structures share many properties with traditional adobe construction Culvert structures are a very simple approach Large precast concrete pipes and boxes a few metres across are assembled into the desired arrangement of rooms and hallways onsite either atop the existing ground or below grade in excavated trenches then buried This approach can also be referred to as Cut and Cover Urban underground living is so common that few even think of it as underground Many shopping malls are partially or totally underground in the sense that they are below grade Though not as exotic as the other underground structures those working in such urban underground structures are in fact living underground Shaft structures For example Taisei Corporation proposed to build Alice City in Tokyo Japan The project would incorporate a very wide and deep shaft within which would be built levels for habitation all looking in toward a hollow core topped with a huge skylight Tunnels including storm drains are used by homeless people as shelter in large cities In fiction EditUnderground living has been a feature of fiction such as the hobbit holes of the Shire as described in the stories of J R R Tolkien and The Underground City by Jules Verne Some films are almost entirely set underground such as THX 1138 The Fallout series also has underground shelters called Vaults The majority of the short science fiction story The Machine Stops by British author E M Forster is set in an imagined underground city See also Edit Housing portalParent categories Rock cut architecture Structures and sculptures cut into solid rock Subterranea geography underground space natural and man made underground structuresPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback underground structures Underground city Series of linked subterranean spaces umbrella article for underground dwellings and facilities Underground construction Field of engineering for the design and construction of structures below the groundTypes of underground living spaces and people and related topics Basement Below ground floor of a building Bunker Defensive military storage fortification Dugout shelter Hole or depression used as shelter Earth house House partially or entirely surrounded by earthPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets Earth sheltering House partially or entirely surrounded by earthPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets Fallout shelter Enclosed space designated to protect occupants from radioactive debris from a nuclear explosion Green building Structures and processes of building structures that are more environmentally responsible Icelandic turf house House type Kiva Room used by Puebloans for religious rituals and political meetings Mole people People who live in tunnels underground Pit house BuildingPages displaying short descriptions with no spaces Souterrain Underground structure associated mainly with the Atlantic Iron Age Underwater habitat Human habitable underwater enclosure filled with breathable gas Walipini Earth sheltered structure for growing plants Trench Excavated channel in ground Quiggly hole Remains of an earth lodge built by First Nations people ZemlyankaNotes Edit Jochelson 1906 p 116 Grothe Solveig 20 October 2015 Osterreichs unterirdisches Nazi Erbe Codename Bergkristall Austria s Subtterranean Nazi Legacy Code Name Mountain Crystal Der Spiegel in German Retrieved 11 July 2022 TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PDF United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Retrieved 7 April 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Li Amy Huanqing 2021 03 01 Re promoting Sustainable Underground Urbanization for Developed and Developing Countries in Our Modern History IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 703 1 012019 doi 10 1088 1755 1315 703 1 012019 ISSN 1755 1307 S2CID 235292268 Vahaaho Ilkka 2014 10 01 Underground space planning in Helsinki Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering 6 5 387 398 doi 10 1016 j jrmge 2014 05 005 ISSN 1674 7755 a b Li Huanqing Li Xiaozhao Soh Chee Kiong 2016 05 01 An integrated strategy for sustainable development of the urban underground From strategic economic and societal aspects Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology Urban Underground Space A Growing Imperative Perspectives and Current Research in Planning and Design for Underground Space Use 55 67 82 doi 10 1016 j tust 2015 12 011 ISSN 0886 7798 Admiraal Han Cornaro Antonia 2016 05 01 Why underground space should be included in urban planning policy And how this will enhance an urban underground future Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology Urban Underground Space A Growing Imperative Perspectives and Current Research in Planning and Design for Underground Space Use 55 214 220 doi 10 1016 j tust 2015 11 013 ISSN 0886 7798 Besner Jacques 2016 05 01 Underground space needs an interdisciplinary approach Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology Urban Underground Space A Growing Imperative Perspectives and Current Research in Planning and Design for Underground Space Use 55 224 228 doi 10 1016 j tust 2015 10 025 ISSN 0886 7798 Bobylev Nikolai 2016 Transitions to a High Density Urban Underground Space Procedia Engineering 165 184 192 doi 10 1016 j proeng 2016 11 750 Roy 2006 p 22References EditRoy Rob 2006 Earth Sheltered Houses How to Build an Affordable Underground Home New Society Publishers ISBN 978 0 86571 521 9 Jochelson Waldemar 1906 Past and Present Subterranean Dwellings of the Tribes of North Eastern Asia and North Western America In Congres International des Americanistes XVe session tenue a Quebec en 1906 Vol 2 Quebec International Congress of Americanists 1906 pp 115 128 Reprinted Nendeln Liechtenstein Kraus Reprint 1968 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Buildings in caves Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Underground living amp oldid 1145149437, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
