6 Fascinating Underground Homes That Go Above and Beyond When it comes to cool eco architecture, some people feel like the higher up you build, the better. But don't forget to look down once in a while! There are some astonishing examples of naturally sustainable construction right under your nose - hidden underneath the ground. Come with us as we explore six fascinating examples of buried homes that you may have overlooked the first time around. Unlike other homes whose goal in life is to stick out like a sore thumb (read: that guy on your block who strings up enough holiday lights to cause a neighborhood blackout), this clever dwelling was made specifically so that it would blend in perfectly with the breathtaking landscape in Vals, Switzerland. If new construction isn’t really your thang, how about really, really old construction? Peeking out from underneath bumpy layers of greenery, this amazing abode looks more like something out of a fairy tale than real life.
Ma maison sous terre Vue sur ce site cette extraordinaire maison sous terre postée au milieu des champs dans le village de Vals en Suisse. Je vous laisse admirer, c'est plutot surprenant ! Beautiful Green-Roofed Barn Extension in France is Barely Visible From Afar This barn extension in the Pyrénées Mountains has a gorgeous green roof that minimizes its impact on an incredible site overlooking the Adour de Lesponne river valley in France. When the client commissioned PPA Architects to extend the original stone barn building that once stood alone on this enviable pastureland, they made it clear that the existing site and vernacular architecture had to be preserved at all costs. So the firm tucked the new holiday home into the side of the slope and gave it a deceptive log facade wrapped in steel, ensuring that the extension is barely visible from afar. The new extension consists of a guest room, a multi purpose room, a utility area, and a garage. Typical of the architecture in this historical agricultural region, it is nestled into the side of the slope for both insulation and fiscal purposes. This storage area is quite deceptive. + PPA Architects Via Arch Daily
What is a Passive Annual Heat Storage system? John Hait's book Passive Annual Heat Storage, Improving the Design of Earth Shelters provides a detailed description of a PAHS system, illustrates how to design and build one, and includes numerous warnings about how to avoid mistakes. For a summary overview of PAHS, see Umbrella Homes. To better understand how a PAHS system works and what it does, it is helpful to elaborate on each of the four words, Passive Annual Heat Storage. For those without a scientific background, some of the theory behind PAHS may seem somewhat complex, so I've tried to simplify the explanations. Passive: A properly functioning PAHS system should require a minimal amount of fossil fuels for heating and cooling, such as gas, oil, or coal. Annual: A PAHS heating and cooling system is influenced by the annual climatic conditions surrounding the house and thus never quite reaches a steady year-round operating state. Heat: Heat energy is a mysterious entity.
Underground Homes: How To Get Started, Part 1 - Green Homes The Emergence of Underground Homes Underground homes, or earth shelters as they are technically called, are gaining in popularity..even more now than they ever have. It used to be that only a certain group of people wanted to live in earth shelters and that has changed. Many towns around the country have an underground house that is tucked away in a neighborhood or located just outside of the city limits. The majority of these homes have been in place for decades and the homeowners are used to and very willing to let those people (who are brave enough to knock on their door) tour their unique home. That is the point when I get an email from someone around the country that is looking at building an earth shelter/earth berm/underground home. It is tough to figure out where to start when it comes to building an earth shelter. I always ask those who email me about building or consulting on earth shelters to send me pictures of their land.
Passive Annual Heat Storage (Amazon) Green Building Elements | From brick and mortar shops to city planning, we cover sustainable trends in construction, renovation, and more. A byproduct of fossil fuel addiction, massive pit-mines scar the landscape of several US states. The mines have destroyed families, ecosystems, towns, and- when they close- economies. Despite the harm that these mines have caused, however, they may yet play a part in a sustainable utopian future. That’s the vision of Matthew Fromboluti the designer behind an “underground skyscraper” that he believes could help heal the mine-scarred landscapes of the US, starting with the desert outside of Bisbee, Arizona. At the heart of Frombulti’s design for these pit mines-turned sustainable cities is a passive climate control system (shown, above) that he calls a solar chimney. You can see more of the Above Below design project below, and see several more pictures at the Frombo design site using the source link at the bottom of the page. Above Below Concept Turns Pit Mine into Underground Sustainable City Source | Images: Frombo, via Evolvo, Inhabitat.
Umbrella House Figure 1 Geodome, the first umbrella home (in idealized form), maintains a 66° to 74° temperature year-round without heating equipment in western Montana’s cold climate. In summer, solar heat radiates in, falls on internal surfaces, and is absorbed into the surrounding soil. The umbrella traps heat in the dry soil until winter, when it migrates back into the house. Figure 2 Twenty feet under the surface, the soil temperature reflects the average ambient air temperature during the year. Figure 3a In summer, air enters the house through an earth tube and is warmed by the sun; moving through the second tube, it warms the cooler soil. Figure 3b In winter, cool air enters, is heated by the warm earth, and passes to the house. Figure 4 Second generation umbrella home in Missoula, Montana was constructed by Tom Beaudette, the engineer of Geodome. We called housing experts all over the country, but no one had any ideas. "What a marvelous idea!" PAHS book: www.earthshelters.com/Catalog.html
Watch As This Piece Of Land Becomes The Most Efficient Of Homes.... Underground Maison bioclimatique enterrée Earth Sheltered Earth Sheltered Homes "Another type of building is emerging: one that actually heals the scars of its own construction. It conserves rainwater and fuel and it provides a habitat for creatures other than the human one. Maybe it will catch on, maybe it won't. We'll see." - Malcolm Wells, 2002. The earth sheltered house uses the ground as insulating blanket which effectively protects it from temperature extremes, wind, rain and extreme weather events. Fifteen feet below ground the soil maintains a fairly constant temperature equal to the annual average temperature of the area's surface air. There are two types of earth sheltered building. Honingham Earth Sheltered Social Housing. Looks like vertical placed logs are helping to support the berm on the right. Earth sheltered home with conventional facade. Earth sheltered home, as above. The facade may accommodate any architectural styling of the home owners choosing. An award winning earth shelter dwelling by Cam Architects. Casa Organica.
Green Magic Homes, green houses, ecologic earth covered homes Can you imagine living under your garden, your flowers, your trees, in a green vibrant living landscape? All this is can be possible with GREEN MAGIC HOMES technology. These elegant arched structures are made of fiber reinforced polymer modular components which are durable, flexible and waterproof. With endless design possibilities, these structures can be assembled quickly and easily, with minimal cost to create a gracious living environment in harmony with nature. Green Magic Homes Corp. establishes strategic alliance with Canadian company to offer cutting edge Solar and Wind technology. You can finance your new Green Magic Home with LightStream, a subsidiary of SunTrust Banks Inc. PLANT N.1 - México - In Production Now PLANT N.2 - Spain – In Production Now PLANT N.3 - Spain – In Production Now Coming Soon: PLANT N.4 - Argentina PLANT N.5 - Brazil PLANT N.6 - South Africa PLANT N.7 - Mexico (U.S. We are in the process of approval for Eurocodes
Maisons intégrées dans le paysage Les anglais les nomment "earth house". Une "earth house" est un style architectural caractérisé par l'utilisation du terrain naturel dans la construction des murs de la maison. Une earth house est habituellement installée partiellement dans le sol et recouverte d'une fine végétation. En Suisse (Dietikon), village conçu par Peter Vetsch, version très moderne : Cette implantation contraste avec l'environnement des maisons individuelles traditionnelles. La résidence se compose de 9 maisons, dont certaines peuvent comporter jusqu'à 7 chambres. États-Unis : Cette maison est intégrée dans le paysage et possède des murs en béton sur deux côtés avec des murs de verre entre. Surface totale de la maison : 255 m² pour 3 chambres. Écosse, îles Hébrides Version moderne d'une construction de l'âge de pierre. Pays de Galles Maison qu'on peut facilement louper si on n'y prête garde. Maison enterrée unique en Suisse (Vals) Hôtel Sidi Driss, Tunisie Conçu comme un troglodyte berbère SourceTraduit par le BBB.
Hobbit Houses: 15 Grassy Hill-Shaped Dwellings “In a hole in a ground lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing to sit on or eat: It was a hobbit hole and that means comfort.” This line by J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the beloved The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fantasy novels, has inspired hundreds of copycat underground hobbit homes around the world – and is itself inspired by ancient Viking hill houses. These 15 green-roofed dwellings that take a page right out of Tolkien’s books come in all sizes for all kinds of functions, from hotels in New Zealand to backyard playhouses and vintage underground hill-dug duplexes. The World’s First Hobbit Motel (images via: wayfaring.info) For tourists the world over, New Zealand will forever be associated with The Lord of the Rings, since it served as the filming and production location for the film version of the saga. Modern Hobbit Home in Switzerland (images via: toxel) (images via: webecoist)