ABSTRACT
For a variety of environmental reasons, a small group of innovative architects is now designing underground houses, and there is a natural alliance between underground construction and energy-conscious architecture. Properly constructed, underground houses are energy-efficient in themselves, and with the inclusion of south-facing glass areas, they can collect, absorb, and release the sun's rays to help in the heating. Insulation inside and out helps prevent heat loss in underground houses. Roofs of underground houses must be carefully designed, of course, to accommodate the extraordinary weight of earth, plants and sometimes trees, ranging from 150 pounds per square foot to 400. This simpler method earth berms used to partially cover exterior walls may have both cost and aesthetic advantages on sloping sites. Skylights or shed-roofed light wells, set into sod roofs, bring light into the more recessed areas of these underground houses and aid in their ventilation.
