The viability of underground homes in providing benefits for their occupants and the surrounding natural environment
Abstract
Underground spaces have been put to use as living quarters since natural caves were first inhabited by the earliest humans. These homes have continued to provide beneficial residential qualities for people around the world, particularly in times of environmental crisis or awareness. This project investigates the contemporary role of underground homes as a living option and their ability to continue to provide the same benefits for their occupants and the surrounding environment today as they have in the past. For this study, five underground homes in the Midwestern United States are visited. The homeowners currently residing in each underground home are asked seven interview questions pertaining to their underground home experience. Their responses are analyzed based on their respective home's ability to both satisfy their expectations of the home and provide the benefits underground homes are known to have offered others in the past. The home layouts are then analyzed based on annual daylight availability within the home. This is done in order to address a common assumption that underground homes are usually darker than their above-ground counterparts and are thus unable to provide the benefits of natural daylight access. These analyses reference drawn floor plans and 3D models of the home created after each home visit. Finally, two underground home designs are introduced based on two different factors affecting underground home design. The first home design is based on researched construction methods and materials in order to gain an understanding of the functionality and feasibility of underground homes. The second home design is based primarily on incorporating Responsive Design methods, where the features and look of the home are intentionally incorporated to address issues pertaining to aesthetics, perception, and functionality of underground homes. The paper concludes that, while the interviews and daylight analyses do demonstrate the ability for modern underground homes to provide benefits for their residents, a rise in responsive design methodologies could be needed in order for underground homes to become more widely recognized as a viable and attainable living arrangement in today's world.
Degree
M.F.A.
Advisors
Kilmer, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Design
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