Underground achitecture requires a bit more effort than a wood-frame house:
Bill hired family members to begin constructing the steel domes, and hired earth moving equipment to remove the top of the hill. The domes were created by erecting a number of vertical steel trusses in a circle and connecting them with 3/8 steel rod spaced at 8 inch intervals. Vertical rods were then welded between the trusses to form a grid of 8 inch squares. The next summer a concrete pad was poured with rubber tubing laid throughout for in-floor heating. The steel frames were moved into position, connected together and covered in expanded metal lath.
Once the metal frame was completely covered, Gunnite concrete was sprayed over the entire interior surface, and trawled smooth. The inside layer was concrete mixed with marble powder to form a smooth white surface . The exterior of the house was covered in a waterproof tar, buried in dry sand and a membrane layer of rubber sheeting was placed over the entire area to act as an umbrella to keep the sand mass dry. The sand mass is crisscrossed with air ducts that circulate warm air from the solariums located at either end of the house. Topsoil was then replaced over top of the membrane, covered with grass seed and gardens and now must be mowed on a regular basis.
This involves some “challenges”:
The design must be well thought out in advance because any changes would be difficult or impossible once the earth was replaced. Upgrades for things like phone, cable and power must be in place at the time of building. Square furniture and appliances do not fit in a round room, there are no corners to stick lamps, and hanging pictures is tricky.
All of these obstacles were overcome with ingenuity and creativity. Each room has buried conduit, through which which wires can be passed, connecting it to the other rooms and the utility room. The arched doors were all hand made by Richard VanHeuvelan, as well as the cupboards, desks and countertops to fit in with the curved walls. Four Seasons Solariums originally used on either end of the house have been replaced with energy efficient stud and drywall rooms with large bay windows. Funiture for the living room was created by Wolf Meuller of Curved Space in Toronto and fits in perfectly with the eliptical architecture. Even the Refrigerator is round, it rises from the countertop at the touch of a button, like the one in Fly Away Home.
None of this is cheap:
A word of caution if you wish to pursue building a house such as this the costs are higher than building conventionally because it involves moving tons of earth and a great deal of work by skilled artisans.
Al Fin suggests waiting out the apocalypse underground:
Underground houses are better suited for survival of massive nuclear, biological, or chemical catastrophes — if advanced preparations are made. Proper air and water filtering and recycling are critical. If residents must stay underground for longer than a few months, the ability to grow food underground becomes more important.
Heating and cooling loads are minimal when living underground, but fuel and power needs for cooking and hot water must be planned for.
The survivalist aspect of this type of building has always made me wonder if it would be better off taking chances above ground. Or maybe if a disaster of that magnitude happens, God will instruct someone to build this underground ark…
I do know someone who was interested in constructing an earth home, more for energy and uniqueness than survivalism. They had an unexpected baby and sold the property.