Modern Underground Homes • Insteading (2024)

“As an architect, I’m ashamed of what my fellow professionals and I have done during the last fifty years. What do we do? Look around you: America’s best land: destroyed, nature: crushed under buildings and parking lots, resources: squandered, energy: wasted. The saddest part is that we know better and still do nothing about it. We actually know how to build without destroying land.” — Malcolm Wells.

Amazing Underground Homes Around The World

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Malator Earth House in Druidston, Pembrokeshire, Wales, built in 1998 and designed by architects Future Systems for a former Member of Parliament. Winds flow right over her. The home is known locally as the Teletubby house.www.ala.uk.com

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The roof of the Malator house is entirely covered in local grasses and the bulk of the home closely imitates the neighboring hills.From above, the house is invisible.www.ala.uk.com

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Malator Earth House is barely noticable from the road. storiesofhouses.blogspot.com
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Villa Vals, Switzerland.
The surrounding landscape was left undisturbed and unobstructed by any sort of architectural bump. The three upper bedrooms are flooded with light and views. The first floor includes the kitchen, living room and bedroom that doubles as a library. The villa is thermally insulated and features ground source heat pump, radiant floors, heat exchanger and uses only hydroelectric power generated by the nearby reservoir. SeARCH and CMA: www.search.nl


This 1500 sq. ft. underground house in New Zealand is build from earth and timber. The goal is to be completely self-reliant, growing all food, storing water, and making all energy. The builder, Neil, wants the home to be a model for other home builders. Most of the building has been done with vacationing volunteers with no building experience looking for a place to stay for a couple of days—some had never even used a hammer before. The project has been almost entirely waste and chemical free.

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Villa Vals, Switzerland.
SeARCH and CMA: www.search.nl

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Aloni, Antiparos Island, Greece.
Deca Architects, 2005-2008.

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Aloni, Antiparos Island, Greece.
The design of the house is a dual response to the particular topography of the site and to the rural dry-rubble stone walls that define agricultural land on the ‘Cycladic Island’. The homes mass is imperceptible within the broader landscape of the island. The house is protected from the elements yet is full of natural light. Deca Architects, 2005-2008.

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Aloni, Antiparos Island, Greece.
Deca Architects, 2005-2008.

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Aloni, Antiparos Island, Greece.
Deca Architects, 2005-2008.


A Nebraska couple turned an abandoned missile silo into an underground home. It was ruined, with rodents and pigeons living inside. They have a backup electrical system that can be charged with wind power. They grow tomatoes, garlic, potatoes, and green beans in an underground greenhouse. The walls are two feet thick—four feet thick in some places. The place where the missile was held is now the couple’s garage. They’ve covered the ground with wooden flooring and plastic turf.

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Edgeland House in Austin, Texas, is located on a rehabilitated brownfield site and is a modern re‐interpretation of one of the oldest housing typologies in North America, the Native American Pit House. The Pit House, typically sunken, takes advantage of the earth’s mass to maintain thermal comfort throughout the year. Like this timeless dwelling, Edgeland House’s relationship to the landscape both in terms of approach as well as building performance involves an insulative green roof and a 7‐foot excavation‐ gaining benefits from the earth’s mass to help it stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. The home is broken up into two separate pavilions, for the living and sleeping quarters, and requires direct contact with the outside elements to pass from one to the other. Architects: Bercy Chen Studio

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Edgeland House in Austin, Texas. Architects: Bercy Chen Studio

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Base Valley House, Japan. Architect Hiroshi Sambuichi believes good design is first and foremost about getting the balance between the building and the earth, right. He sometimes spends up to a year performing on-site observations before he begins to design a project. “A close examination on how changing wind directions and intensities in daylight influences the site, enables me to understand what kind of architecture is really needed on each location”, explains Sambuichi. His favorite indigenous materials are stone, Japanese cypress and chestnut wood. Via: wallpaper.com

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Base Valley House, Japan.
Via: wallpaper.com


In this short video, Wayne Martin shows how he turned a shipping container into an underground cellar or shelter. (He turned his into a wine cellar). The video shows the necessary depth of the hole, the placement of the sump-pump, the building of the concrete stairs, the framework that supports the forms around the top of the shelter, the framing below to support the structure, and the intakes for utility wiring. Then, it shows the concrete being poured atop the structure, and how to stucco the bar walls. Total cost of the project: $12,500.
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Base Valley House, Japan.
Via: wallpaper.com

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Underground Home in Greek Isles by Deca Architecture. Close to indestructible. Another underground project by Deca Architecture under construction: adproperties.gr

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Bolton Eco-House. “The first zero-carbon property in the North West of England. The owner was passionate about preserving the natural beauty of this area. The four-bedroom, single-storey family home is deliberately embedded into the contours of the Pennine hillside to minimise the impact on the surrounding moorland and has a roof of flora and meadow grasses which flows seamlessly over the property and into the landscape. It has been designed to consume less energy than it uses; a ground source heat pump, photovoltaic panels and a wind turbine will generate on-site renewable energy. The positioning and orientation of the property were carefully considered and the home is to be built using locally sourced building materials and traditional construction methods.” makearchitects.com

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Bolton Eco-House.
makearchitects.com


This is just crazy—a 5,200 square foot home built 25 feet underground, just 3 miles from the Las Vegas strip. It was built in the 1970s by a wealthy owner terrified of nuclear war. It has a light system that replicates day and night, a sauna, even a grill with a ventilation system to make it safe. At time the video was made the house was on the market for $1.7 million.
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Bolton Eco-House.
Proposed for former captain of the Manchester United football team, Gary Neville. makearchitects.com

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Partially subteranean, partially above ground.
www.futuretechnology500.com

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Earth sheltered home,Big Sur, California.
The Cooper Point House by organic architect Mickey Muenning, who has been building eco-buildings for over 30 years in Big Sur, California, is completely off-grid and powered by solar. Theaerodynamic home reduces resistance to winds that, on occasion, blow more than 100 miles per hour.www.solaripedia.com


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Becton Dickerson Campus, New Jersey.
A fusion of built structure and land form where the resultant architecture is well hidden and the landscape preserved.Architects:RMJM. More info:www.archdaily.com

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Ktima House.
Designed by Architects Camilo Rebelo, Susana Martins. The location of the house is linked with the topography and designed for the most impressive views. camilorebelo.com

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Underground home in Peru.
Longhi Architects, Pachacamac, Peru.
Lots more: www.archdaily.com

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“A hill in Pachacamac, located 40 km south of Lima near Peru’s coast, is the site for the retirement home of a philosopher. The response to the site’s conditions was to bury the house, trying to create a balanced dialogue between architecture and landscape, where inside / outside becomes a constant interpretation of materiality with strong sense of protection and appreciation of the dark and the light. A glass box sticks out of the hill symbolizing architectural intervention on untouched nature.” archdaily.com

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Underground House in Sikamino,Attica, Greece.Architects: Tense Architecture Network.archdaily.com


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Abalone House. Big Sur, California.
Architect: Thomas Cowen.
ranacreekdesign.com

Modern Underground Homes • Insteading (2024)

FAQs

What are the disadvantages of a underground house? ›

Disadvantages of owning an underground home include:
  • Cost: Building an underground home can be quite expensive, and the cost of maintenance and repairs can be higher than for a traditional home.
  • Limited light: Many underground homes have limited natural light, which can make the interior feel dark and dingy.

Are underground houses cheaper to build? ›

The principal downsides to earth-sheltered houses are the initial cost of construction, which can be up to 20% more than a conventional house, and the increased level of care required to avoid moisture problems, both during construction and over the life of the house.

Why don t we build underground houses? ›

Constructing an underground home can be expensive, and it can be difficult to find suitable land for building. Additionally, some people may find the lack of natural light and outdoor space to be a drawback.

What are the cons of subterranean architecture? ›

Disadvantages of Underground Homes
  • Condensation Issues – Humidity levels are generally higher in underground homes. ...
  • Waterproofing Challenges – Since water flows downward, having a completely waterproofed underground home can be a challenge.
Aug 3, 2017

How safe are underground houses? ›

A well-thought-out earthhouse is safe and will keep you warm in the winter, cool in the Summer, and protect you from tornados. I guess you could say Earth homes have Pros and Cons but so do traditional homes. Originally Answered: Is living underground dangerous?

Are underground houses worth it? ›

Cost. While completed underground homes are energy efficient and can help significantly lower heating and cooling costs, building costs generally run 10 to 30% higher than conventional structures. But this initial cost is later offset by lowered heating and cooling costs.

What is the cheapest shape of house to build? ›

The cheapest way to build a home is to design a simple floor plan. Sticking to a square or rectangular floor plan makes the building and design more straightforward. Plus, building up is generally cheaper than building a sprawling one-story home.

How do you waterproof an underground house? ›

A: (Kelly) The typical way to shield an underground house from moisture intrusion is with a moisture barrier, such as polyethylene sheeting, EPDM, pond liner, or a bitumen compound. In any case the wall should be constructed with materials that can withstand moisture if it does happen to get through.

Why do Americans don't build concrete houses? ›

It is more difficult to match the construction rate to the sales rate with industrialized methods. There is a shortage of smaller concrete subcontractors who can build complete houses. Almost all home builders can estimate the cost of traditional construction, be it wood or concrete block.

Why doesn t america build brick houses? ›

Cost is one of the primary reasons for the reduced popularity of brick houses. Brick construction can be more expensive than other building materials like wood, vinyl siding, or even stucco. The higher costs are due to the price of the bricks and the labor-intensive process of laying and bonding them with mortar.

Why do people live in underground houses? ›

Certainly one of the biggest advantages of underground homes relate to energy savings. One estimate suggests that since such dwellings benefit from geothermal mass and heat exchange – all that natural insulation – they save around 80% in energy costs, staying cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

What are the risks of underground construction? ›

Some of the most common tunnelling hazards are: tunnel stability, including rock or earth falls and rock bursts. changing ground conditions, including strata and stress fluctuations. limited space and access, including confined spaces.

What is the biggest underground city? ›

It is now known as the world's largest underground city. Since this extraordinary discovery, the city of Derinkuyu—and Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia above it—has become a UNESCO World Heritage site, a 278-foot-deep marvel that attracts ethnologists, geologists, archaeologists, and tourists.

What are the challenges of building underground? ›

A primary hurdle that engineers face before and during tunnel construction is geological variability. The Earth's subsurface can be complex, with the soil and rock composition varying drastically in certain spaces. This requires constant adjustments to techniques and methods. Groundwater poses particular challenges.

What are the problems with underground rooms? ›

Underground spaces with varying thermal, ventilation, and lighting environments can face problems of comfort, health, and safety. High temperatures, high humidity, difficulty in flue gas emission, harmful microorganisms, radon, and physical and psychological problems are examples of issues.

Are underground houses cold? ›

No. Some underground houses get heat from the soil around them. Being underground tends to only make the interior temperature more stable throughout the day. Adding heat through appliances will make the interior always warmer than the soil around the house.

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