Architecture and the Utility of the Earth
We continue to serialize chapters from the book “Sustainable Architecture in Japan: The Continuing Challenge 1900–2010 & Beyond “, published to coincide with the 110th anniversary of Nikken Sekkei. In the previous issues of our magazine (“Green Buildings”, 2013, № 2-4;
2014, № 1), we brought to your attention the chapters dealing with the projects, in which design were used natural phenomena such as light, heat, wind, and water. Now let’s focus on the underground architecture and use of geothermal energy.
The growing interest in the environment brings attention to subterranean architecture – a design strategy inextricably tied to the conservation of energy and landscapes. Underground buildings have long been connected to the discourse on sustainability, with a distinct history and a body of research that helps explain its features and contemporary iterations.
The History
The temperature variation within a day or a year gradually diminishes as you go deeper into the ground. At around 50cm below grade the temperature hardly fluctuates within a day, and at 10m the ground condition remains constant throughout the seasons at the yearly average air temperature. Underground shelters are therefore well insulated and suitable for storing heat. Even today, historic subterranean shelters are inhabited throughout the world.
Most of these are found in hot and dry climates with dramatic diurnal and seasonal temperature changes. However, studies show that the original purpose of seeking shelter in the ground had less to do with the climatic benefits than with the more practical reason of lack ing basic building materials.
Of the larger subterranean settlements, there are those in Yaodong, China, in which 40 million people are said to live to this day. But for all its benefits in the summers, the cavelike dwellings cannot cope with the winters without added heating. And as natural light and air circulation is insufficient, it does not offer the most comfortable living environment.
Younger generations are said to leave for this reason. The Cappadocia region in Turkey is another historic example of subterranean communities. The buildings are dug out of the rocky hills, originally with the intention of concealing themselves from marauding bandits. Here, underground dwellings were conceived as shelters for protection.
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Materials provided by Nikken Sekkei
Text: Hiroshi Yoshino