Construction details for

earth-sheltering
Drawings show walls, roof structures
and parapets with insulation,
waterproofing and drainage systems

PARAPET-ROOF CONNECTION
As the parapet-roof connection is
often a source of problems, two dif-
ferent details for the drain tile are
presented here, one in the box in-
sert. Both drain details are accept-
able, but a contractor may find one
method easier or less expensive than
the other. In both methods, EPDM
(ethylene propylene diene
monomer) flashing is placed over 90-degree bends. The drain tile is al- truded polystyrene insulation to
the parapet and on the roof to pro- so placed so it will not freeze up and reach the drain but rather will drain
vide extra protection from water at so heat will not be lost to the out- through the sand layer to another
the parapet-roof connection and to side. Note, too, that the polyethyl- drain at the roof edge. This drainage
establish a good base for the drain ene sheet which is laid over the in- layer of sand (shown in both details)
tile. sulation is dropped under the tile. also helps prevent plant roots from
In the drain detail shown in the In the alternate detail, the one penetrating and disrupting insula-
overall drawing, an optional con- shown in the box insert, the drain tion and waterproofing. A topsoil
crete cant is recommended to alle- tile acts only as a backup drain. with a clay content is recommended
viate the high stresses which are in- Most of the water will not penetrate because it does not allow as much
duced in sheet membranes by sharp through the polyethylene and ex- water to penetrate to the roof deck.
 ROOF-WALL CONNECTION
Shown here is the connection of
a cast-in-place roof and a cast-in-
place wall plus an alternative drain
detail to that shown on the cover.
Polyethylene is placed under the
drain tile to direct and contain the
water. A space is left between the
two polyethylene sheets coming off
the roof to allow the roof insulation
to drain, if water does leak into it,
and folds are placed in the sheets
to allow for settlement of the back-
fill.

ROOF-WALL CONNECTION WITH

PILASTER
With the waterproofing, insulation
and backfill omitted, this detail shows
the connection of a hollow-core pre-
cast plank roof to a nonbearing, cast-
in-place wall. The roof load is sup-
ported instead by a steel beam and
pilasters that are cast-in-place on the
interior side of the wall. The beam is
welded to bearing plates embedded in
the top of the pilasters.
 SPREAD FOOTING
Steel pipe columns are used many times in earth-shel-
tered design because they take up very little floor area. A 4-
inch-diameter, 8-foot-high, double extra strong, steel col-
umn can carry approximately 130,000 pounds and is narrow
enough to fit between 2x6 studs in a
wall. The steel column is usually
welded to a base plate, which is an-
chored to the footing by stud bolts. A
space is left under the base plate for
leveling. In order to prevent the floor
slab from cracking at the edge of the
spread footing, a 6-inch granular
base is placed over the top of the
footing and the slab is placed on that.

COVER DRAWING: SECTION
VIEW OF BACKWALL
The construction detail on this
month’s cover shows the location of
reinforcing steel, waterproofing, in-
sulation and drain tile for a well-de-
signed earth-sheltered wall in clay
soil. The wall is cast-in-place con-
c re t e, and the roof consists of pre-
cast concrete planks, both typical in
earth-sheltered construction. Wall
steel usually consists of either #4 re-
inforcing bars placed in a 12-inch
grid or #5 bars in a 24-inch grid. For
s t ru c t u ral reasons and electrical
c l e a ra n c e, it is usually placed 11⁄2
inches from the inside face of the
wall. The steel that extends from the
wall into the footing or roof is
placed near the outside face of the
wall, and a waterstop is placed in
the connection on the exterior side
of the steel. A 2-inch cover of con-
crete over the steel is adequate.
To minimize slab cracking due to
settlement, the floor slab should not
be placed directly on the footing,
but rather 4 to 8 inches above the
footing. Then, if the slab settles, a
crack line will not form in the slab
at the intersection of the slab and
the edge of the footing. Welded wire
fabric should be placed in the slab
to help prevent shrinkage cracks,
and a 1⁄4- to 3⁄8-inch-wide isolation
joint filled with asphalt-impregnat-
ed felt should be constructed be-
tween the floor and wall.
To help prevent leaks, precast
plank roofs should be overlaid with
a concrete topping. Waterproofing
is placed directly on this topping
and on the walls, followed by a layer
of polyethylene, a layer of extruded
polystyrene insulation and another
layer of polyethylene. The insula-
tion is placed outside the water-
proofing to both insulate the water-
proofing from large temperature
swings and protect it from damage
due to backfilling or soil settlement.
Using polyethylene over the insula-
tion helps keep the extruded poly-
styrene (itself a highly water-imper-
meable material) dry and acts as a
slip surface if soil settlement does
occur.
Clear polyethylene, not white or
black polyethylenes, and extruded
polystyrene insulation should be
used underground. Po l y u re t h a n e
foam insulation is not recommend-
ed for use underground, and ex-
panded bead polystyrene insulation
should only be used underground in
very dry climates. The amount of ex-
truded polystyrene insulation
shown in this detail is typical for a
n o rt h e rn climate; in southern re-
gions, 4 inches on the roof and 1
inch on the walls would be ade-
quate.
Drain tile should be placed at the
base of the footing, never on the
footing. When soil moisture content
is high and natural drainage poor,
tiles should be placed on each side
of the footing. To pick up most of
the excess roof water, drain tile is
placed on the backfilled layer of
clay. This clay “cap” is constructed
to prevent the granular backfill from
acting as a sink for the surrounding
terrain. Sands and gravels are best
for backfill, but compacted clay can
be used if the structure is designed
for the higher lateral pressures.
Acknowledgement
All construction details and recom-
mendations are excerpted from
Builders’ Manual and Design Guide for
Earth-Sheltered Construction, a forth-
coming book by Brent Anderson and
Charles A. Lane to be published by
Concrete Construction Publications,
Inc.
PUBLICATION #C820521
Copyright © 1982, The Aberdeen Group
All rights reserved