EARTH SHELTERED HOUSING

Principles in Practice
EARTH
SHELTERED
HOUSING Principles in Practice
MAX R. TERMAN
Illustrations by Virleen Bailey

rmMf VAN NOSTRAND REINHOLD COMPANY

~----_ _ _ _ NEWYORK
Copyright © 1985 by Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 85-3189
Softcover reprint of the hardcover I st edition 1985

ISBN -13: 978-1-4684-6646-1 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-6644-7

DOl: 10.1007/978-1-4684-6644-7

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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Terman, Max R., 1945-

Earth sheltered housing.
Bibliography: p. 194
Includes index.
1. Earth sheltered houses. l. Title.
TH4819.E27T47 1985 690'.8 85-3189
To my wife, Janet,
and daughters, Katy and Kerry
-may flowers, trees, birds, and other members
of God's creation ever grace their world.
CONTENTS

Preface ix

1. Energy, Ecology, and Housing 1

The Energy Situation 1
The Environmental Situation 6
Homes, Energy, and the Environment 9

2. An Adaptive Approach to Housing Options 16

Principles: The Housing Options 16
Principles: Earth Sheltered Housing 20
Experiences: Energy-Efficient Housing 30
Recommendations 36

3. Site Evaluation and Selection 38

Principles: Climatic Factors 38
Principles: Comfort Requirements 42
Principles: Site Selection 48
Principles: Site Modification 56
Experiences: Regional and Site
Considerations 61
Recommendations 70

4. Designing the Earth Shelter 71

Principles: The Design Process 71
Principles: Design Responses to Climatic and
Site Factors 79
Experiences: Design Evaluation and
Planning 98
Recommendations 103
5. Building the Earth Sheltered House 105
Principles: Construction 105
Experiences 140
Recommendations 144

6. Living in an Earth Shelter 145

Principles 145
Experiences 154
Recommendations 157

Appendices 158
A. Energy Performance 158
B. Professional Help 166
C. Award-Winning Earth Shelter
Designs 171
D. Predicting Costs for Earth Sheltered
Homes 184

Glossary 187

Bibliography 194

Index 203
PREFACE
One of our most important objectives as hu-
mans is to discover and pass on ways of living
with our environment. Every form of life, in-
cluding human, depends on nature's ability to
produce clean air, pure water and fertile soil
and to recycle wastes. It is our duty to live in a
manner that enhances and preserves these nat-
ural processes. Earth sheltering-the use of
earth cover to moderate and improve living
conditions in buildings-is an old but recently
rediscovered technique. It holds much promise
for allowing us to use less energy and preserve
more space for natural and human needs. It also
gives the individual and society alike a real way
to achieve self-reliance and independence from
limited sources of fossil fuels.
An immediate need exists for information
from a scientific yet practical perspective to fill
the technical and philosophical gap between
the scientific literature of earth sheltering
and the popular writings of magazines and
newspapers. So much of the scientific literature
is theoretical and untried while the popular
press has tended to be overly optimistic and
uncritical. Basic questions need to be asked and
actual experiences analyzed in order to arrive
at some useful recommendations.
In this book I have attempted to answer
questions that architects, engineers, builders,
contractors, and potential owners would ask. I
have provided basic principles from scientific
journals and books and summarized the expe-
riences of people actually living in earth shel-
ters.
In the growth and development of any field
of knowledge, there comes a time when theory
requires testing, when concepts need to be re-
fined in the light of experience. Such is the case
with earth sheltering. A good foundation of
principles has been laid, mostly through the ex-
cellent efforts of such organizations as the Un-
derground Space Center of the University of
Minnesota, the School of Architecture at Okla-
homa State University, and the many design
professionals active in earth sheltering. These
principles are being put into practice by a small
group of homeowners who are coming to under-
stand both the positive and negative aspects of
living in an earth sheltered home. We learn
from their experiences, and because I have gone
through this process, I also include information
from my own experience to which many poten-
tial owners should be able to relate.
Most of the book is focused on the stan-
dard, elevational-type, earth-covered house,
which has proved to be the most popular and
energy efficient for cold and temperate climates.
However, other designs are considered and the
pros and cons analyzed. The appendices supply
information on the actual performance of my
IX
 x PREFACE
own earth sheltered home, a list of profession-
als involved in earth sheltering, examples of
award-winning designs, and a valuable ac-
counting of actual and expected costs.
This book is not a step-by-step recipe for
building an earth shelter but rather a source of
information that will help interested people to
avoid making major mistakes. The need for
professional involvement is assumed, and in-
formation for choosing personnel is frequently
provided.
I hope that this book will be an impetus for
producing more principles and experiences in
earth sheltering. Only when people involved in
earth sheltering record their ideas and experi-
ences will the store of knowledge grow. I have
encouraged an ecological and ethical perspec-
tive for earth sheltered research. The problems
that we face in energy and environment are
crises in perspective as much as they are of
technology. Earth sheltering, as a passive and
environmentally benign technology, visibly ex-
presses this perspective. The home is the cen-
tral focus of our lives. It is our single most
expensive purchase and the one possession that
states our views about ourselves and our world.
So, although this book is about earth shelters, it
is about more than just houses.
Many thanks go to Tabor College, a singular
institution with vision enough to provide its
faculty with the time and resources to try to
expand their horizons. I wish to acknowledge
the help of Lon B. Simmons, an enthusiastic
and knowledgeable professional in the field
who not only has a feel for earth sheltering but
for the underlying ecological and environmen-
tal realities. Simmons is credited with pioneer-
ing the use of post-tensioning in residential
earth shelters and introduced me to the princi-
ple. He was invaluable in transforming my
ideas into actual blueprints, construction de-
tails, and eventually, the reality of our home.
Thanks also go to Terry Clark of Traverse City,
Michigan who shared many ideas with me and
to John Hatzung of Berg and Associates of Plym-
outh, Minnesota, who provided drawings and
sketches of some of their work. I also wish to
thank the many builders, owners, and research-
ers of earth sheltered houses who so freely
shared their knowledge and ideas with me. Spe-
cial thanks go to Virleen Bailey, who selflessly
devoted many hours to preparing the illustra-
tions and editing the manuscript. I also wish to
thank the editorial staff of Van Nostrand Rein-
hold, whose concern and care were evident
throughout the preparation of this book.