An underground home may not be a common sight but these abodes are in fact one of the most energy efficient homes in the world. It is a wide spread misconception that the homes built underground or into the sides of hills and mountains, are scary, lack clean air and are claustrophobic, but the truth cannot be further from this rumor. A properly built underground home utilizes natural lighting and is more spacious than most normal homes. The ventilation, once properly installed is often better than that in most of the high rise skyscrapers. Perhaps the best feature of these homes is that they save a lot energy as they stay cool during summers and warm in winters. These homes may have a high cost of construction, but in the long run they are far cheaper and energy efficient than their traditional counterparts. Some of the best underground abodes are listed here for you.
Awesome hidden lair tucked under mounds of green grass
This underground estate consists of nine houses in total that are situated around a beautiful lake. On just one look it gives the impression as if the hobbitâs world from the JRR Tolkienâs novels has come to life. These houses are built using recycled materials and to maximize the daylight hours, the most active areas are situated towards the south, while bedrooms and other night time areas are situated towards the north. The roofs of these houses are fully covered by green plants and can also be utilized to grow vegetables! All these features make this house perfect for nature lovers.
Home built inside a cave
If you are fond of a home equipped with all modern amenities, and at the same time wish to live near nature, then this sandstone cave dwelling in Missouri is just what you had been looking for. This awesome feat was accomplished by Curt and Deborah Sleeper, who transformed a barren rock cave into a place of splendor. This home utilizes the cave walls as natural sandstone walls that sync perfectly with the host of modern architecture. This home is a perfect example of energy efficient architecture utilizing the geothermal heating and the smart passive design of the interiors.
700 Year old Hobbit Cave underground Homes
These 700 year old dwellings are located in Iran, situated right at the footsteps of Mt. Sahand. These homes are made from volcanic rocks, and technically are not what you may call fully underground, since a portion of these homes is well over the surface, however, these houses were also created utilizing the naturally occurring materials in fully natural surroundings. You may think that since they are over 700 years old, these houses would be primitive, but it is not so, since these homes have incorporated almost every modern changes available on the market. There are modern doors and windows in these houses that sometimes fully contrast with the natural volcanic rocks that surround these homes. These homes stay cooler even during hot summers since most of their portion stays buried underground with the mountain acting as the perfect insulator, doing away with the need of any type of air-conditioning.
Beautiful Swiss House is buried under the earth
It is a pleasant experience when the architects and designers try not to meddle with the natural beauty of a place and try to work in a manner that does not disturb the beauty of the surrounding area. One such fine example is the beautiful location in Switzerland- Vals. To avoid messing up with the picturesque surroundings, designers of SeArch and Christian created the perfect underground homes that are made beautifully in harmony with their natural surroundings. The view from these houses is breathtakingly beautiful and even these homes, even when viewed from a distance perfectly compliment their surroundings. These underground abodes never lack natural lights due to their unique construction and are equipped with all the basic amenities and features required in a modern home. However since the building is fully underground, the need for air conditioning has been fully eliminated.
Gary Neville sustainable underground abode
Gary Neville, the Manchester United star that you all know about, has decided to create a zero carbon based fully underground house for himself in the heart of the rural lands of Lancashire, with an estimated budget of £8 million. This staggering amount would be utilized in creating one of the most sophisticated homes that would be fully underground, and self reliant, managing its power supply by means of wind and solar energy. It would span over an area of 8000 sq ft and would be the best example of a carefully planned green home. Neville has also proposed that all the excess energy produced on this property would be supplied back to the national power grid, thereby not wasting any amount of precious clean energy.
