Constructing earth sheltered housing with concrete

Technical Report · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:5158284

Spears, R E

This manual provides a state - of - the - art review of the design and construction of an earth - sheltered house using cast - in - place concrete, precast concrete, and concrete masonry. Based on a literature survey, theoretical work, and discussions with researchers and engineers in the concrete industry, the text is designed for use by architects, engineers, and homebuilders. The features of concrete construction that are current accepted practice for the concrete products discussed are shown to be applicable with reasonable care to building a safe, dry, and comfortable earth - sheltered house. The main considerations underlying the recommendations were the use of the earth's mass and passive solar effects to minimize energy needs, the structural capacity of the separate concrete products and their construction methods, and drainage principles and waterproofing details. Shelter ranging from those with at least 2 feet of earth cover to those with an uncovered roof of usual construction are included. To be considered an earth - sheltered residential building, at least half of the exterior wall and roof area that is in direct contact with the conditioned living space must be sheltered from the environment by earth berm or earthfill. Siting considerations, the fundamentals of passive solar heating, planning considerations, and structural considerations are discussed. Detailed guidelines are provided on concrete masonry construction, joint details in walls and floors, waterproofing, formwork and form removal, concrete construction practices, concrete masonry, and surface finishes. Numerous illustrations, tables, and a list of 32 references are provided. (Author abstract modified).

• Research Organization: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, IL (USA). Buildings Div.
• OSTI ID: 5158284
• Report Number(s): PB-82-175902
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140901 -- Solar Thermal Utilization-- Space Heating & Cooling
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320101* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Residential Buildings-- (-1987)
BUILDING MATERIALS
BUILDINGS
CONCRETES
CONSTRUCTION
EARTH BERMS
EARTH-COVERED BUILDINGS
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EQUIPMENT
HEATING SYSTEMS
HOUSES
MATERIALS
PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS
PLANNING
RECOMMENDATIONS
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
SITE SELECTION
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS
WATERPROOFING