Year: 2012
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: Earth sheltering is an age long traditional practice. In modern times its benefits has prompted new definitions for its practice. With the potential thermal conservation qualities and physical characteristics of earth as a building mass, earth shelters can now be defined as structures built with the use of earth mass against building walls as external thermal mass, which reduces heat loss and maintains a steady indoor air temperature throughout the seasons. The popularity of earth sheltering was advanced mostly by research in energy conservation in residential housing. Originally conceived as dwellings developed by the utilization of caves within the traditional context, its evolution through technologies led to the construction of customized earth dwellings all across the globe. These structures in the past were built by people not schooled in any kind of formal architectural design or with identifiable building techniques rather they depended on the cover the very structure of the earth could provide them for purposes of shelter, warmth and security. Investigations into the traditional earth sheltered dwellings also identified sunken earth houses with characteristics that suggested potentials in passive building insulation which utilizes ground thermal inertia.
Source: InTech eBooks
DOI: 10.5772/51873
Author: Akubue Jideofor
Institution: University of Nigeria
Language: English
Subfield: Building and Construction
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W1602003158