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Earth-Sheltered Construction

The document discusses earth-sheltered construction and its advantages. It describes different types of earth sheltering including earth berming where earth is piled against exterior walls, in-hill construction where a house is set into a slope, and underground/fully recessed construction where a house is excavated below grade. Earth sheltering provides thermal mass to reduce heat loss and maintain steady indoor temperatures. It has become more popular among environmentalists and advocates of sustainable architecture. The main advantages are energy efficiency and cost savings from using earth as an insulator, while disadvantages can include potential moisture issues and high initial construction costs.

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Shah Zain
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86 views

Earth-Sheltered Construction

The document discusses earth-sheltered construction and its advantages. It describes different types of earth sheltering including earth berming where earth is piled against exterior walls, in-hill construction where a house is set into a slope, and underground/fully recessed construction where a house is excavated below grade. Earth sheltering provides thermal mass to reduce heat loss and maintain steady indoor temperatures. It has become more popular among environmentalists and advocates of sustainable architecture. The main advantages are energy efficiency and cost savings from using earth as an insulator, while disadvantages can include potential moisture issues and high initial construction costs.

Uploaded by

Shah Zain
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Earth-Sheltered Construction

Earth shelteringis the architectural practice of


usingearthagainst building walls for externalthermal
mass, to reduce heat loss, and to easily maintain a steady
indoor air temperature. Earth sheltering has become
relatively more popular in modern times, especially
amongenvironmentalistsand advocates ofpassive solar
andsustainable architecture. However, the practice has
been around for nearly as long as humans have been
constructing their own shelters.

An Earth Sheltered House

Types of construction

Earth berming:Earth is piled up against exterior walls


and packed, sloping down away from the house. The
roof may or may not be fully earth covered, and
windows/openings may occur on one or more sides of
the shelter. Due to the building being above ground,
fewer moisture problems are associated with earth
berming in comparison to underground/fully recessed
construction.

In-hill construction:The house is set into a slope or


hillside. The most practical application is using a hill
facing towards the equator (south in theNorthern
Hemisphereand north in theSouthern Hemisphere).
There is only one exposed wall in this type of earth
sheltering, the wall facing out of the hill, all other walls
are embedded within the earth/hill.

Underground/fully recessed construction:The ground is


excavated, and the house is set in below grade. It can
also be referred to as anAtriumstyle due to the
common atrium/courtyard constructed in the middle of

the shelter to provide adequate light and ventilation.

ENVELOPED HOUSING

SLOPED HOUSING

BERMED HOUSING

Advantages & Disadvantages: Since its a green type building, only earth is used to
cover the shed or the top, or sometimes window
space, they are all done with the help of this
technique.
It saves the costs of bricks to prepare walls.
The building waste would be lesser than the other
building formation.

Disadvantages: The main problem cause when there is sweeping of


water through the roof occurs, if properly treatment
is not done.
Poor Indoor environment quality and poor
acoustics occurs in the building.
Initial costs are very high during construction.
Over excavation can cause depletion of water level.

History:Early humans practiced such types of housing techniques

to prevent themselves from wild animals, severe


temperatures. Today, in various villages of U.S. & U.K.
such type of housing is practiced.

Earth Shelter
Construction
ADVANCED BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

JAI VARDHAN SINGH


12/AR/011
Pneumatic Structures

Pneumatic structure,Membrane structurethat is stabilized by


thepressureof compressed air. Air-supported structures are
supported by internal air pressure. A network of cables stiffens
the fabric, and the assembly is supported by a rigid ring at the
edge. The air pressure within this bubble is increased slightly
above normalatmospheric pressureand maintained by
compressors or fans. Air locks are required at entrances to
prevent loss of internal air pressure.
Air-inflated structures are supported by pressurized air within
inflatedbuildingelements that are shaped to carry loads in a
traditional manner. Pneumatic structures are perhaps the most
cost-effective type of building for very long spans.

Properties of Pneumatic Structures:


Light weight:
The weight of the structure as compared to the area it covers is very less.
The weight of the membrane roof,even when it is stiffened by cables,is
very small.
Low air pressure is sufficient to balanceit.

Even with spans of more than 100 meter, the weight of the structure does
not exceed 3kg/square meter.

Span:
For pneumatic membrane, there is no theoretical maximum span as
determined by strength, elasticity, specific weight or any other property.
It is hardly possible to span a distance of over 36km. With a steel cables as
they would fail because of their inability to sustain their own weight. But
with pneumatics, such spans are quiet possible.

Safety
Pneumatic structures are safer than any other structure. Otherwise, a
proper care should be taken while establishing.
Accidental circumstances are avoided as they are very light.

Pneumatic structures cannot be destroyed by fire quickly and totally.

Theft
It is very safe nobody can or nothing can pass through a pneumatic
structure. If an air bag is cut with a knife/ pin, abang is produced.
Quick erection and dismantling
Suitable for temporary constructions because they are as easy
todismantle and establish.

Economy
First costs for a pneumatic structure always have compared favorably with
those of conventional roof structures. On a cost-per-seat basis, the
advantage is even more evident. The savings come from lower
construction and supporting structure costs plus overall economy of
design. Architecturally, the design is very elegant and dramatic.

Good natural light


Gives good natural light as translucent/transparent plastic sheets are used
to cover air bags. We can even bring the whole suninside. There is a lot
offlexibility in getting sun light (50%-80%).

Types Of Pneumatic Structures: Air supported structures


It consists of a single membrane supported by a small internal
pressure difference. The internal volume of a building air is
consequently at a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure.

Air inflated structure


It is supported by pressurized air-contained within inflated
building element. The internal volume of building air remains at
atmospheric pressure.

Materials Used In Pneumatic Structures:Plastic films:- These are primarily produced from pvc, Poly
ethylene, polyester, polyamide etc.
Fabrics:- These may be made of glass fibres or synthetic fibres
which are coated in a pvc, polyester or Polyurethene film.
Rubber membrane:- They are the lightest and most Flexible.
Metal foils:- They possess a very high gas diffusion resistance
And high tensile strength . one of the major problems in the Use
of metal foils is in need to produce very exact cutting Patterns.

Its Advantages & Disadvantages:Advantages:

Considerably lower initial cost than conventional buildings.

Lower operating costs due to simplicity of design (wholly air-supported


structures only).

Easy and quick to set up, dismantle, and relocate (wholly air-supported
structures only).

Unobstructed open interior space, since there is no need for columns.

Able to cover almost any project.

Custom fabric colors and sizes, including translucent fabric, allowing


natural sunlight in.

Disadvantages:

Continuous operation of fans to maintain pressure, often requiring


redundancy or emergency power supply.

Dome collapses when pressure lost or fabric compromised

Cannot reach the insulation values of hard-walled structures, increasing


heating/cooling costs

Limited load-carrying capacity

Conventional buildings have longer lifespan.

Uses Of Pneumatic Structures: Sports and recreation

This type of structure is suitable for such building type because


of its ability to span great distances without the need for
beams or columns. It is often a cheaper alternative to steel
supported roofs. Disadvantages to using a roofing system of
this type include the fact that the structure must be constantly
maintained and inspected because left untreated, the
membranes can puncture and the cost of repair can be very
high.

Military Structures
Pneumatic structures are commonplace in the Military. They
often take the shape of a semi-circular tube and can be
connected together. The most common uses for these
structures are for storage or for emergency medical
operations. The benefits of using pneumatic structures in this
way are that they take next to no time to construct, can be
erected by one person easily.

Pneumatic
Structures
ADVANCED BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

JAI VARDHAN SINGH

12/AR/011

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