The Pacific Northwest is wet from the Warm tropical winds that blow in from the ocean. In order to build in the PNW, the dampness must be taken into account.
If you are planning to build and earth sheltered building, then avoiding water trapped in the ground will be important. Drainage can be achieved by digging out the foundation and putting large rocks under the basement which would enable water to pass underneath the building without flooding in most cases. An interior moat could also be effected, by digging trenches around the interior basement wall allowing water that does enter to exit without damaging the building. Shaping of the ground in front of buildings to lead water away from the buildings is also a viable possibility. Drainage can also be achieved by using the black house model of double stone walls with gravel between and extending that wall down into the ground.
Local cultures tended to use above ground long houses built of timber, likely because they built on the water's edge and thus had to build on rocky ground, and also likely to avoid having to address the matter of the damp soil. Nonetheless, the local eco-village movement has had good success building cob buildings and earth sheltered buildings in this damp climate, so the challenges can be met.
PNW winters are not as cold as those of the land east of the Coast Mountains, however the dampness in the air can make them just as unpleasant. Remaining warm is still important. Earth sheltering will allow for the thermal mass of mother earth to help the temperatures. Small rooms will allow body heat to be used as an effective heating mechanism.
PNW summers can get quite hot, and again earth sheltering and the thermal mass provided by this technique will keep the temperatures reasonable, while a solar chimney can aid in cooling and ventilating the structures.
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