On Being Buried Alive (Not like that!)

-From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"An earth lodge is a semi-subterranean building covered partially or completely with earth, best known from the Native American cultures of the Great Plains and Eastern Woodlands. Most earth lodges are circular in construction with a dome-like roof, often with a central or slightly-offset smoke hole at the apex of the dome.[1] Earth lodges are well-known from the more-sedentary tribes of the Plains such as the Hidatsa, Mandan, and Arikara, but they have also been identified archaeologically among sites of the Mississippian culture in the Eastern United States."

  

If we look throughout the world, we see a lot of people digging themselves into the ground, despite the potential problems of dampness and water and (without electricity) a distinct lack of light. 

Plains Indians of the United States did this, as did tribes of the Mississippi, and the British Columbian Interior region. Germanic tribes and Scottish and Hebridean peoples used the Black House which was a similar double stone walled design. Early humans in South East Asia took refuge in caves, and earth mounds in England may possibly have been used to living quarters as much as burial grounds.

Why? After all, it is a lot of work to dig into the ground, and that ground is wet and damp. What benefit is derived from such buildings?

Quite a lot in fact.

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The traditional dome shape of most earth lodges and black houses resists the cold brought by freezing wind through its low profile and resists earthquakes well due to its strong shape. Being built with thick walls and submerged in the earth keeps an earth lodge cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter without any added on the part of the occupant, due to the strong ambient temperature of the earth. The impact up the landscape if strong only in the early stages, after construction the land moves back in and re-greens the earth lodge quite nicely.

The primary challenge on the earth lodge is water. Water call enter and pool in the lodge if proper steps are not taken. Water can wear away at many standard building materials, such as wood (logs and beams) and thatch or similar. And all of this can render an earth lodge more temporary than a modern house might be. 

Additionally, being underground can lead to ventilation problems and poor air quality if the problems are not addressed. And finally, as previously mentioned, light can be an issue in an underground building, that may or may not have electricity.

The use of stone in the outer walls, preferably the double stone with a gravel inter lay that is commonly used in the Hebridean black houses would improve both the drainage and the longevity of the standard wooden framed earth lodge.

Adding a similar stone floor would reduce water that could collect there and would also allow for cob to be used on the inner walls. Cob, a natural earth type cement that is tremendously strong when dry, but susceptible to water damage would not be suited to the outer walls of a partially submerged home, but its strong load bearing ability and longevity when dry could be safely used as inner walls, with stone at the base and the top to act as a water barrier.

This leaves the roof as the point of contention. If modern waterproofing with plastic or another impermeable substance in unavailable, then the roof will likely be the most temporary part of the dwelling, and will need to be replaced on a semi-regular basis. The thickness of the roof will be a critical factor in keeping dry with materials that are not waterproof. Although the Scandanavians used birchbark underneath a grass covered sod roof to achieve impressive water proofing with a 30 year lifespan on the roof.

To deal with the ventilation and air quality a builder can add a solar chimney or similar passive heat exchange system that uses temperature change to drive air flow. This would also allow for more traditional materials to be used, since electricity or other active energy would not need to be added to the system for the system to function. 

Finally, how to address the lighting problem? South facing windows will catch the most natural light. White walls will defuse the light more evenly throughout the room. Reflective surfaces will bounce the light, allowing for more defusion at other points in the room. Light tubes can be added to good effect. After that the best option is going to be some sort of lantern variation.