Green Building Forum - Aren't these fantastic earth houses! Sun, 31 May 2026 03:45:49 +0100 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/ Lussumo Vanilla 1.0.3 Aren't these fantastic earth houses! https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31220#Comment_31220 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31220#Comment_31220 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:01:31 +0100 StuartB
However they use a lot of concrete. But, maybe you can justify using this amount of concrete if the building saves so much more Co2 over it's lifetime because of it's efficiency? Over the longer term this may be more beneficial.

http://www.erdhaus.ch/main.php?fla=y&lang=en&cont=earthhouse]]> Aren't these fantastic earth houses! https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31222#Comment_31222 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31222#Comment_31222 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:12:20 +0100 jon Aren't these fantastic earth houses! https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31227#Comment_31227 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31227#Comment_31227 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:55:34 +0100 ludite Aren't these fantastic earth houses! https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31233#Comment_31233 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31233#Comment_31233 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:13:38 +0100 Timber
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF2/217.html

is what i would consider an 'earth/underground' house]]> Aren't these fantastic earth houses! https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31234#Comment_31234 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31234#Comment_31234 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:28:16 +0100 StuartB
You would consider these designs "normal"?? :shocked: Normal if you are a tellytubby maybe. I haven't seen many Wimpey houses like these in the UK!]]> Aren't these fantastic earth houses! https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31235#Comment_31235 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31235#Comment_31235 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:43:00 +0100 Timber
I always assume that an 'earth house' was built from or within the earth!

If they are normal houses (all be it, they do look like a telly tubby house) that are designed to sit with the earth, what makes they any more efficient than any other concrete box that perhaps doesn't sit with the earth?

I though the idea was to literally bury the house underground and so capitalise on heat sortage and insulation offered by the ground arround!]]> Aren't these fantastic earth houses! https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31237#Comment_31237 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31237#Comment_31237 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:57:48 +0100 StuartB
http://www.erdhaus.ch/main.php?fla=y&lang=en&cont=benefits]]> Aren't these fantastic earth houses! https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31268#Comment_31268 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31268#Comment_31268 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:07:03 +0100 fostertom Now this *is* convincing: http://www.primedesign.us/self_heating_houses/pahs_article_1.html but PAHS has snags and limitations: http://www.greenershelter.org/index.php?pg=2
Just maybe the Vetsch houses have reached the same point as PAHS, but I somehow doubt it.]]> Aren't these fantastic earth houses! https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31280#Comment_31280 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31280#Comment_31280 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:43:54 +0100 StuartB
"they can be considered ideal for controlled air conditioning" Hm.


Doesn't this just refer to the fact that as it is almost entirely airtight it is a lot easier to control the indoor air temperature?

Ludite - couldn't agree more about the curves.]]> Aren't these fantastic earth houses! https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31284#Comment_31284 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31284#Comment_31284 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:23:30 +0100 Ben GreenHomes Aren't these fantastic earth houses! https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31285#Comment_31285 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31285#Comment_31285 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:42:34 +0100 arthur Aren't these fantastic earth houses! https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31304#Comment_31304 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31304#Comment_31304 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:26:11 +0100 StuartB ]]> Aren't these fantastic earth houses! https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31309#Comment_31309 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31309#Comment_31309 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:03:52 +0100 Joinerbird Aren't these fantastic earth houses! https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31310#Comment_31310 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=2443&Focus=31310#Comment_31310 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:17:10 +0100 fostertom StuartB, the revolutionary thing about inter-seasonal storage is that it can capture those midsummer peak inputs, even if fewer, like the last 2 UK summers. Midsummer peak is so very powerful - like 5kWh/m2/day - that it's more than enough. All lesser storage systems have to rely on Autumn/Spring, even Winter input, because they haven't the endurance to store the Summer input.]]>