Date of Graduation

5-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Architecture

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Architecture

Advisor/Mentor

Jacobus, Frank

Committee Member/Reader

Messadi, Tahar

Committee Member/Second Reader

Heymsfield, Ernest

Abstract

Subterraneans is a study of an affordable, self-sufficient, sustainable, and dignified housing prototype for the region of Northwest Arkansas. It is a design process investigation based on the ideas of turning a local, sustainable material into affordable homes that can be built within a community of people sharing land and resources. The homes would utilize as many natural materials as possible to minimize the impact on the Earth and the cost to the owners.

Research looked at many different vernacular building precedents as well as the work done by contemporary design firms in the area of economical, low-impact, and passively temperature-controlled buildings. The design is in the form of a tube made from straight pieces of dimensional lumber aggregated into a diamond-grid. This cylindrical form allows it to be

buried with a depth of soil to use the ground and vegetation as natural insulation and thermal mass while creating an effective structure to apply even pressure against the surrounding earth and water.

The various parts of the project were subjected to further research and tests to determine the overall viability of the scheme. Important aspects of the project were: structure, water repulsion, access to light and air to various benefits, its effects on the landscape, and the cost and ease with which to build

Keywords

Lamella; Zollinger lamella; Lamella structure; Wood lamella; Sustainability; Earth shelter; Earth dwelling; Ozarks; Arkansas; Tiny home; Lumber; Dimensional lumber; Wood; Wood house; Wood building

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