Paul asked on another forum why this subject was so popular with permies and so I thought I would post my reply to this new interesting forum which I would love to read voraciously right now, but I must get back to "working for the man"!(slang in the U.S.)
For those of us who live in hot climates, the underground housing is very interesting because of the attribute of the temperature staying neutral in a building imbedded in a hill, that is why it is so interesting to me personally. For those in cold climates this is a very attractive feature also, decreasing the winter fuel needs. Humidity would be a factor in some areas seasonally and in some areas year round. Then flooding is a whole other issue. I have read many books over the years on underground buildings and as an amateur I would say it is a daunting task and must have four times the detail done on paper unless you are prepared for leaks within one year of building, just my opinion
What is really great I think but I have no personal experience with this, is that you could have a computer generated home and figure out all the potential flaws ahead of time, I am sure for instance that you must take land shifting into consideration. My piece of land had a grotto like area with huge sandstones and granite on the hillside, I was told to wait out four seasons and then look at the land again to decide where to build, I was amazed, the land changes so much in just one year, the grotto was unrecognizable, anyway I never built, I decided instead to incorporate any permaculture stuff into my present housing situation to the best of my ability and have fun staying in the city and someone else can have fun on the hill I have to sell.
One other group should really look seriously at this here in the U.S. , those who live in tornado alleys
Trudie Redding
trrredding@gmail.com Austin, tx
