The work in this thesis examines the land utilisation and simulated thermal performance of a pair of two-storey, three bedroom, semi-detached earth sheltered houses based on an existing residential development in South Wales, UK. When designed as Exposed South Wall type earth sheltered houses, which incorporate a number of passive solar design principles, each house provides a ratio of 0.508 for the internal floor area to the overall plot area, which is more efficient than 0.319 for a non earth sheltered house on the same development site. The simulation study has shown that the temperature of the earth sheltering the ground floor rooms is relatively stable on the coldest and warmest day of the CIBSE test year of 1985, but fluctuates widely on the same days at 1500 mm below ground level. The stable earth temperatures enable the ground floor rooms in twenty computer models to record higher resultant temperatures than the first floor rooms, on both the above days. In addition, the temperature range between models in the ground floor rooms is much smaller than in the first floor rooms where there are three variations of earth cover of 1500, 750 and 250 mm. With 100 mm of externally placed polystyrene insulation and an exposed, insulated and south facing first floor wall, 1500 mm of earth sheltering and family occupancy is required, so that both the ground and first floor rooms record resultant temperatures between 18 and 21 °C. With an insulated first floor buffer wall and Trombe wall or a non-insulated first floor buffer wall and insulated passive solar conservatory higher resultant temperatures are recorded and thinner earth covers become feasible with family occupancy. By increasing the insulation to 300 mm of polystyrene the thickness of earth cover and the inclusion of a first floor passive solar collector becomes less significant in recording comfortable internal resultant temperatures. However, the internal resultant temperatures exceed the upper comfort temperature of 23 °C in most rooms in the family and single adult occupied earth sheltered houses. Three optimum design solutions are given which record comfortable internal temperatures and that provide designers with a choice of earth cover, first floor design configuration and insulation thickness.

This thesis has inquired as to the social and economic factors which are necessary for an industrialization process. The study has concentrated on defining industrialization and building systems; the chronological development of earthen-shelters; and the energy, contractor, and financing issues which are prevalent in the existing earthen-sheltered housing market. In addition, the thesis addresses issues such as the social perception of earthen-sheltered space, comparative cost analysis to conventional housing, and land development ethics. / Department of Landscape Architecture

Thesis (M.S.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2006. / Thesis advisor: David Truly. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geography." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-87). Also available via the World Wide Web.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to determine intermediaries’ perceptions of barriers and incentives to innovative, energy efficient housing in Iowa. Data was collected by two surveys. The questionnaire for the first survey collected data from 102 communities in Iowa. Respondents were asked to determine the number of building permits issued for all new single family dwellings between 1975 and 1985 as well as the number of permits issued that were for passive solar, active solar, or earth sheltered housing. A rate of adoption was calculated for each community. The second questionnaire surveyed housing intermediaries drawn from the 102 communities included in the first survey. The sample consisted of 481 builders, building inspectors, realtors, lenders, and solar suppliers. Intermediary groups differed in their perceptions of barriers and incentives to innovative, energy-efficient housing. Significant differences were found among the intermediaries for whether state mandated solar standards would reduce the risk of inspection of solar energy houses and whether risky resale potential acts as a barrier to building solar energy housing. The major barriers were the "first costs" associated with building active solar and earth sheltered housing and the lack of skills among subcontractors to build active solar and earth sheltered housing. There was no significant relationship between rate of adoption among communities and their location in the state. There was, however, a significant relationship between category of building official and rate of adoption among communities. Communities with a high rate of adoption did not cluster in any one quadrant of the state. Additional differences among intermediaries occurred between lenders who had financed innovative energy efficient housing and lenders who had not. Lenders who had not financed solar or earth sheltered housing perceived the barriers to be greater than those who had. There were fewer differences in perceptions among solar/earth sheltered builders and nonsolar/earth sheltered builders. In conclusion, variability in perceptions among intermediaries on the barriers and incentives to innovative, energy efficient housing impact on the rate of adoption in communities in Iowa. / Ph. D.

The thesis of this project focuses on some possibilities for present day interpretation of the prairie style as it relates to the third dimension i.e. trying to use Frank Lloyd Wright as a departure point for my personal design explorations. I consider this thesis project to be an important step in the ongoing process of my personal development as an architect looking for some new ideas in the realm of the third dimension. / Master of Architecture