06 Earth-Sheltered Atrium Home Plans

06 EARTH-SHELTERED ATRIUM HOME Earth-sheltered buildings are best protected against extreme temperature variations, storms, earthquakes, noise and even military air raids. Thus, it was with these and passive solar design principles of internal heat zoning and compact planning in mind that this eco-house was designed. Owing to oval shape of the inner atrium (court), the Living Room, Kitchen and Dining and Bedrooms all face maximum sunlight - sometimes from south, at other times from east and west. Special emphasis was placed on the Utility Room to shelter major electro-mechanical and solar equipment.This eco-house would be ideally located in valleys and plains. The excavated earth could easily be used to top the building roof slab. The windows oriented towards the sun attract maximum solar radiation during cold season but are also provided with external reflecting surfaces and rigid insulating boards that are operated manually, which means that one can regulate the amount of sun ne