Some Amazing Underground Homes

With all the talk in Sydney about the need for high density living, developers and politicians have immediately turned to the high rise skyscraper unit blocks to solve the housing problem. But what about building beneath the surface, in an underground home? Visually stunning and often extremely ecco-friendly here are a couple of amazing underground homes that catch the eye.


Swiss Mountain Ellipse
In the Swiss mountain village of Vals, sits a sunken crater that is barely visible from the surface. For an underground home, it offers spectacular mountain views.
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Gary Nevilles Home
Former Manchester United Star Gary Neville has recently had plans drawn up for an amazing home that looks like something out of the teletubbies. Built almost entirely underground, the home has been designed into the shape of a flower with each of the petals representing the activities of "work", "entertain", "eat", "relax" and "play" with the kitchen as the central focal point in the middle.
Said to cost 8 million pounds to build, the home has a 0% carbon footprint and generates its power from a wind turbine, solar panels and an underground thermal heating system. In fact, the home is thought to be so efficient that the UK Government has set it as the benchmark for zero carbon emission design.
The architects of the building have used the ancient neolithic settlement of Skara Brae as inspiration for the design.

Uunderground cities of Kaymakli & Derinkuyu
Living underground is not a new concept. The inhabitants of Cappadocia in Turkey built dwellings into the soft volcanic rock. There is evidence that they housed persecuted Christians during the Roman and Byzantine eras and some of the structures are as tall as 11 stories. At their height, these stone cities would have been able to accommodate up to 50 000 people and large stone boulders were rolled in and out as doors to seal the community away from the persecuting outside world.