Q5. There are big advantages too, when it comes to private homes. A development of 194 houses which would
take up 14 hectares of land above ground would occupy 2,7 hectares below it, while the number of roads
would be halved. Under several metres of earth, noise is minimal and insulation is excellent.
Q6. In the US, where energy-efficient homes became popular after oil crisis of 1973, 10,000 underground
houses have been built. A terrace of five homes, Britain’s first subterranean development, is under way in
Nottinghamshire. Italy’s outstanding example of subterranean architecture is the Olivetti residential centre
in Ivrea. Commissioned by Roberto Olivetti in 1969, it comprises 82 one-bedroomed apartments and 12
maisonettes and forms a house-hotel for Olivetti employees. It is built into a hill and little can be seen from
outside except a glass facade. Patricia Vallecchi, a resident since 1992, says it is little different from living
in a conventional apartment.
Q7. Not everyone adapts so well, and in Japan scientists at the Shimuzu Corporation have developed ‘space
creation’ systems which mix light, sounds, breezes and scents to stimulate people who spend long periods
below ground. Underground offices in Japan are being equipped with ‘virtual’ windows and mirrors, while
underground departments in the University of Minnesota have periscopes to reflect views and light. YOUR ANSWERS QUESTIONS Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 ANSWERS