The home as a haven - Drawings for a blast upgradable hazard-resistant earth-sheltered residence

ABSTRACT

Earth-sheltered structures, especially residences, have been studied at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and elsewhere for a number of years as a means of reducing energy consumption in residences. Earth-sheltered structures are designed principally to protect against cold weather during power outages. The most obvious unusual construction feature is the incorporation of large columns between the windows in the front walls. These are designed to take the horizontal load of blast overpressure from the south. The window openings have been carefully designed to permit stacking the specially designed patio riles in the windows and anchoring them there with pieces of angle iron. Common practice in earth-sheltered residential construction has not been followed in the design of the roof and interior walls. In this design, a cast-in-place roof is specified rather than the usual prefabricated concrete plank. The skylights are designed to serve multiple functions as ventilators and emergency exists. In the peacetime configuration, the would have an acrylic weather cover and provision for ventilating