Abstract

In an industry that significantly contributes to the ever-increasing environmental destruction witnessed globally, architects are responsible for ensuring human comfort without sacrificing environmental health. Earth-sheltering, an architectural design technique that uses earth to partially or fully cover a building, results in reduced operational energy consumption but introduces structural components to increased loads and higher levels of humidity. Using the material properties and life cycle data of wood, concrete, and steel, this study analyzes the viability of each material in a below-grade environment and the resulting embodied impact of a typical earth-sheltered structure. To align the results of this research with the typical use of wood, concrete, and steel structural members in an architectural setting, the emission data for each material was divided by the material’s specific strength. Ultimately, concrete and steel, the materials more suitable for and most often implemented in earth-sheltered structures, produced the highest emissions per load capacity. It can then be assumed that because of the increased use of steel and concrete in earth-sheltered structures when compared to conventional above-grade structures, below-grade construction presents an increased embodied impact. The extent to which this impact impinges on the operational benefits of earth-sheltering depends upon numerous factors, including project location, access to resources, and manufacturing standards.

Publication Date

5-15-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Architecture (M.Arch.)

Department, Program, or Center

Architecture, Department of

College

Golisano Institute for Sustainability

Advisor

Nathaniel J. Heckman

Advisor/Committee Member

Seth H. Holmes

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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