Slashdot Mirror
Millions In China Live In Energy Efficient Caves
Hugh Pickens writes "Barbara Demick reports in the LA Times that more than 30 million Chinese people live in caves, many of them in Shaanxi province, where the Loess plateau, with its distinctive cliffs of yellow, porous soil, makes digging easy and cave dwelling a reasonable option. The better caves protrude from mountains and are reinforced with brick masonry. Some are connected laterally so a family can have several chambers. Electricity and even running water can be brought in. 'Most aren't so fancy, but I've seen some really beautiful caves: high ceilings and spacious with a nice yard out front where you can exercise and sit in the sun,' says Ren, who works as a driver in the Shaanxi provincial capital, Xian. 'It's cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It's quiet and safe.' In recent years, architects have been reappraising the cave in environmental terms, and they like what they see. 'It is energy efficient. The farmers can save their arable land for planting if they build their houses in the slope. It doesn't take much money or skill to build,' says Liu Jiaping, director of the Green Architecture Research Center in Xian and perhaps the leading expert on cave living. Liu helped design and develop a modernized version of traditional cave dwellings that in 2006 was a finalist for a World Habitat Award, sponsored by a British foundation dedicated to sustainable housing. Meanwhile, a thriving market around Yanan means a cave with three rooms and a bathroom (a total of 750 square feet) can be advertised for sale at $46,000. 'Life is easy and comfortable here. I don't need to climb stairs. I have everything I need,' says 76-year-old Ma Liangshui. 'I've lived all my life in caves, and I can't imagine anything different.'"
Will advanced civilizations one day find our remains and conclude we were cave dwellers?
It's all well and good to praise this: "Life is easy and comfortable here". But... really? I would only live in a cave like this when my previous house was in a slump and this is slightly less miserable.
I haven't read the articles; are these the same caves that collapse every time that area gets a strong earthquake, causing a huge humanitarian crisis as all of the occupants are buried under the hill?
All the silly safety laws here will make cave dwelling illegal as there are no egress windows in every room and at least two exit doors.
Because if the cave burns, you cant get out.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I have a cave at my place as well. It's got a beer fridge, wide-screen TV, and power tools. Belching and farting is not only permitted but encouraged.
between living in a cave and your parents basement?
No brain, no pain.
I expect, within a week, to find at least one person rambling that 'All the liberal ecocommies want us to go back to living in caves and mud huts.'
why is it that arable land counts for so little in western (at least north american) societies? isn't it a bit of a shame we devote so much land to lawns, rather than something productive? yes, I know: the crops that could be grown are not worth the cost of maintaining them. but why is that? is food too cheap, or labor too expensive? is it a distortion caused by exchange rates?
I wouldn't mind a part-cave house, especially since a cave would presumably be near some sort of elevation (hillside, escarpment). I think everyone values a bit of a view, some sunlit rooms, etc. but one-story houses on flat plots of land are pretty boring once they scale past a cottage.
Earthen berms (Hobbit holes) were all the rage in the early 1970's, just after the OPEC crisis. By the late 1970's, lots of people discovered firsthand the problems with trapped moisture, lack of ventilation, lack of natural light, and lack of egress options.
I think the soil and climate conditions in Shaanxi are relatively unique, so they might get away without the moisture problems.
You're lucky to live in a cave! We lived for three months in a paper bag in a septic tank.
I've lived all my life in apartment buildings (Second and fifth floor, not counting the ground floor) and were an earthquake to occur, I'm not at all certain that it's preferable over small-ish caves containing a couple of rooms... Naturally, that's not that important if they aren't in area prone to earthquakes.
Hell, I'd love to live in a cave like that, provided that it'd have electricity and all.
I like how the article makes out as if living in a cave is some sort of revolutionary idea.
While it seems the Chinese have been doing it in much greater numbers for a great many more years, they aren't the only ones to know how much sense it can make.
If you ever visit Australia and venture into the outback, there are a number of places where people live in caves, the most famous being Coober Pedy. The cave homes and even the hotel are very cozy in winter and very cool in summer and I found them to be quite charming in the couple of times I have been there.
I can't be the only one who thought of Minecraft while reading that.
Radon
Air quality (unless all the bathroom business and cooking is done outside).
You better like the temperature inside, because you're certainly not burning anything to keep warm: carbon monoxide and low oxygen.
But not a lot of noise complaints I bet.
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Holds up fine because the side I look at it from has consistency and 'health and safety' has zero consistency. The side you're looking at it from (government caring about health and safety) is so incosistent as to be laughable. I could site example after example where the government happens to side with health and safety *when it lines up with business interest*, but I could also site example after example of the government siding with business when it actually harms 'health and safety'. So, the logical conclusion is that health and safety are never the prime interest, business interest is the prime motivation and if it happens to grant 'health and safety' that's nice, but if it doesn't, too fucking bad. Business rules, just like it always has.
Many dwellings in Coober Pedy are underground. Very practical, considering the temperatures it can reach outside. Much more efficient than using air conditioning to cope with the higher temperatures. Some of the dwelling interiors look very nice indeed! Yes, some do look like holes; I know, what did I expect. There's even an underground church and underground hotel. All in all, looks like a very pleasant way to live.