Underground Buildings: More than Meets the Eye [Hardcover]

Loretta Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004

Unusual as they seem, underground buildings are surprisingly common.   Every day, millions in North America work, shop, dine, study, and play in the more than three hundred public and commercial structures and five thousand private homes nestled in the earth.  Underground buildings are safe, attractive, useful, and comfortable places to frequent and live. Unlike a common misconception, most are dry and warm, and they are often sun-filled.  More than one hundred underground buildings are included in this fascinating subterranean tour. These buildings range from the famous to the unnoticed. Some were built for pragmatic reasons, others for aesthetic considerations, still others, for a combination of both.

There are impressive success stories and discouraging tales of failure. Some underground buildings are incredibly energy-efficient, for example, while others leaked so badly they were abandoned.  A vast spectrum of structures is presented, ranging from stunning examples of hidden opulence to humble subterranean cubbyholes where unassuming people immerse themselves in nature’s simplicity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"From bunkers to bedrooms, underground structures excite our imagination like few other types of architecture. Loretta Hall’s impressive Underground Buildings feeds this excitement by taking us on a fascinating subterranean tour." —Arthur Dyson, AIA, Dean Emeritus, The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture

From the Inside Flap

Features over 125 photographs and architectural drawings

A full-color illustrated guided tour of public, commercial, and private structures where millions of people live, work and play underground.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Linden Publishing (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1884956270
• ISBN-13: 978-1884956270
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #230,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Formerly a high school math teacher, Loretta Hall started a new career as a freelance writer in 1990. She has written magazine articles on many topics, including travel, business, and construction. She has also written reference book chapters on such topics as Native American tribes, biographies of scientists and mathematicians, and how various products are made. When she gets intrigued with something and can't find a book to satisfy her curiosity about it, she does her own research and writes the book for others who want to know about that topic. For instance, In 2009, when plans for Spaceport America, the country's first purpose-built commercial spaceflight facility, began moving forward, she was fascinated to discover the important role New Mexico has played in the development of space travel. She decided to herald that unheralded history by writing Out of this World: New Mexico's Contributions to Space Travel, the only book to document the historic events in the state and the personal stories of the people who accomplished them. She also created a website, NMSpaceHistory.com, to supplement the book with news items and additional insights. She is a member of both the National Space Society and the Historical Society of New Mexico's Speakers Bureau.

Another idea caught Loretta's attention several years ago. For her technical articles, she often does research in the University of New Mexico's science and engineering library, which is a completely underground building. She began to wonder how common subterranean structures are, and how their design and construction differ from more conventional buildings. Not being able to find a comprehensive, non-academic book on the subject, she decided to write the book she wanted to read. The result was Underground Buildings: More than Meets the Eye. Her web site SubsurfaceBuildings.com features new information on building below ground. She is certified as a Green Building Technical Professional and is a member of the Construction Writers Association.

Loretta has also written three books for educational publishers. Arab American Biography and Arab American Voices were published by U*X*L in 1999. From Skyscrapers to Superdomes: Forces in Balance, a supplemental text for middle schoolers, was published by Newbridge Educational Publishing in 2005.

She and her husband, Jerry, live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Taken the the next level, October 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Underground Buildings: More than Meets the Eye (Hardcover)

This book is filled with wonderful pictures that augment the authors descriptions of underground buildings. She writes with wit and demonstrates that undergound buildings have many benefits, including financial and asthetic ones. This book is well worth a read as a detailed resource of information on this topic, as well as being an entertaining "coffee table" book. She explores this issue, which is more common than the average person would believe, and takes it to the next level.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal, Practical, Superb Photographs, Detailed, February 23, 2007

By 

Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Underground Buildings: More than Meets the Eye (Hardcover)

At $29 or less, this book is being given away. This is a museum-quality book in terms of the paper, the photographs, the lay-out, and the cover.

I bought this book in part because land is becoming extremely scarce around the great universities and the central business districts, and I was looking for something to help me think through how to persuade a university to let me put a building into a hill or under a playing field.

This book does that. It is a very fast read, the photographs are priceless--worth 10,000 words each as the Chinese would say--and the only thing I did not find in this book were architectural specifics and photos of underlying infrastructure (pump rooms, air cleaning rooms, etc.)

If you are contemplating the need for squeezing a building into an area that is down to the "do not disturb" green space, or if you are contemplating how to exploit existing mines, caverns, or other underground options, this exquisite book is not only useful as a tool for reflection, it will help you "make the sale" to skeptical others you have to get on board.

The author provides a list of 50 places to visit with addresses, telephone numbers, and web sites, a fine resource section for more reading, and an excellent index.

This is an all-around world-class book that is easily worth $49 or more.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Architectural drawings accompany these examples, October 18, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Underground Buildings: More than Meets the Eye (Hardcover)

Underground buildings are surprisingly common, offering users a safe, attractive alternative to above-ground buildings. Most are even dry, warm and sun-filled. Loretta Hall's Underground Buildings features over a hundred underground buildings from famous structures to those which have received little comparative attention. Architectural drawings accompany these examples and a spectrum of structures provide a variety of examples of their applications and use. Beautiful, rich photos wonderfully enhance the informative text making Underground Buildings a welcome and much appreciated addition to academic and professional Architectural Studies collections.