18 PHENOMENAL UNDERGROUND HOMES YOU MUST SEE

The 18 Phenomenal Underground Homes You Must See
By Fidan Jovanov, Architecture Art Designs, 20 June 2014.

Some people prefer living in luxury homes or staying in modern and luxury hotel resorts when they go on a vacation. But today we are here with a collection of The 18 phenomenal underground homes you must see which we have made especially for those people who do not fit in the description we gave above. These places are embedded into the ground, for example a house made out of a cave, or a house dug under a hill. That is exactly what makes these places unique and wanted as tourist attractions around the world. Enjoy!

1. Hobbiton, Matamata, New Zealand

One of the most successful movie sagas Lord Of The Rings was mainly filmed in New Zealand, whose rich nature offers a variety of differing sites. Hobbiton was a set, built for the movie. However, after the filming was finished somebody got the idea to leave this Hobbit village as the tourist attraction. And it definitely was a great idea.

2. Domus Civita, Italy

The structure of Domus Civita dates from the 14th century and is situated on top of Etruscan caves and tombs and a beautiful Roman water cistern, all of which are accessible from inside the house and open onto a beautiful hanging garden 4 stories down and through the cliff. The Etruscan caves are 2600 years old while the roman cistern is probably 2000 years old.

3. Hillside Home, Vals, Switzerland

This unique home called Villa Vals was built directly into the hillside in Vals, Switzerland. The design is by Christian Muller Architects and SeARCH. The home is located within walking distance to the famous thermal bath of Vals.

4. Dune House, Atlantic Beach

This small earth-sheltered house in Atlantic Beach, Florida is actually a duplex, two near-identical homes of 750 ft2 (69.7 m2) each. They were built in 1975 by architect William Morgan to use as vacation rentals. As he himself lived right next door, he did not want the new house to block his view of the ocean, and preferred to keep the landscape natural. Morgan’s solution was to bury the house in an existing sand dune. It is barely visible from the street above.

5. OUTrial House, Poland

A house covered with grass sure does not sound like a bad idea. The OUTrial House was built in Poland by KWK PROMES Architects by carving out on the hillside. The shapes aren’t all that modern but the fact that you have a great scenery to surround it, adds to the Wow factor of this atypical atrium house.

6. Bolton Eco House, England

Being the first zero-carbon property in the North West of England, the Bolton Eco House is also known as ‘a house of the future.’ The unique scheme tests the boundaries of current sustainable thinking in terms of design and construction.

7. Dietikon, Switzerland

This amazing home is located in the city of Dietikon in Switzerland which is the fifth largest city of the canton of Zurich. It is the capital of the same-named district of Dietikon and part of the Zürich metropolitan area.

8. Nas montanhas de Fafe, Portugal

This fascinating stone house, pictured in Nas montanhas de Fafe in Portugal, looks like the perfect place for the Flintstones to live. Like most contemporary homes, it has a front door, roof, and selection of windows - while the huge spherical boulder on the uphill side of the house and scoop-shaped end give it that prehistoric feel.

9. Sala Silvermine, Sweden

The Mine Suite is situated next to our festivity hall, 155 m underground surrounded by winding galleries and thrilling cavities.

10. The Brochs of Coigach, Scotland

The Brochs are as much works of art as they are the most luxurious holiday lets you can think of. These unique buildings near the village of Achiltibuie are embedded entirely in dry stone walls, timeless in appearance but contemporary inside. They are situated within four acres of their own ground at the end of a private farm track.

11. Bad Blumau, Austria

The Rogner Bad Blumau was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser and unites therapeutic springs, sauna worlds, a hotel and a park to create a harmonious, sustainable total work of art.

12. Vardezia cave city, Georgia

Vardezia is a cave monastery site in southern Georgia, excavated from the slopes of the Erusheti Mountain on the left bank of the Mtkvari River, thirty kilometres from Aspindza. The main period of construction was the second half of the twelfth century. The caves stretch along the cliff for some five hundred metres and in up to nineteen tiers.

13. A hogan in Arizona

The ancient hogan, known as the “forked stick hogan” was a conical hut constructed of three forked poles covered with logs, brush and mud. The dome-shaped roof is formed of cribbed logs covered with dirt.

14. House Cave, Sacromonte, Spain

That is a charming cave with a lush garden and terrace facing to Alhambra. The space is shared in three individual rooms, two are double and one is simple. The cave is placed on the heart of the genuine neighbourhood of Sacromonte, 5 minutes away from the most emblematic places for flamenco: La Venta El Gallo, El Carmen de la Cuevas, La Bulería, Escuela Flamenca Manolete y El Centro de Interpretación del Sacromonte.

15. Cave homes, Cappadocia, Turkey

Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province, in Turkey. The name was traditionally used in Christian sources throughout history and is still widely used as an international tourism concept to define a region of exceptional natural wonders, in particular characterized by fairy chimneys and a unique historical and cultural heritage.

16. Caves in Nottingham, England

City of Caves is a visitor attraction in Nottingham which consists of a network of caves, carved out of sandstone that have been variously used over the years as a tannery, public house cellars, and as an air raid shelter.

17. Cave dwelling, Sicily

Right in the heart of Sicily is the cave town of Sperlinga numbering some 14,000 inhabitants. Throughout the steep stone fortress you can see caves and tunnels which served as dwellings until the 1960s.

18. Cave pool, Santorini, Greece

Inspiring deep emotions of enchantment and fascination, Katikies, the hotel in Oia Santorini is renowned for its leading luxury, unparalleled services, warm atmosphere and sense of romance uniquely combined in an exceptional setting and natural environment in Oia Santorini, inviting its guests to experience moments of pure luxury.

+ Malator in Druidstone, Wales

Malator is a house in Druidston, Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was built in 1998 and designed by architects Future Systems for Bob Marshall-Andrews. Malator is an earth house overlooking St Brides Bay and is known locally as the Teletubby house.

Top image: Hobbiton, via Places To See In Your Lifetime.

[Source: Architecture Art Designs. Edited. Top image and some links added.]