Underground Space Utilization
The rapid growth of world civilization will have a significant impact on the way humans live in the future. As the global population increases and more countries demand a higher standard of living, the difficulty of doing this is compounded by three broad trends: the conversion of agricultural land to development uses; the increasing urbanization of the world`s population; and growing concern for the maintenance and improvement of the environment, especially regarding global warming and the impact of population growth. Underground space utilization, as this chapter describes, offers opportunities for helping address these trends.
The skin of a building consists of both transparent elements (windows) and opaque elements (walls). Windows are traditionally glass, although plastics are being used, especially in schools where breakage creates a maintenance problem. The wall elements, which are used to cover the structure and are supported by it, are built of a variety of materials: brick, precast concrete, stone, opaque glass, plastics, steel, and aluminum. Wood is used mainly in house construction; It is not generally used for commercial, industrial, or public building because of the fire hazard.