Underground Homes Meet Geodesic Domes

By The Mother Earth News Editors
Published on March 1, 1978
1 / 10

Two geodesic domes heat the Isaacson home using less energy than convential homes.
Two geodesic domes heat the Isaacson home using less energy than convential homes.
2 / 10

Paul Isaacson stands outside one of the geodesic domes atop the underground home that he constructed.
Paul Isaacson stands outside one of the geodesic domes atop the underground home that he constructed.
3 / 10

The dome-within-a-dome has a round shape so that there is less area for heat to radiate through.
The dome-within-a-dome has a round shape so that there is less area for heat to radiate through.
4 / 10

Lots of light streams in through the geodesic dome making it less cave-like than most conventional homes.
Lots of light streams in through the geodesic dome making it less cave-like than most conventional homes.
5 / 10

The lower side of the underground home where the family's vehicles are stored.
The lower side of the underground home where the family's vehicles are stored.
6 / 10

Drawings and diagrams of the Paul Isaacson underground home show his skill in creating solar homes.
Drawings and diagrams of the Paul Isaacson underground home show his skill in creating solar homes.
7 / 10

The solaratrium of the home is heated by the sun and is substantially warmer than aboveground structures in the winter.
The solaratrium of the home is heated by the sun and is substantially warmer than aboveground structures in the winter.
8 / 10

The kitchen is accessible from the open, airy solaratrium.
The kitchen is accessible from the open, airy solaratrium.
9 / 10

The kitchen and the rest of the underground home is heated by the sun and a small mobile home heater that runs for only two hours each morning.
The kitchen and the rest of the underground home is heated by the sun and a small mobile home heater that runs for only two hours each morning.
10 / 10

One of the geodesic domes before it was fully finished.
One of the geodesic domes before it was fully finished.

“If you build your house underground — where there’s a stable year-round temperature of 55 degrees to 57 degrees Fahrenheit — you’re going to save money. Right off, you’ll cut your heating and cooling bill by at least 60 to 70 percent. And if you then add a solar heating system to that subterranean dwelling, you’ll save even more. Maybe as much as 95, 97 — perhaps even 98 — percent of an aboveground home’s annual heating and air conditioning costs.”

Provo, Utah’s Paul Isaacson tends to get animated and excited when he talks about underground homes. And for good reason. Paul, his wife, and seven children now live in the kind of spectacular dwelling that Star Wars’ troglodytes would have lived in if they’d only been as smart as the Isaacson family.

Yes, the Isaacsons actually live underground. In a house that’s topped with two clear plastic geodesic domes, one inside the other. The larger bubble, which measures 36 feet across, serves as both a greenhouse and a “solar energy trap” heat source for the dwelling buried beneath it. The smaller (12-foot-diameter) dome that is inside the bigger bubble is actually the transparent ceiling or roof of a sunken courtyard or “solaratrium.” As such it both [1] separates the above ground greenhouse from the subterranean living space and [2] serves as a large skylight for that living area.

The solaratrium directly beneath the smaller dome is the hub of the 50-foot-diameter underground dwelling, and each of the three bedrooms, a living room, the main bath, and the kitchen open into it. Result: Far from being the dark, closed-in spaces you might have thought, all the major rooms in the 2,000-square-foot Isaacson house are brighter and have a more open and airy feeling to them than their counterparts in most “conventional” aboveground buildings.

A New Design Using Goedesic Domes

Paul Isaacson actually set out to construct a far different house from the one he wound up with. He was intrigued by the idea of using solar energy to heat his family’s new dwelling during the winter, but like most of us, he assumed that the planned home would be a more-or-less conventional above-the-surface stickframe structure.

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368