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Ecological Construction and Reconstruction of Underground Space of
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International Multi-Conference on Industrial Engineering and Modern technologies
IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 463 (2018) 032050 IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1757-899X/463/3/032050
1
Ecological Construction and Reconstruction of Underground
Space of Cities
V. Kasiyanov1, O. Chernysheva1
1Moscow State University of Civil Engineering (National Research University)
Moscow, Yaroslavskoe shosse 26, 129337, Russia
E-mail: KafedraGKK@mgsu.ru
Abstract. This article focuses on the effective ecological technologies for the development of
the underground space of cities (the use of the alternative energy sources: sun, geothermal heat,
wind, etc.).The article summarizes and analyses the foreign and domestic experience in the
sphere of ecological construction and reconstruction of the "underground cities" and spaces.
Three directions in the field of the ecological underground construction are considered here:
the construction of the autonomous underground ecocities; the ecological underground
construction in the conditions of the current real estate development of the city; the ecological
use and reconstruction of the already existing underground constructions. The study of foreign
and domestic experience shows that the optimum conditions for ensuring the sustainable
development and comfortable living conditions in the cities and urban agglomerations which
are, for example, similar to Moscow, according to such indicators as total area, population, the
ratio of historical and modern buildings, are reached at a share of 20-25% of the underground
constructions in relation to the total area. It is possible to conclude that the ecological
underground construction is justified, and, as any other type of the ecological construction, is
going to become one of the priority directions of the development of cities in the near future.
1. Introduction
The population growth in big cities of the world results in the fact that about 80% of the total
population is concentrated in them. In these conditions the problems of the development of
megalopolises have become aggravated: the expansion of cities and the increase in the number of
storeys of buildings and constructions; the aggravation of the transport problem; the reduction of the
green areas; the appearance of a lack of institutions necessary for the population (schools, preschool
institutions, hospitals, policlinics, shops, etc.); the increased expenditures on water supply, heating,
waste disposal, etc.; the environmental degradation in the big cities.
Let us consider the last direction – the environmental degradation in the city –and the ways which
may help to correct or adjust it. One of the most effective solutions of this problem is the development
of the underground space. Our purpose is the development of the new concepts of creation and
preservation of the native habitat, the achievement of the priorities of the ecological wellbeing and
sustainable development and the creation of comfortable living conditions for people by the use of the
underground space of the big cities.
The underground construction should be eco-friendly and should be characterized by: the use of
ecologically effective technologies for the development of the underground space; the development of
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IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 463 (2018) 032050 IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1757-899X/463/3/032050
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actions for the prevention of possible negative consequences of construction of the underground
constructions (building subsidence, violation of the hydrogeological mode of the underground waters,
penetration of water from the pressure tunnels, etc.); the identification of the decompression zones
dangerous for the construction of the underground constructions in the rock massif; the construction of
the underground, comfortable and safe constructions of a new generation.
2. Literature review
The history of use of the underground spaces goes to the paleolithic era: the construction of the
underground grave mounds in the ancient Egypt (the 2nd millennium BC); the construction of the
underground cities of 18 floors in Anatoly (1-2 centuries AD); the construction of the underground
monasteries in Georgia (6-13 centuries AD); the construction of the underground dwellings in the
territory of China, Bulgaria and in other countries [1,2].
The transport tunneling has been developing since the 17th century (France, England, Germany, the
USA and other countries). In the second half of the 19th century in Russia the underground reservoirs
have been built, and at the beginning of the 20th century the first underground hydroelectric power
stations (Germany, Sweden), industrial facilities (France, the USA, Japan and other countries) have
been constructed [2,3].
The main objective of the scientifically based approach to the development of the underground
space taking into account the ecological requirements is the use of the new technologies in the
underground construction. New technologies assume the elimination of the ecological crisis in the
difficult system "rock – technology – underground construction – environment".
At the present time in the field of the ecological underground construction the following three
directions are considered: 1. the construction of the autonomous underground ecocities; 2. the
ecological underground construction in the conditions of the current real estate development of the
city; 3. the ecological use of the already existing underground constructions.
3. Materials and methods
In the first direction Japan has succeeded [5,6]. It is connected with small limited territories and the
large numbers of the population. For this reason the concept "Geotropolis" providing the development
of the underground urban environment is put forward. If the concept of "Geotropolis" leads to the
creation of the comfortable inhabited environment underground, the Japanese will be able to take such
advantages as the excellent thermal insulation and the reliable protection against earthquakes (Fig. 1).
At a depth of 50 meters the underground city with its own shopping streets and stations of high-
speed underground trains is created.
One more of the proposed Japanese projects of the underground construction "Alice" is named after
the heroine of the fairy tale of L. Carroll (Fig. 2).
The project provides for the creation of two cylinders with a height of 65 meters, embedded for 165
meters in the earth and with a diameter of 260 meters each, in the space of which it is possible to place
the power generation equipment, the equipment for air conditioning and for the utilization of
household waste. Each of the cylinders is connected by the underground corridors to the artificial
spheres where shops, theatre and concert halls, sports facilities, hotels and offices are placed.
Figure 1. “Geotropolis” project, Tokyo, Japan
Figure 2. “Alice” project, Tokyo, Japan
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At the lower level the objects of transport infrastructure and the metro stations are settled down.
Sunny atriums, holographic images of the surface and plenty of open space at the higher levels have to
protect people from the possible occurrence of the feeling of claustrophobia. The heating costs are
minimized due to the use of the geothermal energy of heat generated by the city residents.
The strictest requirements within the framework of the project relate to the problems of heat, sound
insulation and seismic stability. Such complex could support the existence of 100 thousand people.
Within the framework of the project "The city geogrid" of the "Shimizu Corporation", the construction
of the underground cities includes the creation of the impressive network of the underground atriums
connected together by tunnels where the offices, banks, sports facilities, libraries, and showrooms will
be placed. This complex is planned to be embedded in the earth for 55 meters (Fig. 3).
Figure 3. "The city geogrid" project, Japan
The project envisages not only the maintenance of comfortable microclimatic conditions, but also
the natural sunlight transferred to the underground rooms by means of the mirrors. The underground
city of about 1250 km² could accept half a million residents.
The second direction is presented by the new ecological underground construction in the conditions of
the current real estate development and is connected with certain aspects.
The problem of such underground construction is connected with the repurposing of the already
constructed underground facilities and the construction of new ones in much more constrained
conditions. A good example of this is the underground shopping spaces built in the nineties of the last
century in Osaka (Japan). In terms of the underground areas filled with restaurants and shopping
spaces Osaka ranks among the highest in East Asia (Fig. 4) [8].
The underground crosswalks, the shops in the basement floors of the department stores and office
buildings, the new underground shopping centers form the complex network of the underground
streets. It took Japanese 60 years and large financial investments to turn the underground complex into
the comfortable environment for people.
Despite this illustrative example, the underground construction is often unsystematic and separate.
In this case it is necessary to apply not only the horizontal, but also the vertical one (Fig. 5).
The ground surface (the 1st level) has to be adapted for the placement of the residential buildings,
the constructions intended for the long-term residence of people, the green areas. On the 2nd level it is
desirable to place the objects of the commercial character (cinema halls, shopping centers), garages,
stations, transport hubs.
Such positioning gives the possibility to provide objects with the optimum natural sunlight.
Infrastructure and communications in the 3rd level do not provide the best communication between the
objects of the 2nd level and the constructions placed below. At the same time the noise level,
influencing the surface can be much lower. At the 4th level it is better to place the objects which
presuppose the minimal presence of people: warehouses, refrigerators, industrial facilities with the
automated processes. The levels should be connected by transitional zones for ensuring the most
optimum interrelations. Let the h depth be 400 meters. It is enough for the use of the low-potential
geothermal energy of the earth.
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IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 463 (2018) 032050 IOP Publishing
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One more example of the competent realization of the multilevel underground complex is the
"Path" complex in Toronto, Canada [8,9]. The well-planned underground way that is 28 kilometers
long allows to move around the city without rising to the surface; it provides the connection of all
large buildings, skyscrapers in Toronto the quantity of which is more than 50. In the territory of the
underground city the shopping spaces (more than 1500 points of sales), the personal service facilities,
the commercial structures, the hotels, and the railway terminal are located.
Figure 4. The underground center “Umeda”, Osaka, Japan
The buildings connected by the underground crosswalks
The shopping spaces, etc.
Figure 5. The vertical zoning of
the underground space
(1) Whity Umeda; (2) Diamor Osaka; (3) Hankyu Sanbangai; (4) The underground shopping center
“Dojima” ; (5) The shopping space with fountains ; (6) Kitashinchi station, JR Tozai line; (7) Umeda
Station, Midosuji subway line; (8) Higashi-Umeda station, Tanimachi subway line; (9) Nishi-Umeda
Station , Yotsubashi subway line; (10) Hanshin Umeda Station
There are some interesting ideas on the design of the railway stations. Architects Galmidi Vittsgar
and Valkzayn Eliran have offered the project of the underground railway station in Tel Aviv, Israel
(Fig. 6) [10]
Figure 6. The underground railway station in Tel
Aviv, Israel
Figure 7. The underground railway station in
Malmö, Sweden
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doi:10.1088/1757-899X/463/3/032050
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At the station the solar illumination is provided. White walls also ensure the light reflection that
increases the intensity of illumination of the station in general and ensure more space.
One of the examples of reconstruction of the underground construction is the railway station in the city
of Malmö, Sweden (Fig. 7) [10].
The building has a round roof with a diameter of 45 meters and with 52 openings for providing the
access to sunshine. According to the initial conceptualization of designers, the illumination should
ensure the safe and comfortable environment for passengers.
Among the examples of experience of the use of the underground space for the placement of sports
facilities we can mention the sports center "Bilbao Arena" in the city of Bilbao, Spain (Fig. 8) [10].
Figure 8. The underground sports center in Bilbao, Spain
The "Bilbao Arena" Center has a capacity of 10 thousand seats and is intended for holding the
basketball games, concerts and other public events. The sports center is located on the hill and is
visible from all directions. The design of the center fits the landscape – the upper part is associated
with the tree crowns. The image of the lower part is associated with the rock. The dominating color in
the design of the building is green and is associated with the color of foliage or grass; it is used not
only in the external finishing of the frontage, but also in the interior design. Within the building there
is the natural ventilation and the system of the longest possible use of natural lighting by changing the
position of mobile green steel plates from which the upper part of the stadium is made. The rooms
with various functions are divided by glass partitions to ensure the dispersion of light through the
entire space of the center. One of the important principles of the project is the full compliance with the
current trends of eco-architecture.
The next example of the use of the underground space is the underground stadium "Al Ain
Stadium" in the UAE (Fig. 9) [10].
The use of the underground space allows to place a huge construction in harmony with the
surrounding landscape. The second purpose of such decision is the use of technologies of passive
cooling of the object which reduces the energy costs for its maintenance.
Figure 9. The underground stadium “Al Ain
Stаdium”, UAE
Figure 10. The project of the residential complex
“Above Below”, Bisbee, Arizona, USA
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IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 463 (2018) 032050 IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1757-899X/463/3/032050
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The third direction is the ecological use of the underground objects of the anthropological character
presupposes the use of the abandoned quarries in the first turn. So in the State of Arizona, in the city of
Bisbee, USA, it is planned to build the underground residential complex named "Above Below"; this
construction is considered to be a tower of 270 meters in depth (Fig. 10) [10].
The project of the residential complex designed by the architect Matthew Fromboluti has been
created for the annual competition of projects of skyscrapers. The depth of a pit is 275 m, and the
width is 90 m. The construction will represent a self-sustaining system with the recycling water supply
and climate control, it will be capable to generate not only energy, but also the transparent cupola and
numerous light windows located on the ground surface. In the city itself, on terraces, it is planned to
make gardens, parks and recreation areas.
The underground complex will receive the electric power from the solar batteries and wind turbines
installed above the ground surface.
Similar projects on the use of the abandoned quarries are not a rarity. The Moscow architects from
"AB Alice" bureau intend to cover with a glass cupola the second-large quarry in the world where the
production of diamonds near the polar city Mirny is carried out (Fig. 11) [10].
This project called "Ecocity 2020" provides the construction in the pit with a diameter of more than
400 m and with the depth of 520 m the city with step levels – the terraces connected by elevators and
other vehicles.
In the middle of the city there will be the big open-type mine with the help of which the sunlight
will get to the deepest levels. On the transparent cupola of the city the solar batteries will be located,
which will be the main sources of energy for the city. As a source of heat it is offered to use the heat of
the earth and the energy emitted by the city and its residents.
Figure 11. The “Ecocity 2020” project, Mirny (Russia)
The ecological use of other underground objects is also possible – for example the air-raid shelters,
the abandoned enterprises and other engineering constructions. There are a lot of such objects,
including both under the territories of the cities and out of the settlements. The use of the similar
constructions can be one of the priorities for the development of the underground space.
As an example it is possible to use the idea of the American architect James Ramsey who has
invented the technology allowing to collect the sunlight and to send it under the earth where it can be
stored in special panels. He is planning to turn the unused old tram depot into the underground park -
the city garden "The Lowline" in New York (Fig. 12) [12].
In Moscow there is the "Bunker 24" created in 2006 in the former secret military facility of the
USSR, the spare command post "Tagansky" of 7000 m ² and with the footing depth of 60 m. It is used
now as the Military and historical museum and as the museum-entertainment complex for conducting
the excursions, buffet receptions, team paintball games, etc., fig. 13[10].
The mechanism of the development of underground space is confirmed now by the continuous
increase of volumes of the underground construction around the world. Nowadays it is difficult to
imagine many cities without the underground shopping centers and parkings. In Russia the
underground objects of the commercial real estate started to be constructed relatively recently. The
study of foreign experience shows that the optimum conditions for ensuring the sustainable
development and comfortable living conditions in the urban agglomerations which are, for example,
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IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 463 (2018) 032050 IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1757-899X/463/3/032050
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similar to Moscow, according to such indicators as total area, population, the ratio of historical and
modern buildings, are reached at a share of 20-25% of the underground constructions in relation to the
total area of the commissioned facilities. In Moscow the share of the underground constructions put
into operation from 2005 to 2015 does not exceed 10%. According to the volumes of the underground
construction in Russia Moscow is the undisputed leader.
Figure 12. The underground park-garden “The
Lowline”, New York, USA
Figure 13. The underground entertainment
center “Bunker 24”, Moscow, Russia
As for the ecological underground construction in Russia, at the present moment it is limited to the
construction of private underground objects. The use of ecological technologies in the construction on
land is much more widely-spread, but this tendency is characteristic not only of Russia, but also of all
countries of the world. Nevertheless, the tendency of the ecological use of the underground space
could be extended also to Russia. Most likely, the first decisions will be connected with the realization
of the potential of geothermal energy.
4. Results
When using the thermal energy of the earth it is possible to allocate two types of thermal energy –
high-potential and low-potential. The sources of high-potential thermal energy are the hydrothermal
resources – the thermal waters heated as a result of the geological processes to a high temperature that
allows to use them for heat supply of buildings. However the use of the high-potential heat is limited
to the areas with certain geological parameters, for example, Kamchatka, the Caucasus, the regions of
Hungary, Iceland, France, etc.
The use of the low-potential heat of the earth by means of the heat pumps, however, is possible
almost everywhere. Now it is one of the dynamically developing directions of the use of the
nonconventional renewable energy resources. As the examples given in article show, all above
mentioned aspects are successfully realized within various objects and fully justify their use.
The urban planning efficiency of the integrated ecological use of the underground space includes:
-the use of the spatial formation of the real estate development includes the following aspects:
architectural and planning, three-dimensional, social and economic, ecological, engineering and
technical, esthetic;
-the achievement of the increased comfort of living conditions and public service in residential
areas is caused by the expanded nomenclature of the subsidiary premises and facilities placed in the
underground space: shopping centers, cinemas, hotels, sports facilities, warehouses, garages, stations
and other transport and infrastructure facilities;
-reduction of the energy consumption for heating and ventilation by 50-80% in comparison with
similar ground facilities due to the use of high- and low-potential thermal energy of the earth;
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doi:10.1088/1757-899X/463/3/032050
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-savings on the given costs: for land use engineering through reducing the volumes of earthwork
operations and combination of engineering networks, the use of sound-proofing and vibration-isolating
properties of the earth.
5. Discussion and conclusions
The widespread development of the underground space, i.e. the construction of the second
"underground" city is one of the principles of the ecological reconstruction of the cities. The Russian
construction complex has the real possibility of transition to the ecological development of the
underground space based on the available foreign experience, bypassing the stage of the unstructured
use of the underground environment which is taking place at the moment. It is possible to conclude
that the ecological underground construction is justified, and, as any other type of the ecological
construction, is going to become one of the priority directions of the development of cities in the near
future.
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