thesis on underground architecture

Underground Architecture: Connections Between Ground-Level Public Space and Below-Ground Buildings

The main objective of this research is to develop an underground space framework which establishes design solutions to underpin the successful design of underground buildings. The poorly conceived nature of contemporary underground space often means it has little, or no contribution to its above-ground environment, as it neglects the significant relationship between the ground plane, and above and belowground space. As a result of this omission towards its above-ground environment, urban design theory and practice have neglected the subject of underground space, where it is presented typically as ancillary spaces, of a highly fragmented nature. This problem is addressed through a literature review, establishing the treatment of underground space within urban design literature, a taxonomy analysis of the physical form of 90 contemporary underground buildings, and a discussion of the five archetypes of underground space. Developed from the findings of each of these research sections, an underground space framework is established. The framework is divided into six guideline categories with which each focusing on a major design issue relevant to underground space. The presentation of each guideline briefly states the issue, its objective, and then suggests various solutions for implementing the specific objective. The guidelines are intended to be flexible, where they are selected, developed and applied with regard to the underground buildings unique site and programme characteristics. The design case study, an extension of Wellingtons Museum of City and Sea located at Post Office Square, demonstrates how these guidelines can be used, through selecting, developing and then applying, suitable guidelines in response to its specific site and programme requirements. In total, the research suggests that the underground space framework can underpin the successful design of underground space through establishing strong physical connections between below ground and above ground public space. This can be achieved through blurring the boundaries between above and below -ground space, revealing historical underground elements above ground, and considering the underground as a viable option to resolving specific urban design issues present above ground.

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Home > Colleges, Schools, and Departments > School of Architecture > School of Architecture Dissertations and Theses > Senior Theses > 507

Architecture Senior Theses

Falling Ground: Underground Osmosis

Author(s)/Creator(s)

Byungryoung Lee , Syracuse University Follow

Document Type

Thesis, Senior

Spring 2019

underground, Tokyo, urban, Shinjuku Central Park, architecture, infrastructure

• Disciplines

Architecture

Description/Abstract

Highly urbanized areas over the world must prepare for another huge population inflow. According to the UN, around 70 percent of the world population will likely live in urban areas by 2050. Big cities such as New York City, Tokyo, and London already face land scarcity and high property costs in their main urban regions.

This thesis explores a new underground typology, adapting into existing urban contexts as a potential solution for these growing issues. Existing infrastructure elements such as parks, subways, and water tanks or sewage systems, which are omnipresent in urban regions, become part of the underground space by merging their forms into a new subterranean architectural language. These infrastructures will help create a wider and denser underground network, not only to connect one place to another but also to create a whole underground landscape that juxtaposes with the architecture above ground. By applying an osmosis effect as a strategy, this underground utilization of space will balance and connect ground to underground and underground to underground.

Additional Information

Thesis Advisors:

Gregory Corso

Recommended Citation

Lee, Byungryoung, "Falling Ground: Underground Osmosis" (2019). Architecture Senior Theses . 507. https://surface.syr.edu/architecture_theses/507

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What is Subterranean Architecture?

Since the beginning of humankind, what is called subterranean architecture, exists. It is, in fact, finding shelter in the underground. This concept was once used in order to create caves, refuges, tunnels; as an answer for the most primitive needs. Today, subterranean architecture is mystique. It has a certain intrigue to it, playing between fear and fantasy. Discovering and uncovering new sensations, playing on this possibility of creating new congregated yet separated spaces. 

This article will take you through a quick visit to some subterranean architectures around the world!

Derinkuyu: One of the oldest subterranean architectures

Derinkuyu is an underground city, constructed around the 8th and 7th centuries BCE, in ancient Turkey. Behind its large volcanic stones of the Cappadocia region, around 20,000 people found shelter. One could encounter a range of functions: wineries, oil presses, storage rooms, stables, chapels, and refectories. 

It is said that Derinkuyu had a depth of 60 meters, equaling 18 levels-deep. Nowadays, archeologists have uncovered about 600 entrances to this underground city. What is fascinating is the presence of courtyards alongside residences.

Chengdu’s underground city of knowledge: Fangsuo Bookstore

You can encounter Fangsuo bookstore in the underground of a commercial street located in Chengdu. Interesting no? The project was built by Chu Chih-Kang in 2015 and covers an area of 5280 square meters. The architect wanted to create what he calls a “modern underground,” inspired by the history of a famous Chinese Buddhist monk of the Tang Dynasty, Xuanzhang. What inspired Chu Chih-Kang was primarily a space that helps elevate reflection. Therefore, he thought of this bookstore as a place where the ritual of knowledge will be prominent—a nesting space where people would find their inner peace and tranquility. 

The whole bookstore scene is brought up together thanks to raw materials and old construction techniques, trying to mimic an ancient depository. 

The architect thinks of this bookstore as being the embodiment of human culture, history, and wisdom. He uses some elements of the universe, like constellations, for instance, to emphasize the idea of looking forward to an unknown future while cherishing, understanding, and reflecting on the past. 

Stockholm’s White Mountain

The Pionen White Mountain is an office building built by Albert France-Lanord Architects in 2008 and covers 1200 square meters, going 30 meters deep underground. Vita Berg Park’s granite rocks provide shelter for the client, who’s an internet provider. Superb nest! 

The architects thought of the granite rocks as being living organisms, around which the humans will accommodate. It is the perfect symbiosis between plants, geology, water, humans, light, and technology. What was interesting during the conceptualization of this project was the choice of lighting: it shouldn’t allow the loss of time. Because yes, indeed, in the underground, one might be trapped by time! Albert France-Lanord Architects claim that their explicit references come from science fiction movies, especially “Silent Running.” 

New York’s Lowline 

The Lowline is a park under construction in the undergrounds of New York. The project’s name is a game, rezoning back to the Highline project: an old railway converted into a park. The co-founders of the Lowline project are James Ramsey and Dan Barasch. They suggested that the system of “remote skylights” would help to direct natural light into the underground. 

Lowline’s construction started in 2019 and was expected to end in 2021. However, Ramsey and Barasch confirmed in 2020 that the project is on hold due to the lack of funds. 

Le Parc des Célestins, a parking in the heart of Lyon

Le Parc des Célestins or Le Parking des Célestins is an underground parking, located in Lyon, France. The construction of this building ended in 1994 and wanted itself to be an artistic intervention in a crowded city full of cars.  The project answered a call made by the mayor to generate an artistic oeuvre in the vehicle’s town. The architects of this oeuvre are Michel Targe and Jean-Michel Wilmotte. What inspired Targe and Wilmotte the most are the wells of Tuscany. 

The Parking des Célestins is an intervention that is aimed at replacing the existing parking. The project has a depth of 22 meters, with a diameter of 51 meters. It offers around 440 parking lots and organizes itself in 6 levels and a half.  Look how remarkable this space is! 

A Sublime Statement 

Subterranean architecture, commonly known as underground architecture, forms a new opportunity to discover in our design world today. One should keep in mind that this concept is as old as humankind, dating back to ages before the year 00. In our nature, as human beings, we never invent something new. We just innovate, accommodate, modify, and appropriate what we already know deep inside our history. 

Subterranean architecture forms a sublime statement, reinforcing the connectivity to the physical roots of the earth. It offers new opportunities to uncover new sensations and spatial experimentations. As we saw in the examples above, underground architecture can be seen under a massive umbrella of options and interpretations. Let yourself be immersed in the frightening yet secure world of secretive world fantasies.

Dima Fadel is a passionate and curious architect, constantly seeking new knowledge. She graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Architectural Studies from the Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts in Beirut last summer, and is currently pursuing her MSc in Integrated Architectural Design at La Salle, in the urban laboratory of Architecture: Barcelona.

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Caracas Underground | Transit Oriented Development | Architecture Thesis

Information

• Project Name: Caracas Underground
• Student Name: César Barbarán
• Awards: Special Mention for the Final Degree Project by the University Simon Bolivar | Participation in ArchiPrix International 2021
• Softwares/Plugins: AutoCAD , SketchUp , Lumion , Blender
• Discipline: Architecture
• Level: Masters Design Thesis
• Institute: Departamento de Diseño, Arquitectura y Artes Plásticas - Universidad Simón Bolívar
• University: Universidad Simón Bolívar
• Location: Caracas
• Country: Venezuela

Excerpt: ‘Caracas Underground’ is an architecture thesis based on transit oriented development by César Barbarán from ‘ Arquitectura y Artes Plásticas – USB’, Universidad Simón Bolívar ,  that seeks to enhance the city’s spaces in relation to the Caracas Metro System through the architecture of the stations. The proposal offers fluidity of circulation, natural light and ventilation, and wide open spaces, guaranteeing user comfort in the most popular mode of transportation in Caracas. It also focuses on an aspect of urban relations that makes it possible to build programmatic multifunctionality in the stations for the entire city.

Introduction: The subway is the most widely used form of public transportation in modern cities due to its ability to transport many people across long distances in a short amount of time. This calls for the metro’s public spaces to have a nodal exchange character, where many pedestrian flows are at the metropolitan level and then have an impact locally through their recreational areas.

The goal of this architecture thesis is to enhance the city’s spaces in relation to the Caracas Metro System through the architecture of the stations, which offers fluidity of circulation, natural light, natural ventilation, and wide open spaces, guaranteeing user comfort in the most popular mode of transportation in Caracas. It is also focused on an area of urban relations that enables the establishment of programmatic multifunctionality in the stations for the city as a whole.

The prospect led to the conception of the thesis project, which explores various facets of urban life. The development of metro stations that are accessible to the city in this way produces a variety of multipurpose and dynamic plans that supplement the urban relationship with the Caracas Metro’s underground environment through the addition of cultural, commercial, residential, road, and academic elements.

Site Context

The east-west axis of Caracas city contains the largest concentration of urban areas. The chosen sector for intervention is approximately 4.8 km, which consists of existing and proposed stations at the Caracas metro system. The research project takes place in several areas of Caracas, with a particular emphasis on the metro station as a hub for social, academic, cultural, and economic exchange.

The current user experience in Caracas is not particularly pleasant due to the lengthy and tiresome processes of quick circulation and prolonged waiting, all of which are immersed in deteriorated, enclosed, gloomy, and quite poorly ventilated facilities that typically induce discomfort for the user. Six metro stations—Bellas Artes, Ciudad Universitaria, Las Mercedes, Chacaito, Miranda, and Waraira Repano—are involved in the process of achieving this. Each one responds differently and is distinguished by unique urban features that enhance local activities.

Final Outcome

The design is based on contextual analysis of the areas, with an in-depth understanding of the inhabitants’ behaviours, affluence, accessibility, population density, and economy. In the case of the Chacaito Station, the metro station serves as an underground urban connector, connecting various areas of the Brion Square and creating a pleasant and comprehensive experience in the underground spaces. Two volumes are proposed at its ends, which would drastically change the city of Caracas.

1- Bellas Artes Station: This station is well known for its close proximity to numerous cultural institutions and museums. It is located underneath a major street in the heart of Caracas, close to the Torres de Parque Central and other large office buildings. Therefore, the study explores the integration of this plaza with an underground green park, producing several level variations and connecting to the Anauco River, creating a water plaza in front of the metro station.

2- Ciudad Universitaria Station: It is well-known for being close to Universidad Central de Venezuela, one of Venezuela’s most significant universities. It’s a huge complex with colleges, stadiums, parks, and corridors. The metro station is located at the main entrance of the university, near Paseo los Ilustres, an important boulevard of Caracas.

Because of the university, the majority of its surroundings are institutional. By opening up the metro platform’s ceiling to the sky and adding a spiral staircase, the research project proposes a way to improve the university’s entrance. The public academic building on the other side is open to anyone who wants to attend classes.

3- Las Mercedes Station: This station is located on the main avenue of Las Mercedes, a part of Caracas that is quickly developing. There are numerous office buildings being constructed in the context, and most of them are over 30 metres tall. Currently, the metro station is in the tendering stage. The project proposes an office tower above the metro station and provides a rental scheme over the train platform. This offers the chance to develop plazas underneath the structure that connects to the metro station, resulting in an airy, well-ventilated waiting area for the train.

4- Miranda Station: Miranda Station is situated between two of Caracas’ major roads and in front of Parque del Este, one of the city’s most significant parks. Although primarily residential areas surround it, the park is the main attraction. The station is already constructed, but there is a connection for the fifth metro line. 

The intervention includes a pedestrian connection from the station to the park and proposes a new cultural centre that resolves the connection via the avenue, keeping in mind that there must be a corridor that connects the old metro station to the new project. This is accomplished by opening the roof, giving metro riders an entirely new spatial experience.

5- Warairarepano Station: One of the system’s future initiatives, this station is situated at the intersection of two highways and the area is primarily residential due to the suburbs. The objective is to link three separate systems, such as the Metro’s Line 5, the Cabletren cable car, and the Metro Guarenas Guatire. The research project proposes a brand-new residential complex that connects the environment to the transit network. This entails public transport, bus stops and a new cableway connecting the nearby suburbs, resulting in new community squares and expansive metro areas.

6- Chacaito Station: This architectural thesis has covered Chacaito Station in greater detail. This station is well-known for being under Plaza Brion, an important civic square in the city, and is situated in the geographic middle of Caracas. Its surroundings include a high business zone, some residential areas, and a number of office towers that are currently under construction. The intervention at Chacaito station is divided into three parts: (i) The Gallery, (ii) The Library and (iii) The Tower. 

The Gallery: The gallery spaces are mostly lit by wide patios with light and plants, which cool the typically warm atmosphere of the underground structure. However, spaces adjacent to these can be proposed to work for exhibitions and presentations in the underground system, such as works of art, theatre, a concert in the metro, artistic performances, etc. The Plaza Brion and the ceiling of the underground areas will serve as urban furniture and to provide essential natural light.

The Library: An inclined space that serves for public presentations in a shaded plaza, where performances can be held, connects the subway to the ground. The building has flexible usage and the inclined space functions as a wide and adaptable space, including reading rooms, study areas, permanent collections, and exhibition areas.

The building’s other section functions as a library and houses all the data on the nation’s transit systems, including details on the first trams, railways, projects that the metro proposed, and various works of literature that support metro culture. Micro-perforated metal sheets are proposed for the building’s east and west facades in order to limit the sun’s constant exposure during the day and afternoon. For the remaining users, a terrace with a few tables and chairs is created between the glass façade and the parasols.

The Tower: The tower’s initial floors are available for office rental, providing a guaranteed source of income that will enable and promote the expansion of the Metro system. These areas run from the 8th floor of the tower to the 16th floor, serving a typology of open-plan workplaces. The remaining floors are proposed for use by the presidency, vice presidency, board of directors, internal audit, and some management of the support sector where the administrative tasks of the metro can be done effectively.

Conclusion: The project looks at the potential of each metro station based on their location and suggests a unique program along with relevant spatial strategies. The project’s final outcome is a collection of interventions that boost pedestrian activity in Caracas, with a particular emphasis on the potential of metro stations to provide transit oriented development and how they may contribute to the growth and improvement of the city.

[This Academic Project has been published with text submitted by the student]

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Underground architecture – China – Beijing'

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Qin, Xiang. "Micro-apartment in Beijing China." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1439309603.

葉葆芝 and Po-chi Pamela Yip. "Urban development and modern architecture in Beijing." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2008. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B41548784.

Chiang, Hong-man Michael, and 蔣匡文. "Fengshui planning and architecture design of Beijing (1412-1911) = Beijing feng shui jian zhu gui hua." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/194609.

Chiu, Calvin. "On Chinese Architecture." Thesis, University of Waterloo, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/797.

Du, Wei 1962. "A study of medium-rise high-density housing : Beijing, 1979-1990." Thesis, McGill University, 1994. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=22542.

Li, Yue 1968. "Space between buildings in Beijing's new housing." Thesis, McGill University, 1999. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=29950.

Yu, Shuishan. "To achieve the unachievable : Beijing's Chang'an Avenue and Chinese architectural modernization during the PRC era /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/6233.

Jin, You, and 靳悠. "Changing Shichahai: an historic district for a modern world." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2009. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B47090881.

Wong, Suk-har, and 黃淑霞. "Disused air raid precaution tunnels: uncovering the underground history of World War II, civil defencetunnels in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2010. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B47583812.

Guo, Diane D. "Building the Invisible: Bridging the Gap Between Past and Future in Chinese Architecture." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1336762867.

Boufflet, Stéphanie. "Le processus de renaturation de la capitale chinoise à l'aube des années 2000 : un "souffle vert" sur Pékin ?" Phd thesis, Université d'Orléans, 2011. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00737494.

"New mobility hub in Beijing: underground space as a connector." 2011. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b5894562.

Wu, Rufina. "Beijing Underground." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/3246.

Li, Tong. "Future Office Design of Beijing, China: Envisioning Cultural Sustainability Through Architecture." 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/20959.

"Architecture for the death: underground typology for Hong Kong." 2011. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b5894585.

"Landscape urbanism: cultural campus in post Olympic Beijing." 2009. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b5896891.

"Re-conversion of abandoned architecture: air-raid precaution tunnel." 1998. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b5890228.

"Wander between grounds, detour in the city." 2007. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b5893156.

Zhu, Ningxin. "Towards a Sustainable Future: Courtyard in Contemporary Beijing." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/7527.

zhang, peng. "Art and Life - Make invisible visible in Cao changdi village, Beijing, China." 2016. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2/386.

"An alternative of urban geo-space: artist colony." 1999. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b5890204.

"An urban trans-station: Sai Ying Pun underground network & MTR station development." 1998. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b5890015.

"Beyond massive attack: MTR as a catalyst for revitalization by retaining local qualities." 2007. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b5893162.

"Multi-ground renovation: enabler for the future program influx." 2007. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b5893154.

"The mode of tomorrow's station: Kennedy Town Station." 2000. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b5890580.

Fifth-Year Thesis Final Pinup

April 19, 2024

This week, the Cowgill Lobby housed the last fifth-year thesis presentations of the semester. Faculty and students engaged in numerous discussions about the extensive investigations conducted over the past year. Following this, the students will compile their ideas into thesis books as a final documentation of their work. We wish our fifth-year thesis students luck as they wrap up their undergraduate education and move forward into the professional world! 🎉

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