Image Credit: Rashmee Roshan, Flickr
Much of the literature with regard to costs to conservation when it comes to subterranean developments revolve around the monetary ones. Underground projects may be three to four times as costly as surface projects due to higher construction costs and the need for extensive soil investigations. ( Yang, C. 2013, September 25. Singapore Looks Below for More Room. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/) Yet, even this may not be a hindrance in the not so far future due to probable technological advancements and novel solutions. A stellar example would be the establishment of Singapore’s Land and Liveability National Innovation Challenge (L2 NIC) by the Ministry of National Development, of which a key focus is halving the cost of underground construction. ( Ng, J.Y. 2015, July 11. NTU team studying impact of working underground. Today. Retrieved from: http://www.todayonline.com/ )
On the subject of its cost to the environment however, concerns have been raised that the extensive need for advanced ventilation (to control the indoor air quality and humidity levels) and lighting systems, among other issues, would have an adverse impact on the environment due to the sheer amount of electricity consumed.
“Even if there are people willing to work or live underground, it incurs a greater cost to develop. And it would take forever to ventilate and cool the space, so it is totally un-green. ” – Mr Liu Thai Ker, Singapore’s former chief planner ( Misir, T. 2015, May 28. Singapore looks underground for room to grow. Citiscope. Retrieved from: http://citiscope.org/)
That said, there exists substantial evidence that the environmental damage may be negated because new technology like ground-source heat pumps (GHPs) utilizes the thermal energy stored in the earth’s crust to heat or cool a building, replacing conventional boilers and air-conditioning systems thus decreasing the need for electricity, rendering it more ec0-friendly.
“A geothermal heat pump moves heat to and from the Earth by circulating water through a well.” – John Kelly, the COO of the Geothermal Exchange Organization.