Beautiful buildings underground
Forget skyscrapers — the world’s most beautiful buildings are underground
By Clinton Nguyen From Business Insider
The United Nations says that the world population will quintuple by 2300.
That means cities are about to get very crowded. More than half of humanity already lives in cities, and by 2050, at least two-thirds of the population will call cities home.
In major cities like San Francisco, the demand for housing is outpacing the ability to supply houses. But that growing population will need places to stay.
One solution: building underground or into the existing landscape, whether that’s a hill or a cliff. Lots of cities already have subterranean spaces, but as urban areas become more crammed, you can expect these spaces to multiply.
Take a look at some of the world’s most unique marvels that are built into the ground and cliffs.
Shivam Saini contributed to an earlier version of this story.
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The Iconic Santorini Hotel in Imerovigli, Greece, has a pool that’s embedded inside a cave. The cliffside overlooks the Mediterranean ocean.
Iconic Santorini
Rocky homes line the cliff face in Nevsehir, Turkey, also known as the Cappadocia region. The area is popular with tourists for its Byzantine art and large network of underground Bronze Age troglodyte dwellings.
Chris McGrath/Getty Images
For a more modern take on a troglodyte dwelling, Les Hautes Roches is a five-star hotel constructed inside a limestone cliff. The lavishly decorated rooms overlook the Loire River.
Les Hautes Roches
This 400-foot-deep amusement park was constructed in a former salt mine in Romania, called the Salina Turda. Inside, you can ride an underground ferris wheel, paddle in a lake, play ping pong, and see performances at an amphitheater.
Shutterstock/Radu Bercan
Built into subterranean rock, the Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki boasts a glazed dome just above ground level that lets ample sunlight into the interior. Those rough rock walls were left untouched by the designers for a reason: naturally great acoustics make the church a perfect venue for concerts.
Jorge Láscar/Emporis
In this southern Tunisia village, locals live in traditional troglodyte dwellings — cave houses — created by scraping away rocks. There is even a subterranean hotel.
Dennis Jarvis / Flickr
This house on the Greek island of Antiparos sits right where two slopes meet. Two long stone walls bridge the hills, allowing the house to naturally blend in the space.
Ed Reeve
Built in 2009 in memory of a Korean poet, the Earth House in Seoul has two courtyards connecting six single rooms, a kitchen, a study, and a bathroom with a wooden tub and toilet.
Yongkwan Kim
This home in Glaumbær, Iceland is an example of a “turf house”— a highly-insulated building that has a stone foundation and layers of turf built around the sides.
TommyBee/Wikipedia
In Poland, 800 steps lead down a shaft to this space, which holds an art gallery, health resort, and massive halls that host weddings and conferences. This 13-century marvel was once a salt mine.
Dino Quinzani / Flickr
Built in 1996, this hobbit-like house in the Welsh countryside is a tunnel under a turf roof. The three-bedroom house with stunning ocean views resembles a home featured in a famous British children’s TV show — locals call it the Teletubby house.
© Simon Mortimer and licensed for reuse
This “buried” this museum is on Naoshima, Japan’s “art island.” Small concrete openings and geometrical skylights dot the greenery.
Tadao Ando / Flickr
The residents of Coober Pedy in Australia move underground to pray. The Serbian Orthodox Church, built in 1993, is carved in the sandstone and has a community hall, a parish house, and even a school.
Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
Created by architect Peter Vetsch, this Swiss home is an example of an “earth house” — a type of home built into the ground that relies partially on surrounding terrain for walls.
Peter Vetsch/Wikipedia
