By Delana in Art & Design, Energy & Fuel, Home & Garden

While green walls and roofs are becoming ever-more-popular ways to reduce energy costs and decrease the visual impact of buildings, there’s a step beyond that: subterranean and earth-sheltered homes. Building a home that is buried in the ground or surrounded by dirt above-ground is a simple way to drastically decrease the energy needs of the home. The dirt and plants surrounding the structure provide excellent insulation and protection from the elements. And the design in no way has to be a dirt hut with a grass roof and tree-branch furniture – architects are enthusiastically producing subterranean home designs that are modern, unique and fantastically desirable. But it doesn’t stop at homes – you can even vacation underground or raise an entire farm’s worth of food in an underground chamber. Click the thumbnails below for more images of and information on these amazing designs: