Chapter 29: Are Underground Residential Buildings Feasible? A Preliminary Investigation for Innovations
As the space constraint in metropolises has continuously been an issue in many countries, a new idea of constructing underground facilities including residential buildings has recently emerged and attracted considerable attention from authorities. Under the circumstance, this study aims to investigate the possible advantages and disadvantages of underground residential buildings and to identify the critical risks in projects. To achieve the goals, a comprehensive literature review and pilot interviews were conducted, followed by an empirical questionnaire survey administered to 30 Singapore-based construction companies. The analysis results showed that “space saving” was the most significant advantage of underground residential buildings and “limited access to natural light” was the most severe disadvantage. Additionally, this study disclosed and discussed the top five critical risks of underground residential building projects, including “labour restrictions”, “cost overruns”, “local contractors’ competence in underground construction”, “material restrictions” and “economic fluctuations”. This study has contributed to the body of knowledge by examining the advantages, disadvantages and critical risks in underground residential building projects innovatively. The findings from this study can also be informative to relevant project stakeholders and policymakers by enhancing their understanding of underground space utilization, which will facilitate their decision-making procedures accordingly.