fire protection owing both to the use of concrete and the insulation provided by the roof. Taking the example of Earthships, there is a reported case where the structure survived fire better compared to other types of buildings. Earthquake protection While residents of earth sheltered homes report noticing more minor earthquakes, the homes are resilient against large earthquakes, as their subterranean nature allows them to move with the earth. Picture a small twig house sitting on top of a tub of dirt: Shake the dirt, and the house will dance and stress. But if you bury the house in the dirt, you can shake the tub without stressing the house as much. Roof planting Roof covering is done using the excavated material, in which plants can be planted. Nuclear bomb survivability Due to the mass of the earth between the living area of an earth house and the surface grade, an earth home offers significant protection from impact/blast damage, or fallout associated with a nuclear bomb. Soundproof Earth shelters may provide privacy from neighbors, as well as soundproofing. The ground provides acoustic protection against outside noise. This can be a major benefit in urban areas or near highways. Architectural aesthetics Earth sheltered dwelling express itself with the color harmony of soil and earth. Meanwhile, the material properties of soil and earth give earth homes the simplicity of geomatic masses. Also, earth homes blend in perfectly with the landscape and highlight the beauty of the surroundings, which is a significant basis of Arcology. For example, yaodong and pit cave dwellings in Northern China hide themselves underground and blend in perfectly within the Loess plateau environment. Salt Cathedral in a halite mountain near the city of Zipaquirá, Colombia hugs the contour and highlights the natural features. Disadvantages Financial cost Three main factors influence overall cost of home construction, namely, design complexity, materials used, and whether the owner(s) carries out some or all of the construction or pays others to do it. Custom houses with complex designs tend to be more expensive and take longer to build than stock houses. Houses which use expensive materials will be more expensive than houses which use low cost materials. Owner labor can dramatically cut construction costs. Both earth sheltered projects and construction of regular houses have significant variability in the design, materials and labor involved. As such it is difficult to make a precise comparison of