A comparative cost analysis of the construction and maintenance of conventional and underground school buildings over a five-year period

Abstract

This study was designed to determine if there is a significant difference between the construction, operational and maintenance costs of underground school buildings and conventional school buildings over a five year period. Many new school buildings are being constructed each year, especially as the population migrates from the city to suburban areas. Emphasis for incorporation of the shelter concept is being made by the Department of Defense, Office of Civil Defense, and the Civil Preparedness Agency. They are urging the incorporation of the concept of underground construction into the planning of any new building and the adoption of protective areas into existing ones. Several assumptions have been made in regard to cost of construction and operational expenditures inherent in an underground school facility, but exact figures are lacking in this area. To get a better understanding of average cost of underground schools equated with conventional schools it was thought that several schools located in diverse regions of the state and region compared with conventional schools would give a clearer picture of overall cost expenditures. Five underground, schools were compared with five conventional, above-ground, windowed schools. Their construction costs and operational expenditures were collected over a five year period to get a mean expenditure. The results showed that the construction cost per square foot for underground schools were practically the same as conventional schools. The underground schools showed an increase of $0.2086 per square foot of construction costs over the conventional facilities..