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> 2000
> September
> September 29, 2000:
Hour Two: Limestone Living:
Converting Mines to Human Space
What to do with an old limestone mine? Fill it -- with people, supplies,
offices, and warehouses. In the greater Kansas City area, an estimated
20 million square feet of business and industrial space lies below the
ground, squirreled away in space created by the mining of Bethany Falls
and Argentine limestone. That accounts for over 10 percent of the business
and industrial space in the area.
| When mining began in the area in the late
1800's, limestone was mainly quarried. But starting in the 1950's,
mining began to take place with an aim to leaving usable subterranean
space behind. Tunneling into the hills and bluffs in the area, miners
carefully extracted stone in a grid-shaped pattern, leaving behind
large rooms with massive, evenly spaced pillars holding up the "roof"
of the mine. Miners remove a 12-foot thick layer of rock some 150
feet underground, leaving a thick ceiling between the underground
space and the outside world. |
A truck in part of Subtropolis.
(Hunt Midwest photo)
|
| Costs for converting such spaces are
low - the process mainly involves painting, pouring a concrete floor,
wiring, and putting up a few walls. Consequently, leasing costs
are also low -- in some cases, half of what above-ground space would
lease for. The relatively constant temperature, around 65 degrees,
makes the old mines a useful place for long-term archival storage.
(The original prints of 'Ben Hur' and 'Gone With the Wind' call
a Kansas City area mine home.) Costs for insurance, taxes, heating
and cooling, and security are also less underground. |
| Food companies use the space, saving on
refrigeration costs. The US Postal Service, the largest tenant of
underground space in the area, uses mine space for fulfilling orders
for stamps for collectors. A massive duty-free warehouse holds goods
from around the world. Other uses for the space have included a
college library, health center, and computer lab. |
|
On this hour of Science Friday, live from Kansas City, Missouri, we'll
talk about the geology of the area, and the engineering considerations
that go into constructing an underground city. Call in with your comments
and questions at 1-800-989-8255.
Guests:
Syed Hasan
Professor, Geology
Director, Center for Applied Environmental
Research
University of Missouri--Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Tom Steadman
Vice President and General Manager
Hunt Midwest Real Estate
Development, Inc.
Kansas City, Missouri
Donald Woodard
Director, Underground Planning
and Development
Park University
Parkville, Missouri
Books/Articles Discussed:
Related Links:
- American
Underground-Construction Association: (AUCA)
ACUUS
(Associated Research Centers for the Urban Underground Space)
Hunt
Midwest / SubTropolis: What is SubTropolis?
Meritex
Lenexa
Park
University
IHE
Master Courses: Underground Space Technology, No Dig, Tunnelling,
Boring
The
GEOLOGIC STORY of the GREAT PLAINS
RECLAMATION
OF ABANDONED MINE LANDS: INDEX
Nat'l
Academy Press, Use of Underground Facilities to Protect Critical Infrastructures:
(1998)
Limestone
Mining
Kansas
Geological Survey
Produced By: Karin Vergoth
Web Producer: Charles
Bergquist
|
