Modern Yurts
Written by Euphrasia Carroll
Mongolian nomadic tribes have used them for centuries. Yurts have found their way across time and space and can now be found all over the world. Classified as a type of tent, the yurt is a round structure that is much stronger and more weathertight than a tent.
Pacific Yurts provides some of the most useful information about the yurt’s structure and shape. This company’s yurts are “circular structures that consist of a durable fabric cover, tension band and a wood frame that includes a lattice wall, radial rafters, central compression ring and a framed door.” Illustrations on Pacific Yurts’ website show:
- “The yurt's natural strength: Rafters push inward on compression ring and outward on tension cable, which acts in a similar way to a hoop on a barrel preventing the rafters from moving/spreading outward.
- “An aerodynamic shape: The yurt's aerodynamic shape allows the wind to easily flow around it rather than pushing against flat walls.
- “Roof Load: Roof loads are transferred down the rafters to the tension cable.”
Nalina Uehlein, owner of Spirit Mountain Yurts, gives her company’s website a personal spin, and describes Spirit Mountain Yurts’ design by saying, “The structure can collapse small enough to fit on one draft animal (or in a pick up truck) and can be set up again in a short amount of time. Lattice walls are formed by crossed wood pieces, much like a baby gate. In the yurts that we make, these wood pieces are joined together with nuts and ornamental bolts at the crossings. The lattice wall can be collapsed to take up very little room for transporting. A door frame is made from dimensional lumber, and our standard door is hand made from beautiful solid wood. The lattice wall is attached to each side of the door frame. Roof rafters form the roof skeleton. One end of the rafter hooks into the crown at the top of the yurt, and the other end hooks onto the cable (aircraft cable) that is strung along the top of the lattice to create a very sound structure.”
Kathy Anderson and Sharon Morley both live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and have combined Sharon's woodworking skills with Kathy's sewing and manufacturing background to produce an East coast version of the West coast yurts, Blue Ridge Yurts. They say, “To live in a yurt is to reconnect with our natural origins, and rekindle our potential for living simply. The smooth round walls and soft light create an easy elegance. The tall ceilings and artfully exposed rafters provide a unique airy living space with unlimited possibilities. The low-impact design and construction makes it possible to go from conception to completion in a very short time span. Moreover, this uniquely efficient structural alternative, which can be designed with all of the modern amenities, can be acquired at a fraction of the cost, both to your purse and the Earth, of a traditional home.”
Yurt manufacturers of all kinds offer basic packages and plenty of information about equipping yurts with plumbing, electricity, heating and air conditioning, fireplaces, and more. These functional additions are becoming more common as yurts are growing in popularity as permanent structures used as homes, guest houses, yoga and meditation retreats, and vacation getaways.
For more information, a comprehensive book by Becky Kemery called Yurts: Living in the Round is available. Kemery “introduces the innovators who redesigned the yurt and took it from back country trekking and campground uses to modern permanent homes and offices.”
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