Hexayurts...

[fajrdrako]

Someone on the LMB list mentioned the Hexayurt Project today. Cool, I said to myself, staring at it. Mongolian hordes, eat your heart out.¹

My first thought: why make them shiny? Especially if you're dependant on solar power, don't you want to minimize reflective qualities to absorb warmth as much as possible? Then I thought: I'm thinking like a Canadian, where every effort has to be put into heating places and conserving the warmth; they're maybe thinking of places where heat rather than cold is a factor. Perhaps the reflective surface is a deliberate cooling mechanism.

(On a morning like this, 'cooling mechanism' is a scary concept.)

The cost is listed as $200-$500 each (presumably US$)- isn't that way too high to be feasible in a real refugee situation? Does that factor in transportation costs to areas in a state of emergency or war? And what (besides size) makes the difference between the $200 figure and the $500 figure - I would guess, the materials used.

Interesting.

1 I say this tongue in cheek, because the last time I saw a photo of a real Mongolian yurt, it had solar panels and a satellite dish, besides being big enough for luxury. I love this world.