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.

Comments

[katesutton.livejournal.com]

Hey, that's pretty nifty. Wood stove, toilet and everything. But yeah, the price tag is a bit steep for any mass usage.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Perhaps they are hoping to be able to somehow bring the prince down in future. I like the idea, I'd just like to think of a way it would be feasible for use in a real refugee situation. They tend to happen on a large scale.

Prices on hexayurts

[http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/openid/ (from livejournal.com)]

Hi, I'm Vinay, I developed the hexayurt. My referrer logs led me here :-)

So, here's the deal. The average refugee is a refugee for 17 years. So you *can* outfit them with cheap gear... every three years... for nearly two decades. And tents are not cheap: $200 is actually not much more than common tent designs in general use in the field.

The other key is the infrastructure package - the wood gasification stove and the composting toilet and the solar water pasteurizer and the shared solar panel / AA battery system. All that adds about $100 per unit, but gives you:

* Light at night
* A stove that burns as cleanly as natural gas, but uses wood as the fuel
* Non-pathogenic water to drink (no bad organisms, although a few good ones survive)
* No recontamination of your water supply because the toilet works properly

That's really where the action is.

Thanks for the interest,

Vinay

[idiotgrrl.livejournal.com]

Ah, Canada. Being Canadian means never trying to nap in a tent hotter than the outdoors, eh?

From when I was in Ontario in June, 1993, "We don't need heat, it's summer. We don't need air conditioning, it's Canada."

Though to be really useful, those hexayurts should have the option of reflecting heat away or channeling it into the yurt, for use in places with (gasp, horror) *seasons*.

But in the mountains east of Albuquerque, we can have 100 degrees F in the daytime and 40 degrees F at night. High desert climate, low latitudes.

Pat in New Mexico

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes - those Hexayurts, as pictured, would be ideal in dry, hot desert conditions.

Ontario can get really, really hot in summer, and what you need is protection from the mosquitoes and humidity.

You're right that the ideal would Hexayurts adaptible to different climates and seasons. I hope they're working on that.

Re: Prices on hexayurts

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

My referrer logs led me here :-)

How cool! A hearty salute to you. That's a fascinating project. I am very impressed.

tents are not cheap: $200 is actually not much more than common tent designs in general use in the field.

That's a scary figure, too.

The average refugee is a refugee for 17 years.

And a scary statistic.

Is there any particular environment for which the Hexayurt is best suited - or have you gone for a design that will have optimum efficacy over the maximum number of conditions? How did you figure out what the best parameters should be?

[idiotgrrl.livejournal.com]

I remember those mosquitos! One can say they really left an impression on me. Or who you wear real denim jeans while driving through those latitudes in the summer.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I remember those mosquitos!

They do make a big impression... an itchy one! They tormented my childhood, but I seem to have built up some resistance as an adult.