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Comments Page on The Hexayurt Project homepage
The Hexayurt Project home page has a link to this page so that you can comment and discuss the hexayurt and associated ideas.
Enjoy,
Vinay
PS: comments are moderated and I can't figure out how to turn it off so you can see your post immediately for just this post, so I'll keep an eye on the que so you can chat.
22 Comments
So how was your burn, my dears?
I find the Hexayurt interesting but I have a few questions.
The panels look a bit fragile, can you tell me a little more about the strength of each panel. What force is needed to puncture or break a panel? While watching it being built in the video I kept picturing someone running into the structure or falling on it (I do that with every video I watch), and I was wondering if it could handle this.
How is the Hexayurt secured to the ground? Has there been any testing done to measure its strength in high winds?
Is the material flammable? At what temperature does it burn and how quickly?
Well, it depends entirely on what you’re using for the panels. For domestic use, outside of Burning Man, think Thermax HD.
In terms of wind load, with regular Tuff-R, we’ve had them up in 60 mph winds at Burning Man without issues. The key is that the tape is incredibly strong.
But if you just sat on a single panel that was resting on two boxes, it would break for sure. The strength is in the shape, like an egg shell, and the tape – not the panels themselvs.
On the ground, it’s big tent stakes.
Flammability depends entirely on the materials. We’re currently trying to figure out what to recommend. Dow has test data for all of their products on the web site.
Why not spray the hexayurt with ceramicrete. Its s cement product that is impervious to water. It is three times stronger than concrete and a 1\2 layer of ceramicrete will make your structure permanent.
You could also spray the structure with grancrete. Its pretty much the same material.
Has anyone thought of making a larger version of the gasifier camp stove. Maybe make a wood stove size version. Wouldn’t that be much more efficient and cleaner burning than whats available today.
If you need a cistern. Dig a hole build an upside down hexayurt spray it with grancrete. Then bury it. You may just need to spray just the inside of the hexcistern. Tesiting would need to be done.
Here’s another idea for that you may be interested in. You look like your struggling too much with the insulation panels. Are the angles between the panels the same no matter how you choose to scale up your hexayurt. If so find or have made plastic channels that are horizontally opposed so they slide together with just one persons effort. Use Angled channels for the corners and roof joints then tape the seams. This will allow single person construction. Channels could even be made so you could double up the boards for a stronger hexayurt. If you would want a second floor (sprayed with grancrete)make channel with a ninety degree for horizontal support tape then spray. You then have a two story permanent hexayurt. All for a very low cost. I’ve tried to describe my idea as best I can maybe it would be better to draw it out.
lets make the construction of the hexayurt a whole lot easier. Take two 1 inch wide 4 inch long plastic strapping. Cut a half inch slit in the middle of each strap. Put a hole in the ends of each strap. Then slide the two straps together in the middle(Remember the 1/2 inch slit you cut. Think of an X wing fighter. This connector will slide in between your panels. One strap flattened on each side of of the panels. Remember the holes punched in each strap? Where the straps meet flattened on the board punch another hole in the board and you’ll install another plastic fastener in each panel to hold the straps to the boards. I have a link for the plastic fasteners that hold the X straps. I will post it when I find it. After your panel has been strapped and installed tape with duct tape? This should save you time and effort. You will be able to build your hexayurt with just one person.
The straps can be made wider if needed
Strap fasteners
http://www.mrmcgroovys.com/p-31-long-box-rivets-in-bulk.aspx
On the issue of flammability, I think there are important degrees of flammability to consider. Will a stray spark make the yurt go up in flames in a quick puff? Or will it take something more substantial? Most western homes are quite flammable, and you don’t see a broad movement to move towards ferro-cement construction or anything to mitigate that. It’s a known accepted risk.
Instead of spending a lot of time stressing about what material should be used, I think it suffices to say “Here are some common 4×8 materials that work well with the hexayurt concept, and here are the pros and cons to using them”. Were hexayurts actually deployed in an emergency, I suspect that nobody is going to stress about what material to use but rather to use any and all resources available at the time.
I think a worthwhile endeavor would be to have a more solid concept of “So you have a hexayurt; now what do you do?” i.e. how to create a more rugged floor inside of an existing hexayurt, how to live long-term in a hexayurt (cooking, sleeping, hygeine, dealing with human waste, etc). I know a lot of thought has been put into this by others and it would probably be useful to see a distillation of what has been learned thus far, with considerations for different regions of the world, various language translations, etc.
Hoenstly, I’m not too keen on the idea of handing out cellular phones or cheap computers. I much rather like the idea of setting up “comms yurts” where kiosks can be set up with computer and telephone access. This reduces costs greatly, while still making modern comms capabilities available on a shared basis. I think this is one area where funds could be diverted towards more important things. For example, the $20 saved on a cheap cell phone could go towards a large bag of rice. The $200 saved on a super-cheap computer could perhaps go towards a small iron stove to heat the yurt and provide a cooking surface.
I just realized there is no way to subscribe to comments on this blog site, so I’ll have no way of knowing if a response has been posted.
A hexayurt project forum wouldn’t be a bad idea to encourage dialog.
My name is Andy. I am the President of TAPE-RITE CO, INC. I have received many inquiries for a tape similar to 3M 8959 Bi-directional filament tape for use in constructing a hexayurt. My product #835 is a good substitute. I have it available in any size required (3″ and 6″ wide seem to be the most popular) and I will sell it in small quantities at reasonable prices.
Please feel free to contact me at andy@taperite.com. We take Visa, Master Card and Amex.
And, yep, I’ve used this tape several times, and it works very well. Price is pretty decent, and Andy’s company ships it fast.
I’m looking for off grid solutions. This looks neat but I have concerns. Will it survive a city where people break into buildings to steal copper wire, cut out registration stickers from license plates, and remove aluminum sidings from houses? It looks like any curious punk can kick the door in.
Keep it up man.,
This concept looks very interesting. I understand the original concept seems more suited to a desert environment, but are there any kind of insulation/coatings that could be applied to allow the ‘hexayurt’ to be deployed in more tropical climates?
I like the idea of using hexayurts as communication centers or even cheap schools in developing countries. How long are these things intended to last?A previous post dealt with ceramicrete – would this material or a similar one coated on the outside improve the long term durability?
In other words, what is the potential for this design to be modified from a temporary shelter to a permanent one?
Thanks
-Dan
Heya! Building aYurt this year for Burning Man. I found these suppliers of Celotex products. If anyone has other suppliers or knows where the boards, please post! Thanks, here is what I have found:
Thermal Foams, Inc
http://www.thermalfoams.com/construction/Insulation/celotex.htm (Celotex Tuff-R, Thermax, Quick-R)
http://www.thermalfoams.com/construction/Insulation/atlas.htm (Atlas ACFoam Supreme)
Insulation For Less-Factory Seconds, 4×8 Sheets, Foil Backed Foam.
http://insulationfactoryseconds.com/ (Sign up for notices about deals, $8 for 1″ 4×8 Polyisocyanate)
Living in Haiti – been thinking along the same lines. Tarps and tents way too short term and expensive. Concrete block homes too expensive and takes too long. We need something fast.
Our village of about 5,000 took in an additional 700 I figure. All living with relatives or friends. Based on there being another 700,000+ people living outside I figure we need to take at least another 1,000. No room left in homes.
Am looking into the spray concrete products to do ferro-cement. If you want to come and try some things out let me know.
Vinay,
You asked for feedback on the site’s appearance, these are my gross reactions.
The background image makes 90% of the text unreadable. The white on green text while not unreadable does repel the eye. It reminds me of a MacDonald’s “dining room” where it’s all decorated to make you want to leave after ten minutes, only in this case it would make all but the youngest and most eagle-eyed visitor click-through much sooner than that!
Your content is powerful, let it stand out! Go with a simple, neutral layout.
Let out your inner Scott man!
Obviously my last comment was about the new overhaul reached from your tweet, not this page where I now see the comments displayed.
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