Temporary Structure Run Down

[errantember]

Many of you have heard of my Hexyurt adventures. My 'yurt has been the best place I've ever camped in really hot environments like Flipside and Burning Man. It's kept me cool until between 1 and 2 PM at least everywhere it's been, and, properly ventilated, it's kept me cool throughout the hot day. My only complaints are that the panels are large and fragile, and therefore somewhat hard to transport, they are degrading pretty fast despite being fully taped, and despite the fact that I've fanfolded the walls and top to create only two pieces, I still have to re-use a lot of tape every time I set it up. So, I'm looking into reproducing the thermal benefits of the design in a more portable format.


After a day's worth of surfing different yurt and dome sights, I think that a StarDome design seems like the most likely candidate that fits the "would survive Burning Man" and "can be finished by next weekend having just now started" categories. It definitely looks less easy to set up than the Hexayurt, and I'm still in the market for simpler, collapsible designs.

Comments

[worldmegan.livejournal.com]

Did you happen to talk to the fellow at my camp at Flipside who was responsible for tweaking the ginormous dome he had there? I heard a lot of conversation about how there were domes like his available, but that he had made certain improvements and they'd made a big difference. Er, I'm not sure if those improvements are the kind you could make in the time you have, but I thought it might be worth mentioning. That dome was surprisingly easy to put together and take apart (from the perspective of a helper, anyway). Well, one person wouldn't have been able to do it very easily. But five did. Ha!

[errantember.livejournal.com]

I'm actually having second thoughts right now.

*If* I build something else for this weekend, it will be smaller. I'm realizing I really have three goals.

1) Create an improved thermal structure for hot burn events
2) Research techniques for making sure #1 above works and
3) Creating a livable outbuilding for my yard

Add to this the time restrictions, and it gets more complicated.

For this weekend I think I'm going to look at Hexayurt improvements, and possibly a simple sleeping coffin made out of the bubble insulation with an air gap. I can bring my thermometer and we can compare thermal performance. Larger projects can be pursued later, once we know how the proof-of-concept works.

[comodulate.livejournal.com]

Is 3 because you are still trying to move from your house to your backyard?

[errantember.livejournal.com]

Sort of.
As part of my co-op, I want to have a guest outbuilding where people can actually live. I'm intending to tear down my existing toolshed, which is ugly and in a bad location, and replace it with something else. I'd like it to either be a yurt or a cob house.

I'm torn because any yurt big enough to actually use as a shed wouldn't *really* be portable. Not to, say, Burning Man. Also, there's the sex-in-a-tent factor of a yurt, whereas a cob building is almost 100% sound proof. The cob is much harder to build, though, and requires a permanent foundation, whereas the yurt would be easier to build and portable.

[comodulate.livejournal.com]

Are you turning your house into a coop?

[knighthorse.livejournal.com]

I've been toying with the idea of building a full fledged yurt for Flipside next year. I even found a place that will do custom coverings for them.

[errantember.livejournal.com]

We should talk, then, as I'm now officially In Charge of finding good temporary building options for Poly Big Fun next year.