Yurts

Modern versions of yurts, the round tents originally used by Mongolian nomads, have now been used in various places around the world, including both the continental U.S. and Hawaii.

Perhaps better than a yurt is the “yome,” a design combining the yurt and features of the geodesic dome. Instead of the interior latticework covering the walls and windows of a typical yurt, the yome uses tetrahedral structures around the interior space to give strength but also allow for large, triangular windows. Thus the inhabitants don’t always have to look through a latticework when gazing outside.

And alternatively, yurt-like structures can be built with solid walls, perhaps providing more of a sense of security, but still allowing the building to be somewhat easily dismantled if desired. These structures also have what some may consider the advantage of regular square windows, without the criss-cross lattice framework across them.

Yurts made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic (used in boat hulls) are even available. And the exterior of the walls could be covered with a veneer of cultured or local stone, even half-way up, to dress them up a little. Then such buildings could be extremely durable and beautiful at the same time. (But if the roof is fiberglass, would it be too noisy during rainstorms?)

Perhaps similar structures could be useful in areas (such as parts of Hawaii) where there is a risk of lava flows coming through. When the lava approaches, such a home (with off-grid power, composing toilet, and so forth) could be simply dismantled and moved away until the lava has dried and the area is safe to re-enter. Then the house could be re-erected, plants re-started in the ground, and life could carry on. (And although it would obviously not be quite this simple and years could pass before the area was safe to move back into, perhaps the idea has some merit.)

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