Yurts - Relatively Safe Housing for Earthquake-Prone Areas???

by ziddina 62 Replies latest social current

  • ziddina
    ziddina

    I've always had a fascination for yurts... And I've been wondering - wouldn't these make wonderful homes for earthquake-prone areas with a relatively mild climate?

    [And the board is acting funny again... Hope these pictures post...]

    Notice the lightweight wooden framework. If that fell down on top of you during an earthquake, you'd be more likely to survive, than if a conventional wooden house or - god/goddess/flyingspagettimonster forbid - a brick or stone house...

    yurt framework

  • ziddina
    ziddina

    If you wanted to have a lot more room, just tie more yurts together...

    tie more yurts together

  • ziddina
    ziddina

    And I'm tired....

    I just wanted to bring this idea to Sizemik's attention - and the attention of anyone else living in an earthquake-prone area...

    I may post more pix tomorrow.

    Zid

  • Black Sheep
    Black Sheep

    I'm sure they are very comfortable in a Christchurch winter, Zid.

  • Black Sheep
    Black Sheep

    From memory, there was a child killed by a falling TV that the owners had not made safe according to advice that had often been promoted on TV. The other deaths were from failing commercial buildings and heart related events.

  • ziddina
    ziddina

    Well, Black Sheep, these yurts originated in Mongolia, which is located just below Russia...

    In fact, Mongolia has a climate similar to ours here in Colorado - except it's shifted towards the cold end of our spectrum. We get highs in the 90's to 100's+; Mongolia's high temperatures usually reach the 80's. Our low temperatures here can reach -15 degrees Farenheit, and Mongolia can get even colder...

    True Mongolian yurts - or more properly, gers - are made with multiple layers of felted sheeps' wool for the walls and roof. That keeps things very toasty indeed, during a Mongolian winter...

    Of course, people in other areas would want to use something other than felted sheeps' wool, I suppose - though the lanolin in the sheeps' wool keeps the rain/snow out.

  • designs
    designs

    Yurts are cool, there is an Oregon company that makes great kits.

  • ziddina
    ziddina

    Yeah, Designs, I drooled over those when I was trying to make up my mind between a Mongolian persona and a Berber persona for my SCA character...

  • jgnat
    jgnat

    I'm not enduring a Canadian winter in a Yurt. ... or our local equivalent.

    TiPi Wood Stove

  • designs
    designs

    Pacific Yurts! that was the company, to early in the morning and not enough

    http://yurts.com/

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