The Nomad Yurt by EcoShack- 03.17.08
The Nomad Yurt by EcoShack. I try to settle down, i try to find a “home” and stay put, but i seldom last more than a year. I’m a socal girl who’s home is in her car, on the road, or bouncing between hotel rooms and friends’ places around the world… I suppose i’m a modern day digital nomad. A digi-nomad that needs a yurt!
The one object i walked away from CA Boom V lusting after and itching to drop $8000 on is the Nomad Yurt… it breaks down and pops up in under a half hour (depending how many friends you have), and gives you an instant 120 square feet of calm, shady, cozy privacy, with a nice woody platform (don’t worry about what the ground is like around you like most yurts), a light sturdy bamboo structure, and weatherMAX covering. Whether you use it as an instant studio, a guest room, a spa treatment room, or the best backyard under-tree-house ever… its a fun way to get some extra space, that you can pack up into the back of the car. Take a look at the images of this eco-friendly, permit-free, portable structure as it was at CA Boom, the view from within, and diagrams and images of how you put it together after the jump.
So, what do you think? Instead of investing in “real” offices, wouldn’t it be fun to have a group (commune?) of these instant-office/studio yurts out in Topanga?
I must admit, a part of me has always wanted a yurt, i did a lot of research on them years ago when i was at Nissan Design America doing design research on tents, which naturally lead me to yurts… but this is truly one of the simplest, portable designs i’ve seen, and the wood platform for a floor is a really nice touch. I suppose it’s no surprise that Dwell called this the “Country’s best yurt…”, and that it is the brain child of Stephanie Smith is a designer, architect, entrepreneur, author… and most importantly, a fan of the incredible domes and structures of R. Buckminster Fuller ~ check out her article on him for GOOD magazine.
For those interested… over at treehugger they seemed to think this one was a bit high priced, but honestly, the more traditional yurts are not quite as portable (up and down in half an hour?) or clean/simple in design or coming with a nice platformed wood floor! Also, this just has such a nicer shape to it!
Anyhow, here are some links to other yurts…
Go Yurt
Colorado Yurt
Red Sky Shelters
Also really cool are these Geodesic Dome options:
Pacific Domes
Oh, and this is slightly embarassing, but google just reminded me that The Nomad Yurt has been seen on NOTCOT.org waaaaaaay back as #3273… but as you guys know, sometimes things in person just grab you in a whole new way.
And here are a few more pics i just found… and the Nomad Yurt has also been seen in the NY Times
Wow, this thing is beautiful! Looks like things didn’t work out with the business as that site url is dead. Might have been the price tag.
Maybe it would have been more lucrative to sell the plans to make your own? Who knows, but they’re pretty awesome. I read someone else’s comment about “perfect for Burning Man”, which was my first thought when I saw them too. ;)
----- Noel Chandler 02.01.14 21:16