What is a yurt?

A Yurt is a type of tent. It is a portable, felt-covered, wood lattice-framed dwelling structure first used by the nomads of Mongolia. Today, there are many modern adaptations to this traditional dwelling such as durable, weatherproof outer covers and 'state of the art' insulating materials.

The design of the Yurt is highly efficient and maximizes strength while using only a minimum of materials. This is accomplished by using lightweight members under tension and compression.













Diagram from: http://simplydifferently.org/Yurt

The yurt's natural strength:
Rafters push inward on a compression ring and outward on a tension cable, which acts in a similar way to a hoop on a barrel preventing the rafters from moving/spreading outward."


Roof Loads:
Roof loads are transferred down the rafters to the tension cable






Diagram and captions from: http://www.yurts.com/what/default.aspx