Glen Echo Park - The YurtsBack to Glen Echo Park homepage
 Newly built Yurt in 1972 |
The Slant Wall Yurts at Glen Echo Park are now used as studios for some of the resident artists (puppet making, jewelry, quilting, and woodworking) and for the main activities of the Glen Echo Pottery. Some mention of their origin may be of interest. |
  The pottery yurt being constructed in 1972. It is 32ft in diameter. The smaller ones are 16ft in diameter. |
In 1971 then recent college graduates David Raitt, Marc Hansen, and Bruno Lefevre
formed a company,
"Synergic Design International Inc." They contracted with Bill's Yurt Design Inc.
to construct a Yurt village for the American Crafts Council for a crafts event
on the Mall in Washington.
The event never happened so the village was never used
for its original purpose and the components were stored at Glen Echo Park.
The builders managed to persuade
the National Park Service to let them erect the yurts in the park in 1972 and
they have been providing accomodation ever since.
'Bill' is William S Coperthwaite who was responsible for adapting the Mongolian yurt into a permanent house and who taught the students how to build it. |
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What is a Yurt?
The Yurt is a round dwelling which is held together at the eaves by a tension band, with a cone shaped roof with a central compression ring skylight at the center top of the cone roof. This basic structure, used originally by the Mongolians, is the oldest form of prefab indigenous architecture still in use today and manufactured world wide. |
How it works: 
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| Both the traditional felt or fabric covered Lattice wall Yurt and the modern day multi-faceted panel frame Yurt share the same principles. Both wall systems form a circular wall which are held together in tension by a cable at the top of the wall or at the roof edge. These panel or lattice walls are held in tension by the cable and form a base in tension which, when connected to the roof rafters or roof frame panels, hold them from pushing outward. These roof frames or rafters are laid side by side and are attached to the cable along the perimeter. Together they form a conical roof. These rafters or panels at the top center of the truncated cone are cut short of the center and are attached to a central skylight compression ring. This structural system with its perimeter tension cable and central roof compression ring can span large distances with no center pole, resulting in lighter roof timbers for greater spans with a higher efficiency in use of materials. |
References:
The National Park for Crafts by Fred Guthrie
