This "Playa Box" is essentially what I did this year. Overall a great structure. Solid, low material needs and cost, decent thermally, no synthetic material at all. I created a frame using 2x2's and 2x4's, screwed together with deck screws (super simple and fast with a cordless screwgun). The box was 8'x8'x6.5' tall (lower wind profile, and less overall material.) I then clad the frame with panels of 1 inch hexacomb cardboard. I had to transport them from Plague's place in Oakland up to Grass Valley, so Plague helped me cut them into 4'x4' panels. I taped some of the edges with the paper tape that Plague mentioned recently, and applied exterior latex paint (white)... which actually bowed the panels as they dried. Not a problem in the long run. I attached the panels to the frame with deckscrews and washers... four screws per panel. I left one panel completely free as my door, and simply pulled it into place from the inside, or pushed it into place from the outside. Wonderful feel from the inside (less industrial and chemically than the iso board)... but obviously less room than a full hexayurt. Loved using a screwgun for construction (no tape used at all). Could have taped the seams from the inside to prevent more dust, but luckily it was a very low dust week in general. I was shaded to the east by our larger shade structure, so I easily slept until 11am most mornings. Also discovered the beauty of a frame clad with panels... one afternoon I wanted to take a nap, so simply removed a panel opposite the door, and got a great cross breeze while maintaining nearly full shade. I view this year as a 'proof of concept' year... and now have many ideas for improvements and refinements. Overall... this works for the playa, and may for other applications too... with simple construction, and "just right" low-impact living space. Oh... forgot to mention that I made this to fit the same dimensions of the rest of my crew that built a four unit cubed space with the iso board permanently adhered to 2x2 lumber on all sides. They have panels that are 8'x8'x6.5' tall. I posted pictures of this last year. Their structure had an internal 'foyer' of 8'x8'x16'... which was essentially a double loaded corridor with two cube units off each side. Totally bomb proof, dust proof, and light proof. We had to have lights on in the middle of the day. Great thermal performance, until you put 12 sweaty burners into the foyer with heat bouncing off the RMAX internally. An additional plus for my Hexacomb walls... only reflective on the outside. I'll try to post pics if I can.
On Thu, Sep 10, 2009 at 7:00 PM, Will <[email protected]> wrote: > > Our Hexayurt worked amazingly well but as I thought about it I > realized something. The reason that so much tape is required is that > there's no framing and the reason it has a conical roof is to give it > more height and to allow rain to drain off. What if we just made it > taller say 8 feet and put a flat roof since rain on the playa is so > rare. Then you could use standard house framing techniques to build a > large square or rectangular house (imagine skylights!) with standard > framing inside and maybe metal brackets to hold everything together. > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hexayurt" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
