*Semi-Commercialising the Hexayurt – IGLOO Style*
*Hello all!*
I’m Thomas Philip – an architect with a past life in quantity surveying –
and I’m on a mission to give the Hexayurt a fresh coat of paint and a new
name: *IGLOO*.
Why IGLOO? Because it’s a word that lights up the childlike parts of our
imagination. It means warmth, escape, and independence. It’s the kind of
word you can shout across cultures and still be understood – right up there
with “coffee.” And most importantly, it captures what this project is all
about: insulation, simplicity, delight.
We’re using modern, foam-based construction (polyiso core, XPS skin,
fibreglass wraps – think wetroom-grade insulation meets sculpture studio)
to create *micro-buildings* that fit into everyday life. The idea is to
make insulated structures easy, joyful, and radically useful.
Let me introduce the family:
-
*PAPA IGLOO*
For the remote-working dads out there. A foam-formed man cave / office
hybrid – practical, private, and oddly therapeutic.
-
*BABA IGLOO*
A reimagined Wendy House, sculptural and safe. With my background in
hot-wire foam cutting (shout out to the 7D Frog Wire setup), we can make
these into almost anything. For play, for learning, for magic.
-
*MAMA IGLOO*
Our take on the ‘garden room’ – but one that gets the nod from the woman
of the house. We’ve learned this the hard way: sheds are gendered. And
that’s OK. These are IGLOOs she’ll actually want in her garden.
-
*BROTHER IGLOO*
This one’s for the mission. Inspired by Vinay’s vision of Hexayurts for
desert refugees – and influenced by iglou.world’s work with rough sleepers
– we’re creating safe garden refuges. People can offer up space for someone
to stay in, just for a night here and there. We’re also identifying
abandoned land and lightly placing shelters there – always on solid legal
footing, with the help of a solicitor friend.
------------------------------
*The Business Plan (Formal Hat On)*
The plan is to *semi-commercialise* Hexayurt under the IGLOO brand through
a mixed-model pre rev pre order strategy: (think cybertruck)
1.
*Donation-based preorders*: Individuals can support the project and
reserve units with early contributions.
2.
*Revenue-backed financing*: We’re in conversation with *Big Issue Invest*
about a loan facility to scale. If that doesn’t work, I have fallback
funding available via the sale of two rental properties – though obviously
I’d prefer to keep my house and pension intact.
3.
*Commercial-Charity Split*:
-
*9 commercial designs* (BABA, PAPA, MAMA) - people will get to vote
on which designs they want us to work on; I started with about 50 designs
and then dropping them for legal or planning reasons or for furniture
reasons or wind resistance calculations; I think there is about 16 left;
so
7 to vote out.
-
*3 charity designs* (BROTHER, emergency pods, and a
domestic-abuse-safe version)
These will be produced using existing techniques and a trained
workforce, ready to begin on short notice.
4.
*Materials & Construction*:
-
Polyiso foam sheets with foil intact (for fire safety and insulation)
-
External XPS (waterproof and thermally stable)
-
Fibreglass wraps, resin finish, or Kevlar depending on application
-
Polyurethane glues (common in both insulation and wetroom work)
5.
*Trademark & Precedent*:
I’m requesting to *trademark the specific IGLOO designs*, including the
isometric visuals shown in blueprints. I understand the precedent of
Hexayurt and intend to position this as the *semi-commercial side* of
that movement, with due respect and citation to Vinay Gupta’s original
framework.
6.
*Marketing Strategy*:
-
*Direct mail campaigns* to Yorkshire couples
-
*Guerrilla marketing* for the social-impact side (targeting rough
sleepers and domestic abuse survivors)
-
*AI-generated images* indistinguishable from reality, used to
emotionally and visually communicate the offer
7.
*Governance & Community*:
I’ve listed *Vinay Gupta* as a member/trustee for now, in recognition of
the intellectual and moral origin of this project. Vinay – if you’d prefer
not to be publicly associated, just say the word and I will amend this
immediately.
8.
*Call to Join*:
I’m inviting advisors, supporters, collaborators, and future CIC members
to join me. If you want to be listed on the website ahead of our Big Issue
Invest application, *now is the time*.
------------------------------
*In short*: IGLOO is a new name for a very old idea – building warmth and
dignity into simple structures. If you’ve read this far, thank you. And if
you want in, even just to give advice or list your name, I would truly
welcome it.
Visit *igloofoamsheds.com <https://igloofoamsheds.com>*
Or reach me directly if you want to be part of the early crew.
Let’s do this right. I firmly believe that Hexayurt + AI can solve the risk
of homelessness - domestic violence and rough sleeping; but I think the
issue is the same; Land; land is the issue; I first heard of Hexayurt in
2012 when I was 19. I was rough sleeping in Copenhagen following some
family issues and the theft of my passport. I am probably one of the few
people to have experience in both homelessness (or rough sleeping as we say
in the UK if we are talking legally) and I have experience being a Landlord
too; I even got myself beaten up by a tenants drug dealer boyfriend once.
I firmly believe the mission is not "build hexayurts" but "build them here
in your garden" in the UK 81% of home-owners have garden and we have quite
a high rate of property ownership too.
The new domain will be something like GardenIgloo.org
I have not decided on a name yet really only that "IGLOO" shall be the
brand; and the brand has a dog "husky" a coat "Parka" - and a shape "Domes
or near enough" and a colour "white".
I would like every bodies views and opinions ahead of printing flyers; and
hiring students to go door to door asking for donations to the CIC
(community interest company)
Thankyou.
–
*Thomas Philip*
Architect & Founder
IGLOO Foam Sheds CIC
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