The centuries pass, but despite their succession many Central Asian peoples, especially the Mongols, continue to live in the yurts rather than in the concept of a house imported from the Western world .
Not only does our concept of home fail to penetrate and take root completely in the Central Asian world, but even their model, that of the yurt, is slowly becoming a matter of interest from us, as it is capable of satisfying many of the parameters of what we call ecological dwelling .
Despite the reticence of the bureaucracy and the local administration, there are many who are interested in trying the yurt solution to resolve the issue of ecological housing . So not only Mongols, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Tajiks and other peoples of Altaic origin, even here we are now experiencing the yurt.
What is the yurt
The yurt is a symbol of the nomadic nature of the Central Asian peoples, dedicated to nomadism due to the climate of the place and to the strong bond with the breeding beasts that need long transhumance. It is therefore a dwelling based on the concepts of temporariness and mobility .
The yurt generally has a basic wooden structure, nowadays sometimes made of metal, covered with carpets and heavy woolen fabrics, as is the case with the floor. Inside the environment is divided by curtains, so as to create separate rooms . Many furnishing factors are multipurpose: beds and sofas are a single object, which changes function depending on the time of day or night.
The pros of the yurt
We have mentioned a growing enthusiasm for yurts in the West . Until now this has manifested itself most in the United States and Canada: their resistance to very cold climates, mobility, low production costs and the possibility of using hi-tech materials have allowed what they initially were an experiment, to proliferate.
In fact, if one is looking for an ecological solution to the housing problem, the yurt stands out among the many possible choices. First of all, as repeated several times, it is mobile and economical: it can be built with only ecological materials, such as wood and fabrics, it does not need a foundation and, if done in a workmanlike manner, it manages to isolate very well from both heat and cold .
The absence of scaffolding and cement greatly reduces the cost of materials, but also labor costs can be severely reduced if you have a small team of friends who know the construction technique. It is estimated that an area of 100 square meters should cost around 30, 000 euros.
The modern yurts do not lack technology: it is possible to install a stove or a well-insulated heating system, to help fight the cold, it is very easy to bring inside TV cables or for the computer. A little more complicated is the matter of plumbing and bathrooms .
But in the end it's just a matter of perspective. The yurt is a unique space, and the ideal is to have kitchen and space outside, not inside . In this sense, the difficulty can turn into a perfect solution at a social level, because everything is about sharing services with other yurts or other homes.
The shared use of kitchens, laundry and other services improves socialization and reduces our concept of home and private property, myths that are increasingly being dispelled in favor of alternatives such as cohousing. After all, the necessary private living space, the cocoon in which to recover energy, can be reduced very little. The more time we spend outside with the others, the better.
