0:00:00.008,0:00:00.985 Engineers Without Borders Sheffield 0:00:00.985,0:00:02.154 Plywood Hexayurt How-to Video 0:00:02.154,0:00:11.997 Having 6 sides it's hard to get a sense of how big the hexayurt is. 0:00:11.997,0:00:22.782 Our eyes are used to 4-sided buildings. 0:00:22.782,0:00:41.736 Could I ask you a favour? Could you walk around the hexayurt? ... Thank you! 0:00:41.736,0:00:51.715 We have some camping mats inside to give a sense of scale. 0:00:51.715,0:00:56.783 How is that with 5 occupants? Very big! 0:00:56.783,0:01:05.102 Very big for camping, not for living. 0:01:05.102,0:01:12.970 With possessions. 0:01:12.970,0:01:21.639 Fairly standard for 4 1/2 persons. One person for each wall. 0:01:21.639,0:01:34.708 Central shared space. For cooking. 0:01:34.708,0:01:46.623 Stove in the center with the smoke going up. 0:01:46.623,0:01:59.305 In cold climates you'd put a layer of insulation on the inside. Stapled, probably. 0:01:59.305,0:01:59.882 Parts List 0:01:59.897,0:02:00.655 All you'll need for $100 USD 0:02:00.655,0:02:01.878 12 sheets of OSB or Plywood 0:02:01.878,0:02:03.170 6 for the walls, 6 for the roof 0:02:03.202,0:02:19.330 Check that the boards are 1.2 by 2.4, because sometimes they are 1.2 by 2.5. 0:02:19.330,0:02:38.730 Mark the diagonal. 0:02:38.764,0:02:39.679 (5) pieces of 2x4 8' lumber 0:02:39.679,0:02:40.802 for (24) 120º and (12) 120º blocks 0:02:40.808,0:03:13.885 Template for the 150º block, using a pair of cutters as a compass. 0:03:13.885,0:03:54.504 150º = 60º + 60º + half of 60º. 0:03:54.504,0:04:04.643 Accurate enough. If there's some error it will be smaller than the error when using the saw. 0:04:04.647,0:04:05.547 (200) 2" deck screws 0:04:05.547,0:04:06.562 self-taping if possible 0:04:06.574,0:04:24.641 Walls first. I'm liking your door, looks like two eyes and a nose. 0:04:24.641,0:04:27.473 That was not the plan; port-holes was the idea. 0:04:27.473,0:04:39.280 We love the arch. No meassuring, just using a piece of string and a pen. 0:04:39.280,0:04:49.061 This is the profile of a block. Takes more cutting but uses less wood. 0:04:49.061,0:04:59.450 This is the sholanken corner I mentioned before. 6" by 6" and cut the triangle off. 0:04:59.450,0:05:02.111 So that the wall radius comes inside of the roof radius. 0:05:02.111,0:05:06.800 One block at the top and one block at the bottom. 0:05:06.800,0:05:09.958 A pile of spare blocks to hold the roof on. 0:05:09.958,0:05:13.124 These are the roof triangles. 0:05:13.124,0:05:17.149 You screw one block on the inside of each one. 0:05:17.149,0:05:25.066 They overlap by the thickness of one block. If the block is 2" by 4", it's 1.75 inches [?]. 0:05:25.066,0:05:44.700 They all have to be oriented in the same way in terms of left over right or right over left. 0:05:44.700,0:05:50.807 Once you have the roofs done we're going to do an awkward bit of cutting. 0:05:50.807,0:05:51.732 Trimming fo the roof triangles 0:05:51.732,0:05:52.875 (an awkward little detail) 0:05:52.891,0:06:04.304 We need the boards to overlap on each other at the very top of the hexayurt. 0:06:04.304,0:06:11.272 So the narrowest angle of each half-panel piece has to be cut twice: 0:06:11.272,0:06:25.910 - First at the very end, to make it shorter. 0:06:25.910,0:06:40.901 - Then parallel to the edge of the other board, to make it narrower. 0:06:40.901,0:06:45.385 How the roof works (and the awkward detail explained) 0:06:45.385,0:07:39.964 This is how the roof pieces will go. 0:07:39.964,0:07:44.702 Actually this is over like that. See how they catch? 0:07:44.702,0:07:48.036 You tack those corners in. 0:07:48.036,0:07:58.748 Screw the wooden blocks on the inside. 0:08:19.025,0:08:24.386 That's the overlap of the pieces, where each roof piece rests in the one besides it. 0:08:24.386,0:08:43.225 That's what forms your roof strength. Each on over the one before. 0:08:43.225,0:08:45.802 Placing the 150º roof blocks 0:08:45.802,0:09:05.390 Roughly at half height, you measure the thickness of the block, 0:09:05.390,0:09:10.034 and then you can screw it in a position like this. 0:09:10.034,0:09:18.742 So the other piece of the roof wedges right into that corner. 0:09:18.742,0:09:45.694 Screw from the outside, this edge parallel to that edge. 0:09:45.694,0:09:50.832 And then the other board will slide up against that and into place. 0:09:50.832,0:09:52.713 About to finish the roof 0:09:52.713,0:10:02.070 It's clearly not quite a house, but it's definitly better than a tent. 0:10:02.070,0:10:06.180 If it was four times the price of a tent it really wouldn't be worth doing it. 0:10:06.180,0:10:16.188 But at a quarter of the price of a tent it's actually quite a technology. 0:10:16.188,0:10:19.903 Did I hear somebody just discovered the problem of the end? 0:10:19.903,0:10:23.688 Someone's got to go inside, that is correct. 0:10:23.688,0:10:27.473 Actually for safety reasons it's best for about 4 or 5 people inside 0:10:27.473,0:10:33.231 so the roof can not fall on them. 0:10:33.231,0:10:35.066 Placing the last two roof blocks 0:10:35.066,0:10:50.809 The surface of the block aligns up smoothly with the roof. 0:10:50.809,0:10:54.269 On one side you inset on the other side you outset. 0:10:54.269,0:11:02.117 The surface of the block is aligned with this surface smoothly 0:11:02.117,0:11:08.561 so the roof pieces fit right over them and you can screw from the outside. 0:11:08.561,0:11:09.524 The tricky last roof triangle 0:11:09.526,0:11:10.580 and lifting the roof on to the walls! 0:11:10.580,0:11:13.425 Let's drop this solar light in here. 0:11:13.425,0:11:18.975 Solar panels on the back, light on the front. 0:11:18.975,0:11:23.874 Now you can see what you're doing. 0:11:23.874,0:11:31.839 Does it have a disco mode? 0:11:31.839,0:11:49.880 So we want to slide it on those blocks that come right under the other side. 0:11:49.880,0:12:09.176 Final piece: you have to slide it in on one side, gently. 0:12:09.176,0:12:28.681 It's a job for hand power, not for leg power. A precision operation. 0:12:28.681,0:12:41.591 Slide it in! There you go, easy. 0:12:41.591,0:12:56.255 Now you need to move it up, push it up some. 0:12:56.255,0:13:07.087 (That side will go over rather than under, but don't worry about that side yet.) 0:13:07.087,0:13:09.734 Close enough! 0:13:09.734,0:13:36.793 Who's going to do the screws? 0:13:36.793,0:13:54.966 There's someone pressing on the other side? 0:13:54.966,0:13:57.428 Solid, nicely done! 0:13:57.428,0:14:00.957 Who's going to take a shot at the one up here? 0:14:00.957,0:14:03.395 You're pretty light. 0:14:03.395,0:15:09.154 More people, more people! 0:15:09.154,0:15:46.074 Can you guys inside lift the roof up a tiny bit, a few inches? Right! 0:15:46.074,0:16:01.771 Now we do the same thing again. 0:16:01.771,0:16:12.080 (holding the person who is tightning the screw by the waist 0:16:12.080,0:16:28.891 so he can work without leaning on the roof) 0:16:28.891,0:16:34.069 Beautiful! 0:16:34.069,0:16:36.554 Now the magic: 0:16:36.554,0:16:56.175 3 people on every wall. 0:16:56.175,0:17:05.022 Each lifting 10-15 pounds of weight because there are so many. Very gentle lift. 0:17:05.022,0:17:09.317 Everybody inside gets ready too. 0:17:09.317,0:17:13.892 We're going to lift it up and then we are going to hold it right where we are. 0:17:13.892,0:17:17.955 Lift it to full height but we're not going to move around any. 0:17:17.955,0:17:30.100 Ready? Lift slowly and gently. 0:17:30.100,0:17:35.951 Lift further so it's easier. Once you're at shoulder height it weighs less. 0:17:35.951,0:17:41.616 Everybody who is free go inside. 0:17:41.616,0:17:51.554 Very slowly begin to walk towards the hexayurt. 0:17:51.554,0:17:55.827 Pass the weight to the people inside. 0:17:55.827,0:18:09.898 Run to the other side of the building to take it when it comes at the back. 0:18:09.898,0:18:23.807 Now we need more people on the outside. 0:18:23.807,0:18:26.965 Lower very gently. 0:18:26.965,0:18:42.987 Keep it aligned with the corners, mind your fingers. 0:18:42.987,0:18:51.996 Add more screws to hold down the roof properly. 0:18:51.996,0:18:59.125 Placing the mid-wall roof-blocks 0:18:59.125,0:19:03.072 This is a 120º block and it goes right under the section -- 0:19:03.072,0:19:18.351 where the two pieces of the roof cross. 0:19:18.351,0:19:55.503 Hold the block from below so that it's screwed tight. 0:19:55.503,0:19:58.359 Then from the inside you put in another screw -- 0:19:58.359,0:20:07.600 and that locks it onto the roof. 0:20:07.600,0:20:08.462 First footing! 0:20:08.462,0:20:09.887 (it's a Scottish thing) 0:20:10.895,0:20:33.734 I can even put my hands up! Quite spacious. Thanks very much! 0:20:33.734,0:20:35.345 20 people inside and 0:20:35.345,0:20:36.712 some additional notes 0:20:36.712,0:20:40.767 For Burning Man people typically have so much equipment with them -- 0:20:40.781,0:20:46.035 that they have to gang-carry stuff on a truck. 0:20:46.035,0:20:50.859 How many people do we have in here now? 0:20:50.859,0:21:04.652 17 and we have some space in the middle ... 19. 0:21:04.652,0:21:14.845 Come on in, it's a hexayurt, not a clown-car. 0:21:14.845,0:21:46.169 A tonne of shelter for not much money. 0:21:46.169,0:21:47.818 You don't have to build them out of wood. 0:21:47.818,0:21:55.341 You can use corrugated plastic and tape and then it can be folding. 0:21:55.341,0:22:03.932 Hexayurt experience. 0:22:03.932,0:22:09.319 Half the price of a relief tent, lasts 3 times as long, about the same size. 0:22:09.319,0:22:16.099 5 years, maybe 10? 0:22:16.099,0:22:20.929 It's on every continent, now -- test units only, though. 0:22:20.929,0:22:31.796 Antartica? If you use a nice thick structural insulated panel, why not? 0:22:31.796,0:22:42.361 Mongolian yurts. Every culture has a shack or a hut which is about this size. 0:22:42.361,0:22:57.593 The English had benders. 0:22:57.593,0:22:58.917 Gang carrying the finished hexayurt 0:22:58.917,0:23:01.285 and the relocatable building idea 0:23:01.285,0:23:11.340 We need 18 folks all the way around. 0:23:11.340,0:23:18.445 Don't lift before we have 3 on each side. 0:23:18.445,0:23:24.459 Focus your lift right at the corners where the hexayurt is screwed down to the wall. 0:23:24.459,0:23:30.380 Put your hand close to the corners. 0:23:30.380,0:23:32.609 For the people who are at the corners, hold by the corners -- 0:23:32.609,0:23:36.905 everybody else hold by the middle. 0:23:36.905,0:23:44.080 We're going to go to that no-fire sign, see it? That's 5 feet. 0:23:44.080,0:23:54.738 So at the count of 3, lift very slowly - 1, 2, 3 - and walk. 0:23:54.738,0:23:59.451 So this is the relocatable building thing. 0:23:59.451,0:24:11.061 And stop, and down. Clap! Good! 0:24:11.061,0:24:13.894 What you do is you screw some aditional bits of wood to it -- 0:24:13.894,0:24:15.891 to make it a frame to carry it by. 0:24:15.891,0:24:18.863 Then you get 20 people to carry it on their shoulders -- 0:24:18.863,0:24:21.580 and you just walk somebody's house to where they are going to live in next. 0:24:21.580,0:24:23.670 That means you can build semipermanent structures -- 0:24:23.670,0:24:26.526 that you can still relocate if you've got to move your camps. 0:24:26.526,0:24:28.987 For example in Haiti you could build hexayurts -- 0:24:28.987,0:24:33.004 and if you have to relocate 5 miles to a new centre, you can do it. 0:24:33.004,0:24:40.179 It's a slow process but you have time and lots of manual labour on hand. 0:24:40.179,0:24:43.360 Thank you! 0:24:43.360,0:24:46.333 Back to parts 0:24:46.333,0:25:14.296 This is just running it backwards. Nice work folks. Nice!