It is a resilient mobile structure with untapped potential to inform semi-permanent architecture around the world, especially in the age of climate change induced extreme weather and migration patterns.
When Mongolian student Bujikham Batmunkh entered Guy Keulemans’ Foundation Studio class, for the Master of Design at the University of South Australia, she was already familiar with yurts. Her parents lived nomadically as children, and much of her extended family still use them.
Batmunkh grew up assisting the disassembly and re-assembly of her family’s yurts, up to four times a year at the change of seasons. Due to the yurt’s clever design this is not difficult and takes just a few hours; moving the many horses and livestock central to nomadic life is much harder work.
Yurts have maintained their popularity for Mongolians even in times of rapid modernisation, and in cities like Ulaanbaatar you can see yurts constructed in backyards adjacent to permanent houses (Fig. 1). This is a consequence of cultural affinity, but also practicality – they are easy to construct and deconstruct as needed for families like Batmunkh’s that have a mix of members living nomadically and in urban areas.
Keulemans’ class encourages students to explore regenerative, sustainable practices in design across interiors, product and communication, from a multidisciplinary perspective, for a mixed national and international student cohort. Exploring traditional practices from one’s own culture, including indigenous practices, is encouraged to activate discussions on the value of diverse approaches for achieving sustainability in design.
With this mindset, Batmunkh began a project investigating the technical design of yurts with an intent of discovering how they might be innovated for new applications, both back in Mongolia and in the drier but less extreme environments around her new home town of Adelaide. Batmunkh progressed from analytical and conceptual studies to handcrafted models (Fig. 2-4). Later in her program she developed her design into a 3D printed model (Fig. 6) and architectural and interiors plans (Fig. 6-9) with guidance from UniSA lecturers Peter Walker and Jack Tooley, and with technical assistance from her partner Enkhbold Myagmardorj.
The longevity and cultural durability of the yurt design is evident from its material construction: the primary wooden wall and roof supports are modular, interlocking, long lasting, yet light for transport on horseback. The coverings are made from felt, which is fabricated from wool, felted across the ground with the aid of horses, without the bulk of looms or other special equipment. It’s insulating in cold weather, and can be rolled up in summer to aerate interiors in hot weather (Fig. 9).
Batmunkh’s proposal involves a system to join multiple yurts together. In Mongolia’s extreme conditions, the round plan design of a single yurt is efficient for retaining heat. In less extreme climates, or for less nomadically located yurts in cities connected to power networks, adding yurt sections together expands living possibilities. While yurts have been ‘podded’ together before, Batmunkh’s unique solution is to exploit the convex design of the curved yurt wall, flipping it over to make a concave wall to seamlessly connect individual yurts (Fig. 3 and 5).
The radial structure of the roof is parametrically designed to dynamically adjust to wall sections for pods of different diameters, creating spatial flexibility and producing visually interesting roof beams that radiate in different lengths. While the addition of bathrooms and kitchens require permanent installation of foundations and plumbing infrastructure, the design is still partially nomadic, largely retaining its capacity for disassembly and reassembly. More practically, it offers easy expansion with additional yurt sections to accommodate new family members or new functions (Fig. 6).
Intending to continue this project after her graduation from the Master of Design and working towards construction of a full scale prototype back in Mongolia, Batmunkh has designed a western-influenced interior appealing to young Mongolians (Fig. 8 & 9). While reflecting contemporary tastes in Mongolian society, it is also the case that western furniture predominates within the online model libraries used for interior visualisation, while Mongolian furniture is practically absent. This raises an interesting question about the dominance of western design culture, and whether taste may change again in the future as urban Mongolians become nostalgic for the design culture of their parents and grandparents (Fig. 10). An alternative visualisation using Mongolian furniture would require virtual models to be created; this may be an opportunity for updating classic Mongolian styles that explore new forms of cultural hybridity in furniture.
Perhaps the most intriguing potential for Batmunkh’s yurt redesign is in its capacity to adapt to diverse environments and climates around the world. In the event of advancing anthropogenic climate change induced catastrophes, escalating migration from flood plain zones and other environmental contingencies, local communities might be served by a hybrid architectural typology that leverages the proven resilience and practicality of yurt design with innovation in expansion possibilities, including the capacity to connect and disconnect from existing infrastructure.
Bujlkham Batmunkh is a Mongolian student in Adelaide and a recent Master of Design (Interior Architecture) graduate from the University of South Australia. Born in the city due to urbanization, she remains deeply connected to her nomadic roots. While her parents settled for better opportunities, her extended family still follows seasonal migration. This duality – between urban life and nature – shapes her work. She is passionate about integrating sustainability and cultural heritage into modern design, ensuring that nomadic traditions, especially mobility, are preserved and adapted for future generations.
Guy Keulemans is a designer, artist and curator researching repair, reuse and materials for environmental sustainability. An Enterprise Fellow at the University of South Australia, he is the Team Leader of Craft & Design at the Creative People, Products and Places Research Centre (CP3). Represented by Gallery Sally Dan Cuthbert in Sydney, he exhibits internationally and has works in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of South Australia.
Main image: Figure 1. Yurt on grassy plain. Source: TheTimes Mongolia Guide, When to go, what to do, and why you’ll love it, TheTimes, viewed April 21, <https://www.thetimes.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/mongolia/>