The Gengras Center - Greater Hartford Jaycees Yurt
The Gengras Center recieved a $55,286.00 grant from the Greater Hartford Jaycees to build a yurt which is a multi-faceted dedicated educational space that would support a variety of programming needs on a year round basis.
The two main needs that are being fulfilled are; to provide learning spaces for programming in Physical Education and Adventure Education classes.
The open floor plan in a yurt of 30 feet in diameter and thirteen feet high in the center provides an open space that can accommodate many physical education activities that might normally be accomplished in the classroom, but are impeded and really unsafe because of classroom furniture and other obstacles. These include small circle games, balloon activities, rhythmic games, yoga and stretching. It could also be a space for table top games that interest older students.
Additionally the yurt is a more permanent indoor space for Adventure Education classes to be held. The yurt will contain some type of white board that is often necessary when reflecting or teaching concepts that would be helpful to write down. It also is a space that could better house many experiential activities when the gym is unavailable.
Why a Yurt? What the heck is a Yurt anyway?!?!
Yurts are special because they are round and therefore make better use of space, are more efficient to heat, and provide less wind resistance. The roof structure, with its compression ring and tension band, is an amazing architectural design requiring no internal support system, thereby leaving the yurt open and spacious inside.
There is a specialness to yurts that is intangible and experiential, like the feeling that happens when stepping inside a yurt for the first time, or the magical moment in yurt building when the roof ring is set and the building shudders into place. There are probably reasons for this "magic" of yurts in the very physics of the shapes (of circle and triangle, cylinder and cone), but this remains to be explored. Finally, yurts seem especially suited to certain pursuits. Yurts are often used in retreat centers and for the healing arts, meditation, spiritual practices, dancing and community gatherings. People say they sleep better in yurts, and often dream more. The healing, creative, communal and spiritual nature of yurts is broadly recognized but, again, the reason for it ultimately remains a mystery.
Click here to view our Virtual Yurt Construction video!
For more information about yurts, check out these websites:
Wikipedia's Yurt Page - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yurt
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