What is a Yurt?
Yurts and circular-tents like them have housed people in Central and East Asia for thousands of years.
The portability and easy assembly of their homes was, and continues to be, crucial for nomadic communities. This tradition in minimal footprint is indeed what give yurts their true beauty.
A yurt is, first and foremost, a tent. And nothing short of the quintessential structure that represents natural harmony and living lightly on the earth.
About 50 years ago North American yurts started to appear, and this venerable tradition was jammed into the mass production of fabric yurts with the cheapest available materials and construction. These "McYurts" were a Frankenstein of Mongolian tradition and modern North American building ethics, featuring PVC, glass windows, steel doors and even air conditioning. These designs continue to exist and populate the continent.
YURTA is different.
Composition of Our Yurts
A yurt’s anatomy typically includes the following components.
Each element shown may not be required depending on the particular shelter, the site and the needs of users.
About Us
Yurta is our own completely unique, contemporary interpretation of a traditional Mongolian yurt.
In 2004, we designed and built our very first Yurta at our rural studio in Lanark Highlands, Ontario on the picturesque outskirts of Ottawa. After 10 years manufacturing in the charming hamlet of Greenwood Ontario, we moved near the hamlet of Columbus Ontario, north of Oshawa Ontario.
We are committed to conscientious production with respect to our clients, our community and environment.
We continue to design, develop, test, manufacture and improve Yurta from our rural studio. Every part of a Yurta is a local job, with minimal transportation of goods.
Each Yurta is handcrafted from natural and non-toxic materials from scratch in our shop.
Certain components, such as our doors and custom hardware are made according to our specifications by local master carpenters and metalsmiths. We support independent local shops and rely on their workmanship to meet the tight tolerances our product demands.
This high-touch ensures the very best quality of materials and finish. It also means that we can only produce a limited number of yurts and why we sell out of Yurta every year.
We love what we do, and the care in our production will be evident in your Yurta.
As architects, makers, artists, poets and dreamers, these little shelters continue to be a source of inspiration to us.
What Makes us Different
Remaining fundamentally faithful to Mongolian yurt traditions, Yurta's contemporary functionality and fine finish is designed for Canadians.
Faithful adaptation, reimagined for all of Canada's seasons. Breathable. Bright. Warm. Sustainable.
Efficient installation deploys with one cable and two pins, all without turning a screw or hammering a nail. You can’t argue that it isn’t a tent.
Our entire enterprise is an environmental initiative. We make a minimal product, with light footprints. We produce one garbage bag a week.
We are uncompromising on quality, design, and ethos.
Our yurts have to have it all.