Hampshire College Yurt Project Records

Collection

Identifier: HCA-13-002

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Documentation of the Hampshire College Yurt Project, with records dating from 1993 to 1998. The collection includes meeting minutes and notes of the preliminary project proposal; commmunity and administration correspondence; documentation of fundraising and budget analysis; and construction codes and subsequent architectural planning. The collection also contains student documentation consisting of reflections and self-evaluations of student independent study participation, as well as photographs of the construction of the Yurt. Note that this collection does not contain documentation of the Hampshire College Yurt Radio. This development of the space occured later, as a seperate project entirely.

Dates

Creation: 1993 - 1998

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single photocopies or scans may be made for research purposes. Permission to use or publish text or images from this collection must be obtained from the Hampshire College Archives and Collections and the copyright holder.

Biographical / Historical

The idea for the Hampshire College Yurt originated with a group of students in an Experimental Program in Education and Community (EPEC) course taught by instructor Karen Warren in 1993. They were looking to explore the influences of architectual space on alternative education and community development. Based on the Mongolian Yurt design, the structure was chosen because it “can’t be easily broken down into distinct or hierarchical sections.” A committee establishing the Hampshire College Yurt Project formed in the fall of 1993, with construction beginning in the fall of 1995. The grand opening of the building occurred in May of 1998.

A student-driven project, six students coalesced their involvement in the project with their formal studies at Hampshire College. This “core group” filed for independent study while working on the Yurt. Though the original intentions for the building were simply to have a communal space that "expands and enhances" the Hampshire College community, a campus-wide desire for a college radio station initiated a transformation shortly after the Yurt's construction. Now the base for Hampshire’s web-based radio station, with the first broadcast airing in 2001, the Yurt student group continues to advocate for the Yurt’s shared space ideology.

Extent

.42 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Documentation of the Hampshire College Yurt Project, with records dating from 1993 to 1998. The endeavors of a student-led group, the Hampshire College Yurt Project sought to explore methods of alternative education and community development. This collection contains documentation of the project, from the 1993 initial concepts to the groundbreaking and final construction of the building in 1998.