A yurt is a mobile, circular dwelling made of ribs of flexible wood and covered in felt. They are a stiff, reliable type of tent. Yurts have been the primary type of housing in Central Asia, particularly Mongolia, for thousands of years, in virtually the same form as they exist today. Large cities, like the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbataar and Darkhan have "ger districts". Ulaanbataar Ger district has about 40% of the city population. Yurts or other dwellings in Ger district are rarely connected to the city's water supplies, so water, and bathhouses are shared by the community. The traditional yurts are sustainable structures very well adapted for a nomadic society but, when they are located in high-density, unplanned, informal settlements they create many issues as air pollution. This research presents one review of Yurt housing in Mongolia and presents some of the findings related to housing conditions in Ger districts of Ulaanbaatar, in the period 2013-2015. It concludes research how yurt housing can be developed according to sustainable parameters, and how to preserve nature and cultural values such as the vernacular architecture. This research also investigates new possibilities and functions of Yurt housing. Since the refugee crisis has finally captured the world's attention, Mongolian Yurt should be seen also as a potential refuge shelter solution and one option to create larger refugee housing units.
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