Semi Commercializing Hexayurt
So So
Hello all!
I’m Thomas Philip – an architect with a past life in quantity surveying – and I’m on a mission to give the Hexayurt a fresh coat of paint and a new name: IGLOO.
Why IGLOO? Because it’s a word that lights up the childlike parts of our imagination. It means warmth, escape, and independence. It’s the kind of word you can shout across cultures and still be understood – right up there with “coffee.” And most importantly, it captures what this project is all about: insulation, simplicity, delight.
We’re using modern, foam-based construction (polyiso core, XPS skin, fibreglass wraps – think wetroom-grade insulation meets sculpture studio) to create micro-buildings that fit into everyday life. The idea is to make insulated structures easy, joyful, and radically useful.
Let me introduce the family:
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PAPA IGLOO
For the remote-working dads out there. A foam-formed man cave / office hybrid – practical, private, and oddly therapeutic. -
BABA IGLOO
A reimagined Wendy House, sculptural and safe. With my background in hot-wire foam cutting (shout out to the 7D Frog Wire setup), we can make these into almost anything. For play, for learning, for magic. -
MAMA IGLOO
Our take on the ‘garden room’ – but one that gets the nod from the woman of the house. We’ve learned this the hard way: sheds are gendered. And that’s OK. These are IGLOOs she’ll actually want in her garden. -
BROTHER IGLOO
This one’s for the mission. Inspired by Vinay’s vision of Hexayurts for desert refugees – and influenced by iglou.world’s work with rough sleepers – we’re creating safe garden refuges. People can offer up space for someone to stay in, just for a night here and there. We’re also identifying abandoned land and lightly placing shelters there – always on solid legal footing, with the help of a solicitor friend.
The Business Plan (Formal Hat On)
The plan is to semi-commercialise Hexayurt under the IGLOO brand through a mixed-model pre rev pre order strategy: (think cybertruck)
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Donation-based preorders: Individuals can support the project and reserve units with early contributions.
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Revenue-backed financing: We’re in conversation with Big Issue Invest about a loan facility to scale. If that doesn’t work, I have fallback funding available via the sale of two rental properties – though obviously I’d prefer to keep my house and pension intact.
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Commercial-Charity Split:
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9 commercial designs (BABA, PAPA, MAMA) - people will get to vote on which designs they want us to work on; I started with about 50 designs and then dropping them for legal or planning reasons or for furniture reasons or wind resistance calculations; I think there is about 16 left; so 7 to vote out.
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3 charity designs (BROTHER, emergency pods, and a domestic-abuse-safe version)
These will be produced using existing techniques and a trained workforce, ready to begin on short notice.
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Materials & Construction:
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Polyiso foam sheets with foil intact (for fire safety and insulation)
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External XPS (waterproof and thermally stable)
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Fibreglass wraps, resin finish, or Kevlar depending on application
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Polyurethane glues (common in both insulation and wetroom work)
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Trademark & Precedent:
I’m requesting to trademark the specific IGLOO designs, including the isometric visuals shown in blueprints. I understand the precedent of Hexayurt and intend to position this as the semi-commercial side of that movement, with due respect and citation to Vinay Gupta’s original framework. -
Marketing Strategy:
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Direct mail campaigns to Yorkshire couples
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Guerrilla marketing for the social-impact side (targeting rough sleepers and domestic abuse survivors)
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AI-generated images indistinguishable from reality, used to emotionally and visually communicate the offer
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Governance & Community:
I’ve listed Vinay Gupta as a member/trustee for now, in recognition of the intellectual and moral origin of this project. Vinay – if you’d prefer not to be publicly associated, just say the word and I will amend this immediately. -
Call to Join:
I’m inviting advisors, supporters, collaborators, and future CIC members to join me. If you want to be listed on the website ahead of our Big Issue Invest application, now is the time.
In short: IGLOO is a new name for a very old idea – building warmth and dignity into simple structures. If you’ve read this far, thank you. And if you want in, even just to give advice or list your name, I would truly welcome it.
Visit igloofoamsheds.com
Or reach me directly if you want to be part of the early crew.
Let’s do this right. I firmly believe that Hexayurt + AI can solve the risk of homelessness - domestic violence and rough sleeping; but I think the issue is the same; Land; land is the issue; I first heard of Hexayurt in 2012 when I was 19. I was rough sleeping in Copenhagen following some family issues and the theft of my passport. I am probably one of the few people to have experience in both homelessness (or rough sleeping as we say in the UK if we are talking legally) and I have experience being a Landlord too; I even got myself beaten up by a tenants drug dealer boyfriend once.
I firmly believe the mission is not "build hexayurts" but "build them here in your garden" in the UK 81% of home-owners have garden and we have quite a high rate of property ownership too.
The new domain will be something like GardenIgloo.org
I have not decided on a name yet really only that "IGLOO" shall be the brand; and the brand has a dog "husky" a coat "Parka" - and a shape "Domes or near enough" and a colour "white".
I would like every bodies views and opinions ahead of printing flyers; and hiring students to go door to door asking for donations to the CIC (community interest company)
Thankyou.
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Thomas Philip
Architect & Founder
IGLOO Foam Sheds CIC