Our Story

As a planner and developer focused on land preservation this project was driven by the need for a durable, transportable habitat in the remote and harsh climate areas of the Rocky Mountain region. It wasn’t defined as glamping but as enhancing the experience of the magnificent and awe inspiring places which have given my life the need for “what’s next”!

But then the meaning of the project changed. On January 19, 2006, The News Hour on PBS ran an extended report on a remote village in Pakistan which was destroyed by an earthquake and which killed 25% of the villagers. The reporter hiked for four days through rugged mountains and vicious weather to get there and spent a week chronicling the devastation and the human misery. He focused on one extended family which at nightfall huddled in a flimsy cotton tent and covered themselves with tattered blankets. The temperatures often fell below zero and the tent was barely able to withstand the weight of snow and ice. At first light the patriarch would go around the tent and shake his family, from the little infants to the oldest grandparents.

He did not shake them to wake them up. He shook them to see which of his family had frozen to death during the cold and bitter night.

I walked out onto my deck on that January night in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and I thought long and hard about what I had just seen. I could walk just steps into my warm and safe home and they could only hope that their tent would survive the night and that they might live another day.

I realized then that the basic circHouse shelter could save lives.

The structure had to be strong and durable and able to handle the worst conditions.

It had to be compactly stored, fit on the back of a small truck and easily transported.

It had to be simple to put up on rough ground with few if any tools.

It had to provide shelter able to keep families warm and dry in any climate.

It had to be large enough to provide separate areas for cultural and hygienic privacy.

It had to protect against insects, vermin and even small arms fire.

It had to be appropriate housing for cultures all around the world.

The circHouse primary function is to keep the family unit together and women and children safe. If successful in this, people can live with dignity. And with dignity there can be hope.

After 14 years or development I owe a great deal of thanks to many people, from architects, structural engineers, CAD designers, plastics fabricators, sales representatives, welders, warehouse workers and the anonymous, curious people behind the counters. The circHouse is a work in progress, driven by passion and commitment.