An Invitation To Study the Architecture of the Future

A look at history

Everyone, but especially architects and engineers, needs to think about the monumental changes we experienced in structural design in the 20th Century. In 1900 we had no air conditioning, little if any electrical systems, horrible sewage systems, vastly changing construction procedures and little use of Portland cement.

Changes – hopefully for the better – are a significant part of any century’s evolution. Given 50 years or so, what might appear as a science fiction device could very well become a reality. Remember Star Trek’s communicators? An outlandish, unbelievable gadget, but now we have cell phones! And consider computers: they went from freaky idea to our Internet in less than 100 years.

When you went to college, you never learned much about thin shell technology. It was covered as part of the past centuries’ buildings, built by a few die-hards, generally in far off countries. Most of the domes were created by using carefully stacked rocks or brick. You probably spent a couple of minutes learning about Rome’s Pantheon (built in 126 a.d.). The fact that it was built of concrete was glossed-over as the concrete was that old stuff made from volcanic ash and lime. Most of you never knew it was reinforced with ropes made of fired china (as in dinnerware, pottery). They had no iron for rebar at that time.

The technology was ancient and not very practical when you went to school. A few modern thin shells were built during the late 19th Century and in the 20th, but they were expensive to form and only a few people ventured to build them. Forming round buildings with square lumber has always been a problem. A few thin shells were built by pilling up huge mounds of earth, carefully sculpting the pile and then pouring reinforced concrete over it. Not many contractors knew how, and most designers would not take the risk of constructing these buildings. See The History of Thin Shells and Monolithic Domes

21st Century buildings

Will the building of the future be a dome? Will domes – a popular architectural choice in antiquity and for capital buildings and churches – make a comeback? Those old domes were (and many still are) ornate and beautiful but very expensive. That, however, does not negate their value. The dome concept was simply ahead of itself; it lacked the right construction technology.

We now have the technology!

It’s here. We have it! We now know how to construct domes affordably. Monolithic suggests that architects, engineers and anyone else involved in structural design or construction learn the advantages of modern domes, and study the technology it takes to build them.

Embrace today’s advances and look forward to more. I believe that in ninety years our current buildings will be as relevant to 2101’s society as the buggy whip is to us.

Green buildings for the 21st Century

Today, the Monolithic Dome is the greenest building that can be built at a reasonable price. It reduces energy needs by up to 75% without spending extra money. With a 75% reduced energy need, we have a much better chance to furnish the remaining 25% with alternative energy production technologies.

Let us teach you; We have several ways:

Visit our website: We invite you to study our website www.Monolithic.com. It is encyclopedic in size and information. If printed, that information would create a pile of paper 30 inches tall. Don’t print it. Do study it. We have tried our best to make it easy to navigate. Use the topics as shown and use the Search Bar. Simply type in a topic and let the website find it for you.

Our Workshops: Each year, we conduct 4 to 6, week-long Workshops that combine classroom sessions with hands-on training. They provide in-depth coverage of theories, reasons and details of using this 21st Century technology, including Basalt (lava rock) rebar, urethane foam, concrete, as well as design and structures. The Workshops are an excellent overall introduction to dome technology.

Group Teaching: We accept invitations to teach to groups, and we use modern technology to do it. We do some onsite teaching, but we also often conduct Internet conferencing sessions. It’s relatively easy to set up a skype conference with members of a firm. This saves both us and them time and travel expense. We can also do conference calls and use the Web at the same time.

Assist you on your project: We are willing to work together with you on your project. Then on the next project we simply become advisors.

Please remember:

Our 21st Century will see at least as many changes and advances as did the 20th Century. In fact the expansion of knowledge and technology is expanding exponentially.

Please let us help you learn the now-available, 21st Century technology for super green buildings.