“It’s a great day to be a Spencer Rocket,” said district administrator Mike Endreas at the Spencer Public Schools gymnasium dome inflation. District officials turned on the fans to inflate the 107-foot diameter dome on Saturday, January 2. WSAW-TV was on hand to capture the event.
Ohio is probably not the first State people think of when discussing tornadoes. Oklahoma or Kansas are more likely to provoke visions of violent skies and Dorothy running for the storm cellar. Yet, 36 tornadoes already struck Ohio this year — double the total tornadoes in 2018. “We are not dealing with a theoretical hazard,” said Sean Miller at the open house of the new Delaware State Park Tornado Shelter. “This is a very realistic hazard … and campers are vulnerable.”
A building must do more than stand during a disaster. It must be useful afterward. Water infiltration and other issues can render a still-standing structure useless. Emily Pollock digs into this issue in her Engineering.com article, Outside In: Designing Building Envelopes to Withstand Climate Change.
Earlier this summer, Hartshorne Public Schools opened its new Monolithic Dome gymnasium. Adrian O’Hanlon III of the McAlester News-Capital reports that the 150-foot diameter dome will seat over 1,100 people for sporting events. Moreover, the dome doubles as a FEMA rated safe room that can hold around 3,000 people during a tornado emergency.
As part of its ‘Saving our World’ series, Business Insider has featured Monolithic Domes as live-saving structures.
A new trade magazine has featured Monolithic Domes and their storage properties in its April issue.
Monolithic Dome bed and breakfast Thyme For Bed has been chosen as part of a list by the website Booking.com of places to book in the U.S.
Youtuber and RV traveler Pippi Peterson recently visited Monolithic Headquarters in Italy, Texas and filmed her tour.
Storing fertilizer has long given the dry bulk storage industry headaches. Among its problems is corrosion, ruining equipment and costing money. The Monolithic Dome is a structure solving this problem for the industry.
Have you ever thought about where you would film a sci-fi movie? Plenty of us have done it. The folks over at AL.com did and came up with a list of places in Alabama that looked like something from a sci-fi movie. As part of the list, two Monolithic Dome locations were chosen.
North Ward Elementary School in Hartshorne, Oklahoma recently celebrated the opening a Monolithic Dome on its campus. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Tuesday, September 26, 2017.
Monolithic Dome homes were featured in a recent issue of Popular Science magazine.
In a new feature story in the Daily Mail, four dome homeowners from across the United States share their story about how they came to live in a Monolithic Dome.
In the tornado-prone area of Tornado Alley, school districts and officials are building more and more Monolithic Dome storm shelters.
For the second time in four months, storage domes are featured in an industry publication.
Dry Cargo International, a dry cargo and storage industry publication, featured Monolithic Domes in its November 2016 issue. The article featured Monolithic Dome cement storage and touted their efficient storage capabilities.
AIA Dallas featured the Monolithic Dome Institute in the latest issue of Columns magazine. This one page highlight focused on Bruco the caterpillar, Monolithic’s history, and the resilience of domes.
The Jefferson County Daily Union recently published an article detailing the opening of a new dome school in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin. This school is unique because it features 5 connected domes, each for a different purpose. It is the first school in the state of Wisconsin to use the dome design.
Using fabric to form concrete through tension or air-inflated structures is the subject of Robert P. Schmitz’s article in Concrete Contractor magazine. In An Introduction to Fabric-Formed Concrete for Architectural Structures – Part 1 Schmitz discusses how fabrics are used for wall systems, foundations, and — of course — the Monolithic Dome.
Lubbock, Texas area residents set to vote this Saturday on a variety of school bonds. One is for Crosbyton, Texas where a proposed Monolithic Dome for an early elementary school and community safe room is planned. UPDATE: The bond passed.
The All Nations Church of Sudbury, Canada is the first of it’s kind in the area. The Monolithic Dome church is the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice by members of the congregation as the Sudbury Star reported in February.
In an interview with the Post-Bulletin, Art Tiff — Kasson Public Library Director — discussed his feelings about the new Monolithic Dome library. “I’m elated,” the Kasson Public Library director said with a smile. “It has a great feeling of accomplishment. To finally see this day to come forward in front of us is tremendous.”
The Monolithic Dome high school in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin is also becoming a sort of tourist attraction. In a Wisconsin State Journal article, Superintendent Michael Garvey reports adding tour guide to his job. “Garvey frequently hands out hard hats and makes the rounds with taxpayers, area superintendents, construction design professionals and anyone else with a curiosity about the facility scheduled to open for the start of the 2016-17 school year.”
The 550-seat seat Monolithic Dome auditorium is nearly complete for the All Nations Church in Sudbury, Ontario. It’s been a long road. The dome and related buildings began construction in 2011. The congregation is paying for everything as they go. So far they raised $4.5 millon for the project.
Grainews recently profiled Andy and Christina Stender’s family agricultural business. Crowfoot Ag Solutions in Strathmore, Alberta serves over 100 farmers and now includes a Monolithic Dome fertilizer blend plant built in 2014.
The “Disappearing Dome” is for sale. The beautiful dome house on the shore of Lake Michigan is currently used as a vacation home, but the owners would like to sell it. WBAY ran a nice story about the home.
Five Monolithic Domes under construction in Wisconsin will become the first Monolithic Dome school in the state. The Johnson Creek Middle School / High School will include classrooms, gymnasium, cafetorium (cafeteria and small auditorium), administration offices, and more. Good weather and hard work mean that construction is slightly ahead of schedule. Everyone is optimistic it will all be ready for the 2016-17 school year.
NewsOn6.com has a great story about the a Monolithic Dome inflation in Catoosa, Oklahoma earlier this month. The 136-foot diameter facility will be a cafeteria for the school and a safe shelter during tornadoes for the students and community. There’s an excellent time-lapse of the inflation in the story.
The Spring Valley Tribune recently ran a story about Jerry Cleveland and his advocacy of the Monolithic Dome. Cleveland was instrumental in the construction of a K-12 school in Grand Meadow, Minnesota in 1998.
For many, the mass evacuation for hurricane Rita was a bigger disaster than the storm. Millions left their homes and inched their way north in a Texas sized traffic jam. Many ran out of fuel while parked on the freeway. Others stayed behind only to face the peril of the storm itself. As Eric Besson of the Beaumont Enterprise reports, “Rita showed that, in the worst cases, no matter the decision, few avoid suffering.”
The architect addressed an audience of school administrators. He proclaimed that no one can affordably build large safe rooms. The best a school could do are small rooms for refuge in an emergency. He was followed by David South who said, yes, you can build a large safe room — disguised as a gym.
Children read new books under a large, friendly mural painted on the domed ceiling. It says, “Read More, Know More, Achieve More”. It’s a motto for the library and a goal for several charities, working together, to build ten Monolithic Dome libraries in the Philippines.
The Santa Fe Trail High School in Carbondale, Kansas opens their new Monolithic Dome fine arts center in a week. The facility houses a 500 seat theater, band room and choir room. The Osage County Herald-Chronicle reports that the second dome, a gymnasium, is expected to open September 21.
If you missed our Facebook post or the news reports, a Monolithic Dome protected a man during a wildfire in Washington. John Belles rode out the fire inside his Monolithic Dome home that he built in 1999. The news report has spread worldwide.
Time lapse construction video of a Monolithic Dome. Susane Havelka is a PhD candidate at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. They hope to demonstrate the advantages of the Monolithic Dome for people living in the arctic. They call their project the Protosphere.
The Monolithic Dome made it affordable for Wasuma Elementary to build a gymnasium and do so with style. Superintendent Glenn Reid told Mackenzie Mays with the Fresno Bee that he didn’t want people thinking they stepped into a Save Mart Center. Instead, they built a Monolithic Dome and “it does look pretty cool when you step inside.”
New Monolithic Dome safe room in Pawnee, Oklahoma is large enough for the whole town. Local TV station, KFOR, profiled the dome during a school tornado drill. As the students quietly walk to the dome, Superintendent Ned Williams explains the advantages and why they built the safe dome.
AL.com recently posted a beautiful gallery and profile on one of the early Monolithic Dome homes and it’s owner, Chuck Peters. There are 33 beautiful shots of the house, but remember to click “Fullscreen” button below the picture.
To construct a conventional building strong enough to withstand mother nature you normally build it like a bunker. It serves only one function and remains empty most of the time. With the new community center in Mercedes, Texas, they get twice the building for the price. Most of the year it’s a gym, learning center, and meeting space. During a Texas-sized storm, it’s a place of refuge for the town.
Twenty minutes and a new dome takes shape. This time it’s a gymnasium for Wasuma Elementary School in Ahwahnee, California. There are other Monolithic Dome structures in California, but this is the first built for a school in the state.
If you’re looking for a modern, sophisticated house design, All Over Albany spotlights a beautiful shell house, built using Monolithic’s unique construction method.
Theresa and Richard Wisner shared their experiences with Oregon Coast Today about constructing a dome home. Tori Tobias interviews the Wisners and follows their ups and downs from “What have we done?” to “Walking into that house more than any other house I’ve ever lived in is comforting.”
Bear markets are changing housing from McMansions to “disaster chic” according to Alan Hall. In his article for Elliottwave International, Hall writes that the bear markets of the last eight years have affected housing design. “In other words, eight years ago, as social mood was rolling over to the downside, McMansions were on the way out.”
Tupelo Public Schools and the City of Tupelo, Mississippi plan to construct three Monolithic Dome multipurpose buildings and safe rooms. As WTVA reports, the district wants the buildings for more than just a safe place during a storm but also as a new gym, classrooms, and more.
Construction progresses for the new Mathena Event Center at Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center. This Monolithic Dome is especially interesting because of the non-standard shape of the dome itself. Notice how it’s roughly oval around the perimeter wall.
FEMA approved a grant for the Monolithic Dome safe shelter at Dodge City Community College. The dome will be their new student activities center and also the campus tornado safe room. Plans include a full basketball / volleyball court, locker rooms, classrooms, fitness center, student lounge, and more.
We are a mystery. Thousands drive by our headquarters in Italy, Texas, and stare at the cowboy-boot-painted caterpillar. From the day our first dome inflated — 25 years ago — curious people stopped to see what we were about. Yet, many of our neighbors know little about our work. That’s why it’s nice to get some coverage by the local county newspaper.
Recently, WFAA Channel 8 featured Monolithic’s president, David South, and his monolithic dome rental units on Good Morning Texas. Reporter, Paige McCoy Smith, traveled to Monolithic’s headquarters in Italy, Texas to interview Mr. South and see first-hand, “How these domestic domes can become dream dwellings for people around the world.”
“Dome fever has spread to the Sooner State!” says Bill Kramer in the Oklahoman. Monolithic domes have gained popularity in recent years. In fact, domes are in use by eight rural school districts around the state. NewsChannel 4 featured monolithic domes and their growing popularity in a news report hosted on their website, KFOR.com. Their broadcast highlighted backyard monolithic dome tornado shelters built by dome-builder and educator, Verlin Fairchild. Monolithic domes are definitely big news in Oklahoma.
A round house survives a hurricane? It did and we think it’s pretty cool. An article appeared on news-press.com’s website in July, highlighting the fact that something as simple as changing the shape of your home can increase its strength dramatically.