Monolithic Domes: Designed to Last a Millennium

At a time when life is moving at warp speed, it’s rare to find anything designed to last for centuries. But TopTenz.net managed to put together a list of Top 10 Things to Last 1,000 Years.

Monolithic Dome enthusiasts will not be surprised to hear that our structures rank near the top of the list. Coming in at number two, the domes are described as “probably the most disaster-resistant homes” because they have survived wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and much more.

Of course, we’ve always known that Monolithic Domes are designed to last a millennium. In fact, on the rare occasions when someone has tried to raze a dome, it has proven to be a Herculean task. Take the so-called Ream’s Turtle Dome in Provo, Utah. Crews had to use two track-hoes, one of which had a 5,000-pound, steel, wrecking ball, and “a huge amount of continuous battering” to bring the building down, says David B. South, president of Monolithic.

What else made the Top 10 List? Coming in at number ten is a rare and sacred Buddhist monument nearing completion in Australia. Known as the Kalachakra World Peace Stupa, it is expected to still be standing in 3012. All the way down at number one is an archival disk that can be used to store data permanently. In between you will find everything from the St. Louis Gateway Arch to antique Bibles.

It is fitting that TopTenz came up with their ranking to celebrate the debut of their 1000th Top 10 list.