December 2006: Domes For The World Announces First Major Project

Carol Lanham • Published • Press Release Library

Foundation Receives $1 Million Grant to Build Houses in Indonesia

ITALY, Texas (December 2006) – Domes For The World (DFTW), an Italy, Texas-based nonprofit foundation that was established in 2005 with the goal of building dome homes to solve some of the world’s housing shortages, has received its first major donation. The World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations has provided DFTW with a $1 million dollar grant to build 70 houses in the tsunami-stricken region of Indonesia.

The homes will be EcoShells, round, steel-reinforced concrete buildings that are durable, fireproof, disaster-resistant and can be build entirely by hand using about $1,000 in basic materials.

The patented building is a variation of the Monolithic Dome, a steel-reinforced, insulated concrete structure known for its energy efficiency and ability to meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s criteria for near absolute protection from tornadoes and hurricanes. (Visit www.monolithic.com for more information.) Like Monolithic Domes, EcoShells are made of steel-reinforced concrete, but do not include polyurethane insulation.

“This $1 million grant from WANGO is allowing us to take the first step in helping solve some of the severe housing shortages in the developing world,” says David B. South, who co-invented and patented the technology for building EcoShells and Monolithic Domes. With their reinforced concrete shell and seamless design, EcoShells not only are disaster proof against hurricanes, earthquakes, and fire, but they also extremely cost-effective.”

“We hope this project in Indonesia is the first of many that DFTW will build in developing nations in the years to come,” South added.

DFTW has built a prototype EcoShell at the Monolithic Dome Institute in Italy, Texas that meets the United Nations standards for the adequate housing. The 314-square-foot dome measures 6 meters (20 feet) in diameter and 3 meters (10 feet) in height. It features openings for a door and window in the front and two small windows in the rear.

In addition to the project in Indonesia, EcoShells currently under construction in developing countries around the world include the following

In Nigeria, World Youth International has completed an orphanage made up of EcoShells. (See photo on the left)
In Haiti, Double Harvest has recruited local laborers to help build an EcoShell home with the hope that the technology would catch on among the locals.
In the tsunami-affected areas of southern India, Peter Tower is building a community of EcoShells that was recently visited by the President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

In the Hyderabad desert of India, Catalytic Software, Inc. has constructed an entire town of EcoShells to house its software engineers. The company town, christened New Oroville, also features domed recreation centers and offices.

In addition to being the founder of DFTW, David South is president of Monolithic Inc., a family of companies that share a mutual goals: the improve the lives of people worldwide through the introduction and construction of Monolithic Domes and EcoShells for personal and public use.