February 2008 – Conference on Dome Homes and Buildings

Carol Lanham • Published • Press Release Library

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Carol Lanham
BWG Agency
972-818-0895

The Building of the Future Available Today? Conference to Focus on Energy-Efficient, Tornado-Resistant Dome Homes and Buildings

DALLAS (February 21, 2008) – Global warming and the severe weather associated with it have heightened interest in energy conservation as well as tornado and hurricane preparedness. It also has generated increased interest in a futuristic type of building that may offer one of the best solutions to both these concerns: the Monolithic Dome.

On Friday, March 7th , 2008, dome enthusiasts from across the nation will gather at the Wyndham Hotel DFW Airport North for the 14th Annual Monolithic Dome Conference. Topics on the agenda include the steel-reinforced concrete buildings’ energy efficiency as well as their ability to meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) criteria for near-absolute protection from severe weather. Thousands of Monolithic Dome homes have been built around the world, and there are also hundreds of dome gymnasiums, churches, schools, and storage facilities.

“We’ve always referred to Monolithic Domes as the tomorrow’s building available today because they offer so many advantages over most conventional structures,” said David B. South, president of the Texas-based Monolithic Dome Institute, sponsor of the conference. “With all the issues we’re facing in our society today, more and more people are discovering that these futuristic buildings are what we need right now.”

The materials used in the construction of Monolithic Domes combined with the compound curve of the structure make the buildings stronger than virtually any other structure. The concrete’s thermal mass keeps the temperatures inside the buildings stable, which means that the domes can cost 50 percent less to heat and cool than a conventional structure of the same size.

“FEMA has recognized the domes’ ability to withstand tornadoes and hurricanes by providing grants in some cases for the construction of Monolithic Dome disaster shelters,” said South, who will give the keynote address on Friday night. “But dome gymnasiums and churches can also easily double as community disaster shelters during severe weather. The fact that these buildings are so energy efficient is just an added plus.”

The process used to build the domes is as unique as the structures themselves. It begins with the placement of a ringbeam footing and the pouring of a circular steel-reinforced concrete slab floor. Vertical steel bars embedded in the outer ring later attach to the steel reinforcing of the dome itself. An Airform, a tarp made of tough, single-ply roofing material, is attached to the ring base and inflated, creating the shape of the dome.

Crews then move to the interior of the dome, where they place a grid of steel rebar on the Airform and embed it in polyurethane foam and two or three inches of Shotcrete. The result is a safe and permanent structure designed to last for centuries.

Visit HYPERLINK http://www.monolithic.com to learn more about the conference or call 972-483-7423 for more information.

Members of the press who would like to attend should contact Carol Lanham at BWG Agency, 972-818-0895.

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