January 2009 – Woodsboro ISD Unveils Multipurpose Facility Plans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Steven Self
Woodsboro ISD
361-543-4518 × 302

Woodsboro ISD to Unveil Plans for New Multipurpose Facility New Steel-Reinforced Concrete Dome to Double as Community Disaster Shelter

WOODSBORO, Texas (January 26, 2009) – The Woodsboro Independent School District has scheduled a community meeting for Monday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m. to unveil plans for a new Monolithic Dome multipurpose facility that will double as a community disaster shelter. The building will serve as the school district’s gymnasium and auditorium in addition to providing a safe haven for area residents when severe weather threatens.

Lee Gray, the architect who designed the multipurpose facility, will be at the meeting to provide a virtual tour of the new 20,000-square-foot building and explain the features and benefits of Monolithic Dome structures. Superintendent Steven Self also will be on hand to answer questions about the building, which is expected to cost between $2.1 and $2.4 million.

“We are very excited about this new facility, which will not only serve as the district’s gymnasium, but also will host band programs, graduation ceremonies and community events,” Self said. “In addition, we’ll have the benefit of using it as a shelter for our elementary school students and others who have no safe place to go when bad weather strikes.”

Monolithic Domes are steel-reinforced, super-insulated concrete structures that meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s criteria for near-absolute protection from hurricanes and tornadoes. Because of their shape and the materials used in their construction, the domes are also considered among the greenest of all buildings, saving as much as 50 percent on heating and cooling costs compared to traditional structures of the same size.

The construction of the Monolithic Dome multipurpose facility is the final phase of the Woodsboro ISD’s capital improvement program funded by a $9.9 million school bond issue passed in 2005. Superintendent Self said the school opted for Monolithic Dome construction because it provided the most value for the money.

David South, president of the Texas-based Monolithic Dome Institute, said the “green” features of the building are a big selling point for many school districts. “The energy savings along will usually pay for the total cost of the structure within the first 20 years,” he said. “They also are very durable structures. Properly maintained, they will last for centuries.”

Monolithic Dome schools have been built in Texas, Arizona, Missouri, Oklahoma, Florida, Idaho, and Minnesota. Several new Monolithic Dome schools are currently under construction in Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas.

The construction method used to build Monolithic Domes is as unusual as the buildings themselves. The process begins with the placement of a ring beam footing and the pouring of a circular steel-reinforced concrete slab floor. In many cases, a stem wall is then erected to give the building straight walls and a more conventional look. Next, crews attach an Airform, a tarp made of tough, single-ply roofing material, which is inflated using giant fans.

Once the Airform is inflated, work moves to the interior where treated wood is attached to frame the windows and doors. Three inches of polyurethane foam is then sprayed on the rest of the Airform, and a grid of steel rebar is attached to the foam. In the final step, crews spray on a layer of Shotcrete that ranges from 4 inches at the top to 8 inches at the base. The result is a permanent and virtually indestructible structure.

For more information about Monolithic Domes schools, visit http://www.monolithic.com.