Happy birthday to us: celebrating two milestones this year

This month the Monolithic Dome Institute celebrates its 20th year of existence. We would like to thank our employees, customers, supporters, and fans for those 20 great years. The Institute was founded in September 1996 as a way to promote the dome building industry as a whole. We hope to continue our mission and promote the benefits of Monolithic Domes worldwide.

A lot has changed in 20 years. We created a website, which contains thousands of articles on domes. You can now follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Monolithic Domes have been built in virtually every American state, and in many countries around the world. We published a book, “Dome Living,” which is now available as an eBook. We host dome building workshops, where people from all over the world come to see how domes are built.

In short, we’ve had many milestones over the past 20 years. We’re proud of all that has been accomplished, and we’re excited to see what the future holds.

This year also marks another milestone, the 40th anniversary of the Monolithic Dome. The first concrete Monolithic Dome was built in 1976 by David B. South and his brothers Barry and Randy. It was years in the making but eventually came together.

“The engineering for the first dome was given to me on February 2, 1976,” David B. South stated. “We then ordered the Airform and the rest of the materials. We poured the footing starting April 5, 1976. It took us most of April to get it built.”

From there, he and his brother Barry were awarded a U.S. patent in 1979 for the Monolithic Dome. He subsequently was awarded three other patents related to the dome building process. What started as dream of toothpicks has transformed into thousands Monolithic Domes around the world.

From humble beginnings in Idaho, the Monolithic Dome was born. It has since caught on as an efficient and energy-saving method of building. Everything from homes and schools to churches and gymnasiums have been built. Needless to say, we’re thankful for the amazing journey it has been. We’re excited to see what the future holds because this experience truly has come full circle. Here’s to the next 40.