When Paul and Shirley Tinsley chose to build a Monolithic Dome home in Cudjoe Key, Florida, they had no idea that they were building a home that would withstand not one, but two Category 4 hurricanes in six years: Hurricane Irma, in August of 2017, and Hurricane Ian, in September 2022.
Four tornado shelters in Central Ohio show how communities are investing in Monolithic Domes for long-term safety. FEMA helped fund most of them—though one town is still waiting. Whether or not FEMA continues to defray the costs of constructing tornado shelters, resilient towns have been choosing Monolithic Domes for decades. They cost the same as conventional structures but offer unmatched protection and performance.
DIY Photo Tutorial: Good maintenance of your Monolithic Dome involves cleaning and coating it every 5 to 10 years. These tasks can be done safely by installing one of our stainless steel Anchor Points, designed specifically for Monolithic Domes. This photo tutorial walks you through the steps involved in retrofitting your dome.
Construction Photo Journal! We recently built a 43-foot-diameter dome home with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a spacious kitchen, and a dedicated utility space in the Hill Country of Central Texas. We snapped some photos during construction for this story illustrating the steps involved in building a Monolithic Dome home.
One of the biggest hurdles in dome home construction is financing. Banks are much more willing to approve loans when a project follows a traditional package deal, meaning a general contractor, like Tri-Lakes Construction of Colorado, presents a proposal covering the entire build. This approach reassures lenders that the project will be completed as planned, unlike owner-managed projects, which carry more risk in the bank’s eyes.
Construction wraps on the final Monolithic Dome Builders Workshop in Dawson, Texas, with the completion of a much-needed laundromat. Almost 30 students attended the five-day course with hands-on and classroom instruction. The September Workshop will be in Italy, Texas.
We love this new Monolithic Dome home in Florida so much, we hired a professional photographer to show it off. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a den, and a loft. The open living area and kitchen make the space feel warm and welcoming. Outside, the house is tucked into the trees beside a tranquil pond, and the screened-in porch is ideal for taking in the view.
Today’s video takes you inside Bruco—our manufacturing plant where we build every Monolithic Dome Airform and other fabric architecture projects.
We’re back at it in Florida, putting up another Monolithic Dome—this time using an Orion-style design with a Transverse Airform inflated atop a segmented stemwall.
Whether you’re just beginning to explore the possibilities or are ready to move forward, this guide walks you through the practical steps involved in turning your dream into a resilient, energy-efficient Monolithic Dome home.
One of the most exciting parts of our work is designing and inflating complex shapes and connectors with Airforms. These flexible, inflatable molds allow us to push the boundaries of architecture—opening up almost limitless possibilities in building design. Recently, we’ve had a blast bringing some truly creative projects to life.
