Architecture Writer Touts the Benefits of Domes’ Tornado Resistance

Even though we’re in the midst of hurricane season, the memories of the 2011 tornadoes are still fresh in the minds of most people. This year will go down as the deadliest tornado year since The National Weather Service began keeping records, with more than 500 fatalities. That’s one of the reasons why Jon Thompson wrote a feature story on the protection that Monolithic Domes can offer on Architecture Suite 101

“A thin shell concrete dome can withstand winds of 400 mph,” Thompson wrote. “The wind velocity is greater than that produced by a F-5 tornado. Domes have survived without damage in the path of an F-4 tornado that demolished traditional square wood frame homes.”

Thompson goes on to chronicle some of the deadliest storms of the year, and how the Monolithic Domes in their paths fared. He concludes with the words of Monolithic Dome Institute President David B. South: “A few more tornadoes and everyone will want a dome.”