To Architects and Designers: Tax Rebate 179-D

Many people do not know that there are some serious tax implications for designers of public-funded structures. Such buildings include schools, city halls – anything paid for with public monies. I urge architects and designers to review Section 179-D of the tax code. You as a designer can get a tax rebate of up to a $1.80 per square foot when you design these publicly financed buildings.

Douglas Stanton Architects: Integrating Landscape Design and Monolithic Domes

In 1983, in a History of Modern Architecture class at Harvard University graduate school, Architect Doug Stanton first heard about Wallace Neff’s air-formed, bubble domes. Since then Doug has been designing Monolithic Domes as homes, disaster-shelter additions and cabanas – each complemented with beautiful, practical landscaping.

Exterior Design 101

In the Beginning — Every home in its beginning stage is bare. Exterior elements provide interest and variety. Banding used to connect the two domes adds horizontal lines and gives the dome a lineal feel.

When deciding to build a home, most people focus on interior floor plan, while the exterior often becomes an afterthought. Yet, it’s the home’s exterior that governs that all-important first impression your home creates.

An innovative architect sold on the Monolithic Dome’s versatility

Rick Crandall — Since the early 1990s, Architect Rick Crandall, head of Crandall Design Group in Mesa, AZ, has been designing a full range of Monolithic Domes. The pictures that follow include some of those projects.

“It’s the stretch!” That’s what Rick Crandall, one of Monolithic’s consulting architects, credits for his continued interest in Monolithic Domes. This Arizonian recalls that in 1996 when his association with the Monolithic Dome Institute first began, two factors fueled his interest in domes. “I was persuaded by the good experiences I had working with David South and other architects in the first four or five projects we did,” Crandall says. “But another factor was equally compelling: the stretch.”

Le Chateau de Lumiere-An Experiment In Beauty And Practicality

Le Chateau de Lumiere — Architectural design of the Crandall home derives from a 17th century farm house. The driveway, in colored, textured concrete, creates a beautiful entry.

“A very satisfying experiment!” That’s how Rick Crandall, MDI’s consulting architect, describes the construction of his new Monolithic Dome home in Lehi, Arizona, that he and wife Melody call Le Chateau de Lumiere or Castle of Light. Rick readily admits that between January 3, 2000 and January 3, 2001 he and Melody and their contractor Robert Johnson of Stetson Construction were not just building another Monolithic Dome home. “The purpose of this project was to do things that had not yet been done in other domes,” he said. “We had three goals — or areas of testing.”

Architect Rick Crandall on the Unique Features of Monolithic Domes

Architect Rick Crandall is sold on Monolithic Domes. He says that in addition to lower costs, energy efficiency and disaster protection, a Monolithic Dome can provide a structure with unique features such as a radial design, an interior hanging strength and a column-free, clear-span interior.