Bruco — Bruco – the Italian name for caterpillar – is the Airform manufacturing plant of Monolithic Constructors, Inc. It was built using a single Airform that was shaped as seven interconnected domes.

Bruco — Bruco – the Italian name for caterpillar – is the Airform manufacturing plant of Monolithic Constructors, Inc. It was built using a single Airform that was shaped as seven interconnected domes.


More About Monolithic Domes

Monolithic Domes have obvious qualities that become apparent to most people as soon as they learn about the materials and technology used in the dome’s construction. Those obvious qualities include the Monolithic Dome’s ability to withstand horrific calamities, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and fire. Two other such qualities are the dome’s energy-efficiency and greenness. But the Monolithic Dome has many not-so-obvious, subtle qualities as well. For example, the dome has an uninterrupted, clear-span interior that lends itself to any design or theme. And it has the strength to be buried. Those are just a few of the obvious and the subtle. We invite you to review them all.


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.

Monolithic Domes in Alaska

Trinity Christian Center — This Monolithic Dome church in Soldotna, Alaska has a diameter of 80 feet and a height of 27 feet. In 1995, with its congregation of 100 standing in worship and singing, the church successfully endured a significant earthquake.

The number one advantage to building a Monolithic Dome in Alaska is a shaky one — earthquakes! “Alaska is in the highest earthquake zone,” Ansel said. “We have at least one, somewhere in Alaska — very often.” (Officially, Alaska averages 80 earthquakes a month.) “Monolithic Domes successfully survive those shakers.”

The Pantheon – Rome – 126 AD

The Eye — Sunlight beams through the Pantheon’s oculus, down upon a throng of tourists.

Michelangelo (1475-1564) looked at everything with an artist’s critical eye, and he was not easily impressed. But when Michelangelo first saw the Pantheon in the early 1500s, he proclaimed it of “angelic and not human design.” Surprisingly, at that point, this classic Roman temple, converted into a Christian church, was already more than 1350 years old. What’s even more surprising is that the Pantheon, in the splendor Michelangelo admired, still stands today – another 500 years after he saw it. Monolithic’s President David South says that in building Monolithic Domes we have three major advantages the Pantheon’s builders simply did not have.

The History of Thin-Shells and Monolithic Domes

Figure 3 — Hershey Arena Under Construction

In the history of thin-shell structures, four of the major influences are: Anton Tedesko (1903-1994), who is attributed with much of the success of thin-shell structures in the U.S; Pier Luigi Nervi (1891-1979), who in Italy gave structural integrity to the complex curves and geometry of reinforced-concrete structures such as the Orbetello aircraft hangar (begun 1938) and Turin’s exposition hall (1948-50); and the Spaniard Eduardo Torroja (1891-1961) and his pupil Felix Candela (1910-1997) who followed his lead. Essentially, each of the latter three attempted to create an umbrella roof the interior space of which could be subdivided as required, such as Torroja’s grandstand for the Zarzuela racetrack in Madrid (1935) (Archpedia.com, 9/7/05).

Why build a concrete dome?

Load testing — Load testing a small thin-shell dome at the BYU laboratories.

The concrete dome is similar in shape and structure to an egg which has always been a fascination. The egg shows us that a relatively soft and weak material can be used to create a very strong structural shape. A simple demonstration illustrating the strength of an egg was made using a 2′ × 10′ wood plank, supported on one end by a rigid support and on the other end by one hard boiled egg. Four bags of Portland Cement were placed on the plank, at center span, one at a time, for a total of 376 pounds or 188 pounds on one egg. The shell did not crack! Such is the strength of some domes.

Iowa Family Explains Why There’s No Place Like Dome

Rendering — Rendering of Jay and Jeanne Hansen home.

Jay and Jeanne Hansen say they like to be different, and that’s one of the reasons why they opted to build a Monolithic Dome home. “We don’t like to copy what other people do; we like to do things that stand out,” Jay Hansen told Iowa television news station KWWL.

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey

The central dome — The central dome, 102 feet in diameter and 184 feet in height. Arches at the east and west are buttressed by half-domes. Final domes complete in 563.

Many consider Hagia Sophia the supreme masterpiece of Byzantine architecture. Built in 360 and rebuilt several times over the centuries, it still stands.

Design Advantages of the Monolithic Dome

Monolithic Dome Rental in Italy, Texas — This Rental Unit provides secure, quiet, clean and affordable living accommodations even when an approaching storm darkens the skies.

There is no such thing as a free lunch, but the Monolithic Dome comes close. The original cost of a Monolithic Dome is generally less than that of a similar- size conventional building. Often it is much less. Then there is cost recovery. Generally, over a period of twenty years, savings in energy costs will equal the full cost of a Monolithic Dome facility. So, in effect, it becomes free.