In 2008, Monolithic Constructors, Inc. completed work on a 50′ × 25′ central dome, flanked by two 36′ × 16′ side domes for Wayne Brannon of Decatur, Texas. About four years later, we were asked to coat the domes, that had rock applied to their bottom sections, with Monolithic Stucco.
The Belleville Zoning Board of Adjustment unanimously approved the new Coptic Youth Center for St. Mary and St. Mercurius Coptic Orthodox Church proposed by Egyptian Architect Ralph Nashed, the founder and president of NASH, a design/build company in New Jersey. The new Coptic Youth Center incorporates a Monolithic Dome, fashioned after the Pantheon of Rome. That will make it the first such building in the state.
For several years now, Frank Smith has been unsuccessfully struggling with politicians, city councils and business people, trying to get their approval to build drastically needed Monolithic Dome rentals in their communities. Those Texas communities include Corpus Christi, Ingleside and Aransas Pass. All are in a hurricane-prone area – the same hurricane-prone area that made Woodsboro ISD eligible for a FEMA grant.
“We were fortunate,” Steven Self, School Superintendent at Woodsboro, Texas said. “At the same time that we were doing the dome, we learned through Meridian Solar that we could apply for a solar grant with the State of Texas Comptroller.”
I am writing this piece to give Monolithic Dome owners some hints on getting insurance for their homes as well as commercial buildings.
Randy South, Director of South Industries, and his family have decided to build a special, family reunion dome and name it South Sawmill Lodge. It’s located just a half-mile south of the sawmill site that Randy’s dad and granddad owned.
After more than twenty years of experience and with the completion of 100+ projects under his professional belt, Oklahoma-based Architect Michael McCoy encountered the Monolithic Dome. Was he surprised? Yes and No. Was he pleased? Yes.
Dodge City – few can hear the name without conjuring images of a wild frontier complete with gunfights, saloons, stagecoaches and dirt roads. But today is a different day for Dodge City.
After two years of getting-in-there-and-getting-your-hands-dirty work, in August 2008, Christine and Jim Spurgeon moved into their new dome-home that they named Claddagh Dome.
Monolithic was not the first to build dome homes using Airforms, concrete and steel rebar, but we do believe we’ve perfected the building technique for these super-strong structures that meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s standards for near-absolute protection.
One of the first things children learn when they go to school is how to add and subtract. As officials in Locust Grove, Oklahoma were contemplating building a Monolithic Dome school, simple math convinced them it was the only way to go.
Since its debut on the Discovery Channel, “How Stuff Works” has become the go-to website for anyone interested in understanding the why’s behind not only science and machines, but just about every topic imaginable. At last count, the website HowStuffWorks.com was attracting more than 58 million visitors annually.
South Industries of Menan, Idaho is primarily known for its superior work in constructing Monolithic Domes. But in 2011, South Industries (SI) was hired to do a different kind of project. Signal Peak Energy, co-owned by FirstEnergy Corp. and Boich Companies, asked SI to stabilize a mountain wall.
This September 28th through the 30th, in historic Fredericksburg, Texas, the Renewable Energy Roundup & Green Living Fair will entertain and educate hundreds of visitors. On Sunday, Sept. 30, David will give his presentation: 21st Century Technology.
“Monolithic and MOR (Managed Organic Recycling) have been working steadily to create the best compost cover available, and this year we have created a product that has beat all the major competitors,” said Michael South, our vice president/director of operations.
At a time when life is moving at warp speed, it’s rare to find anything designed to last for centuries. But TopTenz.net managed to put together a list of Top 10 Things to Last 1,000 Years.
Architect Rick Crandall’s Domes For Tomorrow II is an idea book of innovative, unique Monolithic Dome designs. It includes color photographs and/or drawings of Monolithic facilities designed as schools, churches, homes, gymnasiums, a theater, a shopping center, a nightclub, a planetarium, a yacht club, an apartment complex, a hotel, a theme park, a golf course, a library, a hospital, offices, a bakery, a detention facility, and aircraft hangars.
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.
Domes & Uses, both as an Ebook and as a printed text, has nine, information-packed sections that cover virtually everything related to Monolithic Domes. This book’s articles and data are supplemented with photographs, drawings, sketches and floor plans.
Monolithic now offers concession stands shaped to resemble giant football helmets and painted with a team’s emblem and colors. They’re the perfect, team-supportive concession stands for any sport stadium or venue.
The inflation of Canada’s first Monolithic Dome school structure was big news, as teachers, students and local media were on hand to see the structure take shape. “Raise that dome,” chanted students as construction crews used giant fans to inflate the Airform at Southamton’s G.C. Huston school. The structure, which will be open on four sides and house outdoor classrooms, is scheduled for completion in September.
“Monolithic has one of the largest radio frequency or RF welders in the world,” said David B. South, Monolithic’s president. "An RF welder produces heat and fuses materials with radio frequency energy, akin to microwave energy. The result is a weld that is every bit as strong as the original material.
Herb’s book covers all the bases and is the best explanation of stucco I have ever read. It’s absolutely ideal for anybody that is in the stucco business, or that may have a need for stucco, or that would like to learn about the benefits of this super material and its many uses.
In 1844 when U.S. Army Captain John C. Fremont and Kit Carson established a rudimentary camp there, Fort Irwin was just a hot, sandy spot in the Mojave Desert. But it grew and grew. By 1979 Fort Irwin became the site of a military, world-class National Training Center. Located in California’s northern San Bernadino County, NTC now has a population of almost 9000. More recently, Fort Irwin has become home to the largest renewable energy project ever established by the Department of Defense (DOD) and Monolithic Domes are now a part of that project.
Monolithic Domes have been designed and constructed for cement storage for many years. The dome imitates nature’s strongest shape: the egg. And shape is enormously valuable when building storages.
Because it’s virtually identical to natural gas, methane’s role in our world’s economy is becoming increasingly necessary and important. Methane can actually replace natural gas.
This handheld shotcrete sprayer is easy to load and has a surprisingly good throughput. We have used it to spray a number of small projects, and its fast, efficient design has saved us time and money. Its all-steel construction means that it is long lasting and will prove to be a good investment.
Generally, traditional bulk storages, such as grain silos, cement silos and vertical grain bins, are cylinders. Sometimes they are rectangular, but usually such storages are silo shapes. But the strength of a spherical shape beats both the cylindrical shape and the rectangular shape. In fact, the spherical shape is twice as strong as the cylindrical shape.
Installing a Monolithic ebook on your Kindle Fire is easy. I have listed the steps in this article, but the best way to read these steps is by clicking on the fist image, then using the captions to give the step-by-step instructions.
EMP is short for ElectroMagnetic Pulse, a burst of electromagnetic radiation caused by a high-energy explosion that can be manmade or nature-made.
Monolithic now introduces EMP safety. A Monolithic Dome with the right components can protect its occupants and/or equipment from EMP devastation — definitely something to be ready for. Each year, more things become capable of producing electromagnetic pulses. And nature seems to be creating more of these pulses as well.
Recently, a school superintendent interested in a Monolithic Dome for his campus told me about a conversation he had with an architect, who will remain nameless. According to the superintendent, the architect had told him that Monolithic’s Airform fabric and sprayed-in foam insulation were “fragile and would sustain severe damage in a hailstorm.” I’m always concerned about such statements.
As you make your summer travel plans, consider experiencing life in a Monolithic Dome along the way by booking a room in a unique bed and breakfast. Thyme For Bed Inn in Lowell, Indiana was recently featured on a “Fantastical Five” list of unique inns. Hundreds of visitors have stayed in the Monolithic Dome’s four bedrooms since it opened in 1999.
There are many reasons why people opt to build Monolithic Domes: their energy efficiency, low maintenance, and ability to withstand hurricanes and tornadoes. Perhaps we should add another reason to the list: the fact that we have never used asbestos when building a dome.
Last year we brought you the story of Aaron Fown, who decided to go in search of new discoveries and then tell his story to a worldwide audience. Monolithic was one of the stops on The Trip for Life.
It’s new! Here’s a must-have, must-read ebook with down-to-earth information on just about anything and everything that has to do with designing and building your dream home.
Editor’s Note: In 2010, Maddy and Chris Ecker moved into their Monolithic Dome home in Galax, Virginia. It’s an oblate ellipse built on a two-foot stemwall, with a diameter of 50 feet and a living area of 2675 square feet. The Eckers have carefully documented their dome-home’s performance and share their findings with us.
That’s the question posed by Brad Moon, better known as Geek Dad. In a recent post for a Wired Magazine blog, Moon muses about the advantages of living in a storm-resistant home given that he resides in an area of Canada that is often hit by tornadoes and other extreme weather. It’s no wonder his interest was piqued when he read about advantages of Monolithic Dome homes.
The Toronto Star, one of Canada’s largest daily newspapers, recently turned its focus to Monolithic Dome homes by featuring Great Lakes Dome Co., founded by Collin MacLeod and Sunny Cushnie. The duo has been successfully building dome homes since attending a workshop in Italy, Texas.
Dear Mr. South,
Monolithic’s recommended procedure for splicing rebar has changed. For years and years, we just overlapped the rebar and tied the bars together. In fact, when I first started we overlapped and welded the bars together. But it turns out that unless you’re using A706 rebar – which is very expensive – welding the rebar is not allowed. So we recommend that you stay away from welding.
Permies.com is a website that hosts discussion forums on permaculture, green building and sustainable practices, among other topics. Recently, a forum participant asked a simple question: Why do people in tornado/hurricane zones still build the same destroyable houses?
Every spring, tragic stories abound of the devastating effects of tornadoes. One such example is the EF-5 tornado that ripped through Smithville, Mississippi in April 2011. In addition to destroying numerous town structures, this particular tornado passed right over the high school and flattened the gym.
Craig Crossman is a national columnist who writes about computers and technology, and also hosts a popular radio talk show called “Computer America.” While his focus is usually on computers, he knows a good thing when he sees it and does not hesitate to write about it. That’s why he recently penned a column on Monolithic Domes that was published by the Palm Beach Daily News and other newspapers across the United States.
In the summer of 2010 I met the wife of a man I was doing business with in Europe. Several times during my visit, I had supper with her and her family. In each case, the supper was a stew.
Erling and Barbara Rosholdt were both working in the construction industry when they met and fell in love. So when it came time to build their dream retirement home in Virginia, it made sense that they would do it themselves. In a feature story in Louisa Magazine, the couple recounts how they attended a Monolithic workshop in 1998 and then proceeded to build their three Monolithic Domes, as a Y2K project.
As the company name implies, Managed Organic Recycling, Inc. is in the business of composting organic waste. What’s more, they have come up with a faster, more efficient way to process some of the thousands of tons of organic waste that our society produces every year. It’s called the Compost Cover System, and it can reduce composting time by half. Monolithic manufactures the MOR compost covers using a special breathable Teflon-lined fabric.
David B. South, the visionary founder of Monolithic Inc. and Domes for the World, is often compared to Buckminster Fuller, the other pioneer in dome building. But few have heard of architect Wallace Neff, who also was dedicated to making the world go round.
In Marlow, Oklahoma, retirees Darrell and Jerrilyn Strube own a 50-foot-diameter, two-story Monolithic Dome home, with a 3000-square-foot living area, that successfully survived a wildfire and provided shelter before it was even finished.
Why are so many school districts building Monolithic Domes? Energy efficiency is definitely near the top of the list. But the fact that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is helping fund construction of these tornado-resistant structures has fueled a mini building boom of sorts.