Oklahoma Monolithic Dome Schools make Big News in Utah

This week, Monolithic Dome Schools in Locust Grove, Oklahoma were featured on KSL TV and on KSL.com in a report entitled, Utah architect uses dome design to create safe school buildings, by Candice Madsen and Debbie Dujanovic.

They report that students, teachers, taxpayers, citizens and especially the school superintendent, Dr. David Cash are excited and happy about their Monolithic Dome Schools. Not only are they tornado safe, but they save the school district in operational costs. Cash is quoted as saying, “I figured about 40 percent in utilities in savings. That is tremendous for us. That is $25,000 a year.”

Madsen and Dujanovic note the cost of both the elementary and high schools was $94 a square foot vs. $150-$250 a square foot for school construction across the U.S. They also point out that using Monolithic’s Airform technology reduces the overall cost of the schools as well.

“When we go to these places—rural Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi—they are doing their best to keep the costs of buildings down so they can spend more on the kids,” says Utah architect, Lee Gray.

Another benefit Dr. Cash talks about in the news broadcast is that he believes the ductless heating and cooling units in the Monolithic Dome Schools has a lot to do with the 30 percent drop in sick days he has seen throughout his district.

When asked what districts in Utah were thinking about the domes, one of the reporters in the news broadcast said, “They were open to new ideas but they also talked to a structural engineer who has worked on a lot of schools right here in Utah. He said it’s hard for school districts here to go with the most innovative designs because they don’t want to be experimenting with taxpayer money.”

David South, with his brothers, Barry and Randy, invented the Monolithic Dome 40 years ago and engineered it with the help of Dr. Arnold Wilson. One of the many advantages of the Monolithic Dome School is the well-proven technology. This was a primary factor in Locust Grove deciding to build a Monolithic Dome School. Many schools have been built throughout the United States as seen on the map Monolithic Dome Schools in America.

Perhaps if your school is in need of a new building, sharing this link with the decision-makers in your district might just be the best help you can give them. They would definitely save money and possibly save lives.

Read the full article and watch the KSL News Broadcast here: Utah architect uses dome design to create safe school buildings