Search results

Quick Look: Monolithic Dome safe rooms in the news, Jan 2020

Congressman Kevin Brady

Several Monolithic Dome safe rooms recently made it into the news. A nearly completed safe room in Mississippi was used for the first time as a large storm approached the community. Tuscaloosa, Alabama, opened its new community center and tornado shelter dome. A first responder safe room grant awarded to Covenant Christian School in Texas. And a Tennesse high school applies for FEMA grant for a combined gymnasium and safe room.

Two safe rooms approved for Tupelo, Mississippi

The Tupelo City Council approved two Monolithic Dome safe rooms — one for Lee Acres, Mississippi and the other for Theron Nichols Park, Mississippi. Each will be large enough to hold over 1,000 residents during a major storm. FEMA grants will pay 90 percent of the cost.

Safe room going up in Alabama

Saferoom

A new Monolithic Dome safe room is under construction in Birmingham, Alabama. It’s part of a broader initiative to provide community storm shelters following the devastating Tuscaloosa-Birmingham EF4 tornado in 2011. It is the fourth dome built in the Pratt City area, which was hardest hit by the monster tornado.

Monolithic Dome Safe Room Used Nearly Every Day for Performing Arts

Lumberton Performing Arts Center in Lumberton, Texas.

In Lumberton, Texas a monolithic dome safe room was constructed for the school district and community. However, the community doesn’t call it a safe room. They call it the Lumberton Performing Arts Center. It houses a full stage for plays and all types of performances. The seating retracts to open the floor for Senior prom or a business Expo.

Great news story with timelapse of Catoosa Safe Room inflation

Catoosa cafeteria shortly after initial inflation. A conventional entry way is planned for the front.

NewsOn6.com has a great story about the a Monolithic Dome inflation in Catoosa, Oklahoma earlier this month. The 136-foot diameter facility will be a cafeteria for the school and a safe shelter during tornadoes for the students and community. There’s an excellent time-lapse of the inflation in the story.

Tupelo, Mississippi planning three Monolithic Dome safe shelters

Tupelo Public Schools and the City of Tupelo, Mississippi plan to construct three Monolithic Dome multipurpose buildings and safe rooms. As WTVA reports, the district wants the buildings for more than just a safe place during a storm but also as a new gym, classrooms, and more.

Community center and safe room nears completion

Newly inflated Monolithic Dome under construction in Mercedes, Texas.

To construct a conventional building strong enough to withstand mother nature you normally build it like a bunker. It serves only one function and remains empty most of the time. With the new community center in Mercedes, Texas, they get twice the building for the price. Most of the year it’s a gym, learning center, and meeting space. During a Texas-sized storm, it’s a place of refuge for the town.

Aerial video of Catoosa Safe Room under construction

Screen capture from aerial video of new Monolithic Dome FEMA safe room under construction.

Greg Miller submitted this great HD aerial video of the Catoosa Public Schools safe room under construction. You can see that work continues on the exterior while Monolithic construction crews work inside. The Monolithic Dome concrete shell is expected to be finished before Christmas.

Domed safe rooms disguised as gymnasium, cafeteria, and community center

Rendering of nearly complete safe-room / gymnasium for St. Joseph High School in Victoria, Texas.

The architect addressed an audience of school administrators. He proclaimed that no one can affordably build large safe rooms. The best a school could do are small rooms for refuge in an emergency. He was followed by David South who said, yes, you can build a large safe room — disguised as a gym.

FEMA approves safe shelter grant for Dodge City Community College

Front entrance of the Dodge City Community College Activity Center

FEMA approved a grant for the Monolithic Dome safe shelter at Dodge City Community College. The dome will be their new student activities center and also the campus tornado safe room. Plans include a full basketball / volleyball court, locker rooms, classrooms, fitness center, student lounge, and more.

Hartshorne gymnasium and safe room grand opening

Hartshorne gymnasium interior

Earlier this summer, Hartshorne Public Schools opened its new Monolithic Dome gymnasium. Adrian O’Hanlon III of the McAlester News-Capital reports that the 150-foot diameter dome will seat over 1,100 people for sporting events. Moreover, the dome doubles as a FEMA rated safe room that can hold around 3,000 people during a tornado emergency.

Hartshorne school bond proposed for gymnasium and library safe rooms

Plan for the new gymnasium includes seating for 1,200. The gym is expected to hold 3,000 during an emergency.

School officials in Hartshorne, Oklahoma want $7.7 million for two safe-rooms — or as we like to think of them — a brand-new, start-of-the-art gymnasium and computer center. It’s quite a different perspective if you think of money serving two purposes. The planned high school gymnasium would be a 150-foot diameter Monolithic Dome with four locker rooms, concessions, offices, a competition basketball court, and seating for 1,200. Plus it’s a tornado shelter! The elementary school gets a brand new library and computer center in a 70-foot diameter dome. And it’s a tornado shelter, too!

Avalon Dome Provides Safe Haven During Tornadoes

Avalon ISD Multipurpose Center — A safe haven for Avalon citizens during recent tornados rumbled through the community.

When the Avalon Independent School District in Texas needed a new multipurpose building, Superintendent David Del Bosque had safety at top of his mind. Since the nearby Italy school district had just completed a Monolithic Dome multipurpose center of its own, the decision was easy. “I personally was concerned about safety for students: the stability of the building in case of a storm,” Del Bosque said, adding that when he saw Italy’s dome, he knew that it was “the safest structure anywhere.”

Underground, Safe, Fallout Shelter/Home

In 1986 John Ayers of Presidio County, Texas became concerned about nuclear fallout from a dropped bomb. He wanted to be safe and asked me to build an underground house for him, which we did in the late summer of that year.

Tornado Dome Covers Pawnee, Oklahoma

Monolithic Dome tornado safe room in Pawnee, Oklahoma.

New Monolithic Dome safe room in Pawnee, Oklahoma is large enough for the whole town. Local TV station, KFOR, profiled the dome during a school tornado drill. As the students quietly walk to the dome, Superintendent Ned Williams explains the advantages and why they built the safe dome.

Dome Storm Shelter Provides Safe Haven

“Open Dome” — Residents of Summit Ridge Estates, a manufactured home development in Pataskala, Ohio don’t worry too much about storms these days now that they have a their Monolithic Dome Shelter/Community Center.

Although a deadly tornado can strike anywhere, about half of all fatalities occur in manufactured homes, according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory. But residents of Summit Ridge Estates, a manufactured home development in Pataskala, Ohio don’t worry too much about storms these days. That’s because they have a Monolithic Dome storm shelter on their property that provides a safe haven when severe weather strikes.

Hartshorne passes $7.7 million bond for two Monolithic Domes

Rendering of new gymnasium at the high school.

The $7.7 million bond passed for two safe rooms for Hartshorne Public Schools. The larger, 150-foot diameter Monolithic Dome will serve as a full gymnasium at the high school. The smaller, 70-foot diameter Monolithic Dome will be a new library and computer center at the elementary school.

Safe, Affordable Housing is Possible with Monolithic Technology

When we think of people who do not have access to clean drinking water and sanitation, the image of refugees in Africa or other parts of the developing world usually come to mind. But the poor and homeless in the United States often face the very same problems, according to a U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to Water and Sanitation. After a U.S. visit earlier this year, the U.N. investigator Catarina de Albuquerque found that the challenges faced by U.S. homeless are in violation of international human rights standards.

Going Small, Cozy and Safe!

Irie at twilight — Jerri Hudson named her 1000-square-foot Monolithic Dome home “Irie,” which means “alright” in Jamaican.

Irie is Jamaican for alright. And Irie is the name owner Jerri Hudson chose for her new, 1000-square-foot Monolithic Dome home that sits on a 40-acre, wooded site in Missouri. Since moving in this past November, Jerri has found her new home both comfortable and secure — exactly what she wanted.

First Dome School Opens in Kansas

The deadly tornadoes that hit the southern United States were a vivid reminder of the tragic consequences that ensue when people do not have a safe shelter during severe weather. They also served to make Fowler school officials even more grateful that they had the foresight to build a Monolithic Dome multipurpose building to house their new gymnasium, band/vocal room and computer lab. The building, which is the first of its kind in Kansas, was funded in part by a $345,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Monolithic Dome Bulk Storage

Lafarge Cement Plant — Located in Ontario, Canada, Lafarge’s storage dome can hold 40,000 tons.

All manner of products, goods or items can be safely maintained in a Monolithic Dome bulk storage: grains, fruits, vegetables, meats, coal, fertilizer, pesticides, etc.

Woodsboro Wins $1.5 Million FEMA Grant to Build Safe Dome School

The city of Woodsboro is receiving a $1.5 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to fund construction of a Monolithic Dome school gymnasium/community center that will double as a county disaster shelter. Woodsboro is located near the Texas Gulf Coast and has sustained damage from Hurricane Ike and other severe storms.

September 2008 – Dome School Facility Proposed for Fowler, Kansas

USD225 in Fowler will find out in November whether it can build a futuristic, energy-efficient dome building to serve as a new multi-purpose facility. Voters will decide on November 4th whether to approve a $1.94 million bond issue that would fund construction of a Monolithic Dome structure that would house a computer/technology lab, a new band/vocal room, a new gymnasium, two locker rooms, and a commons/concession area.

Monolithic Dome high school fine arts center opens next week

Santa Fe Trails High School main theater under construction.

The Santa Fe Trail High School in Carbondale, Kansas opens their new Monolithic Dome fine arts center in a week. The facility houses a 500 seat theater, band room and choir room. The Osage County Herald-Chronicle reports that the second dome, a gymnasium, is expected to open September 21.

Major Survivability Concerns in Arkansas: An Ongoing Story

Terry Gray, State Hazard Mitigation Officer and Mitigation Branch Chief for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) sent an email to more than a dozen State and/or education administrators in Arkansas and to David B. South, president of Monolithic. In it, Mr. Gray explained that during the past six years his department oversaw more than $50,000,000 in grant programs that funded more than 80 community safe rooms, mostly in schools. The email ended with an invitation to an in-depth discussion of disaster survivability, that included a presentation by David B. South — the only invited guest speaker.

Monolithic Dome Airplane Hangars and the Invention of the Hangar Door

Rendering of a small Monolithic Dome hangar with lateral door used for a private jet. Millions of dollars are spent on private jets and corporate air travel yet these planes are often stored in hangars incapable of protecting the planes during violent weather. A Monolithic Dome hangar is a tiny price to pay to protect a multi-million dollar investment.

Read the story of the invention of the revolutionary Monolithic Dome Airplane Hangar Door in David B. South’s latest President’s Sphere. Monolithic Dome Airplane Hangars are super energy efficient, tornado safe, firesafe and earthquake safe. They are also about as bulletproof as you can make a building. Included in his story, is a sketch of a Monolithic Dome Hangar for the F-35 Airplane.

Featured Monolithic Dome Schools

America’s schools, both privately and publicly owned, are finding innovative ways to finance construction, seeking structures that will keep students safe from most natural and manmade disasters, and desiring facilities that use a minimum of energy. Read their stories.

School Business Affairs Magazine Features Monolithic Domes

School Business Affairs-June 2009

School Business Affairs, the only education magazine published specifically for school business management professionals, dedicated its June 2009 issue to the topic of risk management. It is fitting that one of the feature articles focuses on keeping students safe in Monolithic Dome schools.

Commercial Feasibility Study

Aggieland Dome — The 124′×40′ dome encompasses 12,000 square feet on the ground level and 2,400 square feet on the mezzanine level. The fitness area offers an oversized free weight area, quick circuit area, cardio machines with individual TVs on all 31 pieces, locker rooms with individual shower and dressing areas, and a sauna in the men and women’s locker rooms.  Building was completed in January 2004.

A Feasibility Study is a preliminary study for a project that compares the Monolithic Dome Process to other building systems. This preliminary analysis defines the design and intent of the project and provides an estimated budget and schedule, based on the best available information. Monolithic produces a Feasibility Study to assist a client before full design, management and/or construction services are engaged.

Sample Monolithic Dome School Pricing

Crockett, Texas: This Monolithic gymnasium and tornado shelter with 24,500 SF was partially funded by FEMA and will be completed in late 2013.

Today’s schools have two relatively new, major problems: 1) How to keep students safe; 2) How to design and maintain a campus that provides what the community needs and does it affordably.

Are Monolithic Domes’ exterior coverings fireproof?

The Monolithic Dome is as fire safe as you can build. The outside cover fabric can be damaged by fire. It can be covered using coatings, but if we are building in a high fire area, we recommend that the exterior of the dome get a 2” coat of concrete as well. Where we have done that, fire has passed right over the dome with virtually no damage.

Fowler, Kansas Clears The Way For a New Dome School

Fowler High School Rendering

School officials in Fowler will find out in November whether they can move ahead with a Monolithic Dome building to serve as a new multi-purpose facility. Voters will decide on November 4th whether to approve a $1.94 million bond issue that would fund construction of a Monolithic Dome structure that would house a computer/technology lab, a new band/vocal room, a new gymnasium, two locker rooms, and a commons/concession area.

Shapes: Torus

Perspective

Not as space-efficient as a dome, but it has some fun applications, i.e. a home with a center courtyard or garden. A good alternative to the full torus is a half-torus. With a half-torus, you don’t have to go through the living room to get to the courtyard. The dome facing a pond or some other feature, with access through a fence or a courtyard, has a lot of merit.

Monroe County, Mississippi school district awaits approval for two new domes

The Hatley and Hamilton Schools in the Monroe County School District, in Hatley, Mississippi are awaiting FEMA funding approval to build two new domes on their campuses. The new domes will feature a basketball gym, restrooms, a coach’s office, an electrical room and storage closets, and will also serve as a shelter for students, faculty as well as the community in the event of severe weather.

Vapor Drive

Water vapor molecules (or water in its gas form) try to evenly spread themselves. If one side of a room is full of water vapor molecules, the molecules will move to the other side until the room is evenly populated. In a room, this phenomenon is easily understood. It’s a little more complicated in the real world.