While FEMA Falters, Resilient Communities Rely on the Monolithic Dome

Interior of Monolithic Dome Tornado Shelter

Four tornado shelters in Central Ohio show how communities are investing in Monolithic Domes for long-term safety. FEMA helped fund most of them—though one town is still waiting. Whether or not FEMA continues to defray the costs of constructing tornado shelters, resilient towns have been choosing Monolithic Domes for decades. They cost the same as conventional structures but offer unmatched protection and performance.

Safety Starts at the Top: Anchor Points Make Dome Maintenance Easy

South Family Members Atop the Dome in Harnesses

DIY Photo Tutorial: Good maintenance of your Monolithic Dome involves cleaning and coating it every 5 to 10 years. These tasks can be done safely by installing one of our stainless steel Anchor Points, designed specifically for Monolithic Domes. This photo tutorial walks you through the steps involved in retrofitting your dome.

Building a New Monolithic Dome Home near Austin, Texas

Crews tie rebar at the top of the dome

Construction Photo Journal! We recently built a 43-foot-diameter dome home with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a spacious kitchen, and a dedicated utility space in the Hill Country of Central Texas. We snapped some photos during construction for this story illustrating the steps involved in building a Monolithic Dome home.

To Simplify Dome Home Financing, We Need More Dome-Friendly Contractors

Monolithic Dome Home Surrounded by Trees

One of the biggest hurdles in dome home construction is financing. Banks are much more willing to approve loans when a project follows a traditional package deal, meaning a general contractor, like Tri-Lakes Construction of Colorado, presents a proposal covering the entire build. This approach reassures lenders that the project will be completed as planned, unlike owner-managed projects, which carry more risk in the bank’s eyes.

Hurricane-Ready, Picture-Perfect: Explore This Florida Dome Home in Photos

The Palm Coast Double Dome Home in Bunnell, Florida

We love this new Monolithic Dome home in Florida so much, we hired a professional photographer to show it off. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a den, and a loft. The open living area and kitchen make the space feel warm and welcoming. Outside, the house is tucked into the trees beside a tranquil pond, and the screened-in porch is ideal for taking in the view.

Exploring the Creative Possibilities of Air-formed Construction

Airform for Multiple Oblate Ellipsoid Underground Dome Home

One of the most exciting parts of our work is designing and inflating complex shapes and connectors with Airforms. These flexible, inflatable molds allow us to push the boundaries of architecture—opening up almost limitless possibilities in building design. Recently, we’ve had a blast bringing some truly creative projects to life.

Pushing the Limits: Airform Seam Strength and Concrete Culverts

Test tube-shaped form inflated inside of our manufacturing facility in Italy, TX

Last year, we were asked to help build some forms for a precast culvert system. We were excited to be part of that project, but you have higher pressure requirements in a precast system. These higher requirements forced the question, how much pressure can these forms take?

A Quick Look at Construction of a South Carolina Hoop Dome

A Hoop Dome is a Monolithic Dome constructed with a Transition Ring Airform Membrane.

Monolithic superintendent Javier Figueroa took some great photos during the construction of a ring-beam footing and the attachment and inflation stages of a 55-foot hoop-style Monolithic Dome in South Carolina. Check out this quick photo journal.

Construction Photo Journal of New Two-Story Dome Home in Vermont

Airform inflated for a new two-story dome home in Vermont.

This photo journal depicts the construction of the dome shell for a house we recently completed in Vermont. It is an insider’s tour of the steps to construct a Monolithic Dome home. This home is a two-story dome with a 43-foot diameter. It sits on a 10-foot stemwall and is 25 feet tall in total.

Your New Favorite Airbnb—Sedona Domes!

Sedona Landmark Dome Home

On the edge of Sedona, Arizona, greeting travelers driving the Red Rock Scenic Byway, is Sedona Domes, created originally as “Xanadu of Sedona” in the early 90s. The Arizonan landmark has taken on a new identity with its current owners, Laura Lee and Paul Robear. The couple updated the historic Monolithic Dome home and share it with others via their highly-rated, popular Airbnb.

Inflation of Unique Airform for Clubhouse in Virginia

The Airform has six 60-foot-diameter interconnected domes.

In February, we started the patterning and manufacturing of one of our most unique projects for 2024. This Airform is for a clubhouse being built in Virginia. It is made up of six interconnected, 60-foot (12 m) diameter domes. Three domes will have massive cutouts in which glass walls will be installed.

How to Install Electrical Wiring in a Monolithic Dome

Embedding Electrical Conduits

Electrical wiring is more than power for lights, air conditioning, and toasters. It’s also phone calls, surfing the web, fire alarms, and a surround sound theater—any system where an electrical circuit is needed. With proper planning, wiring a Monolithic Dome—whether it’s a home, school, storage, or storm shelter—is straightforward.

2024 Monolithic Dome Research Park Tour

Bruco the Texas Italian Caterpillar oversees the Research Park

Come and tour the shops, offices, and houses at the Monolithic Dome Research Park in Italy, Texas. This FREE tour is open to the public on October 19, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and includes the famous Bruco: The Texas Italian Caterpillar.

Solar Success: How the Triple Dome Became a Model for Clean Energy

BYU Triple Dome Home

BYU’s Triple Dome, featuring a Monolithic Dome structure, showcases advanced energy efficiency and sustainable design. Built by over 50 students, this innovative eco-friendly home highlights BYU’s dedication to practical, hands-on learning in green building technologies.

Applying Synthetic Stucco to a Monolithic Dome Home in Milford, Texas

A 32’ diameter Monolithic Dome Home with a new synthetic stucco roof.

Some friends of Monolithic own a rental house in Milford, Texas, that was in dire need of some attention to the Airform. The house is about 20 years old, and the Airform has never been coated. Over the years, UV and weather damage has left the polyurethane foam exposed and blistering. A great way to renovate the exterior of a Monolithic Dome Home like this one is to patch the Airform and install a synthetic stucco coating.

Italy, Texas, Class of 2024 Holds Graduation in their Monolithic Dome

Congratulations to the Italy, Texas, high school graduating Class of 2024.

Italy High School intended to hold their graduation ceremony in their new, shiny stadium, but as the temperature continued to climb on Friday, it became clear it would be unsafe to hold the festivities outside. Late in the day, the school district sent an alert that graduation had been moved to the multipurpose Monolithic Dome gymnasium, the Gladiator Coliseum.

Remembering Larry Byrne, 1942-2024

On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, we laid to rest our friend and colleague, James Laurence Byrne, in the Sutton Cemetery near Rexburg, Idaho. Larry was a family man, church and community leader, farmer, former Air Force Captain, and a pioneer in the Monolithic Dome industry. For three decades, Larry served as chief designer at Monolithic, where he designed everything from houses to giant storages, developed standardized design elements still used across the dome industry, and consulted with engineers and architects as they worked to become familiar with dome design.

O’Toole, Inc.’s Fertilizer Storage Dome: Where Simple Means Profitable

An aerial view of O’Toole, Inc.‘s 60-foot diameter fertilizer storage dome in Letts, Iowa.

Greg O’Toole’s company, O’Toole, Inc., in Letts, Iowa, has been in the business of supplying farmers with what they need since 1981. Iowa grows more corn than any other state in the United States, at 2.5 billion bushels of corn a year, and the United States leads in corn production across the world, at 13.7 billion bushels a year, according to the Iowa Corn Growers Association. Greg chose a Monolithic Dome to contain the urea he supplies to keep that corn and other crops growing.

Learn to Build a Dome at the Spring 2024 Monolithic Dome Builders Workshop

Students take turns applying shotcrete to a Monolithic Dome they built during the workshop.

Have you ever wanted to build a Monolithic Dome? To get your hands dirty applying foam, hanging steel, and spraying shotcrete? Want to learn from dome builders with decades of experience? Now’s your chance. Come to the Spring 2023 Monolithic Dome Builders Workshop this April and build a genuine Monolithic Dome.

Easy Winter Construction of O’Toole’s Fertilizer Storage Dome—Step by Step in Pictures

O’Toole Fertilizer Storage in Letts, Iowa

Winter construction on a new fertilizer storage for O’Toole, inc. in Letts, Iowa, went very smoothly despite the weather. One of the great things about Monolithic Dome construction is that most of the work is done inside and out of the elements. This project highlighted that advantage and is a great example of the most efficient single-component dome storage that can be built.

The Art of Perfect Stucco on the Brown’s House

The stucco finish on the Brown’s Monolithic Dome Home in Aubrey, Texas.

This pictorial illustrates the steps we took to give Ryan Brown’s house in Aubrey, Texas, the perfect stucco exterior. The stucco system on Ryan Brown’s Monolithic Dome home will last 10 to 15 years before a top coat will be needed. The top coats are easy and cost-effective to apply and can be done by the homeowner or local paint contractor.

Carefully Renovated Monolithic Dome Home and Horse Ranch For Sale in Idyllic Rural Illinois

Round Tuit Ranch Monolithic Dome home sits on 3.3 acres in Polo, Illinois.

Round Tuit Ranch in Polo, Illinois, is for sale. The 2200 square foot, fully remodeled, Monolithic Dome home rests on 3.3 acres of park-like farmland. The home includes an open floor plan with a spacious kitchen and living room, four bedrooms, and two full baths. The acreage surrounding the dome provides a home for horses, too. There are fenced pastures, a 28-foot x 20-foot hay barn, and a 32-foot x 14-foot horse barn with three stalls.

Protecting People in Paradise—The Kauai Resilience Center

The preliminary sketch by Architect Rick Crandall

Planning and fundraising for the Kauai Resilience Center is underway. The three-dome disaster response center is designed to house a fire department, police, emergency medical personnel, and public shelters for up to 450 people. Up to 1500 people could take shelter in the center during an emergency. Jill Lowry, director of Anaina Hou Community Park, said that few structures on Kauai could survive winds stronger than a large tropical storm. She warns a hurricane could strike at any time, or a fire could rage, and she wants Kauai to be ready.

Double Feature—2023 Monolithic Dome Tour Plus Annular Eclipse

Tambrin Answers Questions

At about noon on October 14, 2023, an eclipse slid through the sky, and visitors stared upward, wearing special eyewear provided by Gary Clark of Monolithic. They came from all parts of Texas and from Southern states like Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Alabama. They spilled in from as far northwest as Washington state and from the Midwestern states of Oklahoma and Kansas. They arrived from the Buckeye State, Ohio; the home of the Hoosiers, Indiana; and the Rockies of Colorado. But they hadn’t come to see the eclipse; they came to tour the headquarters of the Monolithic Dome Institute.

Innovation Shines in Shell House

Shell House sits in the beautiful Catskill Mountains of New York.

Monolithic Dome homes are built to last; sometimes, they outlast their creators. The Shell House, designed in the Catskills by architect Seymour Rutkin, began 25 years ago as a light-filled sanctuary and as his dream come true. Since then, it’s become a place of incubation and inspiration for dozens of other dreamers. The Shell House still resonates with sparkling life.

A Country Living Gem of a Dome Home for Sale

The Claddagh Dome was built by the original owners who have loved their home for 25 years.

The Claddagh Dome, named for friendship, love, and loyalty, is a Monolithic Dome home for sale located near the DFW Metroplex. The energy-efficient house features 2,274 square feet of space, with an upper level of 1018 square feet and a lower level of 1256 square feet. The south-facing dome rests on two-thirds of an acre of gentle land in Azle, Texas. This suburban town of 13,712, only 14 miles northwest of Fort Worth, calls itself “the Gateway to Eagle Mountain Lake.” A nearby reservoir includes swimming beaches, three public boat ramps, camping, fishing, and water sports.

Maui Rises from Ashes After Losses in Lahaina

The Maui Ocean Center’s parking lot became a disaster relief hub after the August fires.

The recovery efforts on Maui continue unceasingly as families, homes, and businesses rise from the ashes, exhaustion, and grief caused by the wildfires of August 2023. “Everyone’s overwhelmed,” said Tapani Vuori, general manager of the Maui Ocean Center in Makawao. “It took more than a month to get things coordinated and cohesive. We had forty volunteers, but at first, the NGOs (non-governmental organizations) simply were not ready.”

Tasi Dome Proves Trustworthy in Typhoon

Stanley Hall and Linda Tatreau chose to build their Monolithic Dome home—the Tasi Dome—on the beautiful island of Guam.

When Typhoon Mawar hit Guam in May 2023, all of Stanley Hall and Linda Tatreau’s neighbors left the area, but Linda decided to stay at Tasi Dome. Stanley had traveled to San Diego, and Linda and her two dogs, Enzo and Thunder, rode out the strongest typhoon to hit Guam since 2002. The couple have been living in Tasi Dome on Guam for the past 11 years, and Linda feels safer there than anywhere else. “It’s strong in storms,” Linda said. “That’s why we built it.”

Fall 2023 Dome Builders Workshop Strengthens Skill Sets

The attendees of the Fall 2023 Dome Builders Workshop take a break after learning to spray shotcrete.

The adventurous entrepreneurs at the Fall 2023 Monolithic Dome Builders Workshop learned skills to create their own homes, and some of them also discovered a shared passion for bringing these sturdy, sustainable structures to their communities as affordable housing.

Eclipsed During the 2023 Arcadia Dome Tour

Fall Colors Surround Arcadia Dome Home

We love our Monolithic Dome home—Arcadia. We love how it makes us feel safe. It is always comfortable—year round. And when people are willing to travel across the U.S. just to see it, that makes it truly special.

Obituary: Arnold Wilson, 1933–2023

Dr. Arnold Wilson, 1933–2023

We are sad to report the passing of Arnold Wilson—husband, father, professor, engineer, and Monolithic Dome pioneer. He married his high school sweetheart, Joyce, and together they raised ten children. For forty years, he taught engineering at Brigham Young University (BYU). He was instrumental in the engineering of hundreds of Monolithic Domes.

Salt Storage Dome Satisfies Madison Heights

Sunshine Sparkles on the New Dome

The city of Madison Heights, Michigan, demolished its old uninsulated salt storage dome and replaced it with a Monolithic Dome. The reasons were simple: the Monolithic Dome was less money to construct than anticipated, has superior longevity and requires less overall maintenance. A report published by Marquette University said, “While a concrete dome also requires maintenance to protect it from the effects of salt and the elements, the interval is much less frequent, and the effects of the maintenance are much longer-lasting toward protecting the integrity of the structure.”

Chris and Shehla Hyser Plan Four Steps Ahead with Three-Dome Home

The Hyser Family’s Monolithic Dome Home

In Maryland, a triple dome home rises, named The Tatooine of Catoctin Mountains. The family loves their location, situated about two miles from the Appalachian Trail. “When I was a Boy Scout, I hiked from Susquehanna to the Potomac over ten weekends,” owner Chris Hyser said. The Hysers reported that high winds sweep across the mountains and can be a problem in their area, so they had safety and permanence in mind when they decided to build a Monolithic Dome as their forever home.

Monolithic Dome Tour—October 14, 2023

Monolithic Dome Tour 2023

The Monolithic Dome Research Park is opening to the public for tours on October 14, 2023. Plus, there is a dome home in Utah showing the same day as well. Both tours are free and open to the public.