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David, Barry, and Randy South built the first Monolithic Dome home for their mother, Marjorie South, my grandmother. Instead of calling her Grandma or Granny, she had us call her “Marj.” … read more
The Monolithic Dome Institute (MDI) advances the construction of the Monolithic Dome — a super insulated, steel reinforced, thin-shell concrete structure. Built worldwide for residential, commercial, and industrial uses the Monolithic Dome is beautiful, energy efficient, green, and strong.
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David, Barry and Randy South switched on the inflator fans to construct the first Monolithic Dome in April 1976. It was for a potato storage in Shelley, Idaho — 105-feet diameter by 35-feet tall, which was pretty ambitious for their first dome. It changed their lives. They patented the process and started changing the world, one dome at a time.
Today, there are Monolithic Domes throughout the United States and the world — from the Arctic to the tropics — used for schools, storages, churches, homes, gymnasiums, safe rooms and much more. There are domes as small as 8-feet to over 340-feet diameter with engineering for even larger structures. … read more
The colors of the Ukrainian flag — sunflower yellow and sky blue — are everywhere. The colors grace magazines, landmarks, clothing, flowers, and even cosmonauts. We are adding our own emblem of support with a Monolithic Dome twist — and a plea. … read more
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Rocketship Public Schools is constructing an early-elementary charter school in Fort Worth, Texas. The new two-story school building will feature an attached Monolithic Dome multipurpose gymnasium, cafeteria, and storm shelter. The concrete dome shell is complete and while we wait for the August 2022 opening, we can discuss two reasons this particular dome is unique — why they built it and the way it’s made. … read more
Last September we held the first Monolithic Dome Builders Workshop since the pandemic began in March 2020. Over a dozen students from across the US came to learn to build a real Monolithic Dome. After a winter of uncertainty, we can safely do it again at the Spring 2022 Monolithic Dome Builders Workshop. … read more
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Beverly and Kenneth Garcia are selling their Monolithic Dome home, the wonderfully named Sweet Dome Alabama. This amazing house is built on a hillside — 140-feet above the valley floor — on 45 acres surrounded by a forest near New Hope, Alabama. The combination of woodsy interior and tri-dome shape make this home both futuristic and rustic. … read more
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Margaret Clayton is selling her Monolithic Dome home, Golden Eye. Set on Beacon Hill near Mexico Beach, Florida, the house is caterpillar shaped to fit the narrow lot. Traffic in front of the house is light even though it is only one street back from the busy beach road. It’s also an easy walk to two public access paths to the beach. … read more
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Back in 2020, Jo King listed her Hawaiian home for sale. Needless to say, selling a home during a pandemic proved more than a little challenging. Instead, she pulled it from the market. Now she thinks it’s time to try again. Her Monolithic Dome home is in one of the most beautiful settings we have ever seen — on the island of Kauai. … read more
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What are the areas and volume of a horizontal ellipsoid dome? There isn’t an easy answer. Spherical domes have well-defined formulas. Vertical ellipsoids are symmetrical. But tip an elliptical dome on its side, and measuring it gets a whole lot harder. … read more
The small town of Spencer, Wisconsin, dedicated a new Monolithic Dome gym and arts facility this past weekend. The dome was part of a $5.9 million upgrade to the high school with FEMA providing $2.9 million as a grant to construct the dome as a shelter-in-place facility during severe weather. … read more
Twenty years ago, the school board in Avalon, Texas, broke ground on a new Monolithic Dome gymnasium. It would be more than just a place for playing ball, it became a classroom, concert hall, community center, and — when necessary — a storm shelter. No wonder it’s called the Avalon Multipurpose Center. … read more
The Pantheon is arguably the first monolithic dome. Not in the sense of the modern, insulated structure, but as the original one-piece, monolithic, concrete dome — the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. No other significant structure of antiquity has survived as well preserved nor with the roof intact. … read more