Dome News

Spring 2020 Workshop is CANCELED

POSTED 14 Mar 2020 By Dave South

The Spring 2020 Monolithic Dome Builders Workshop is canceled due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Everyone who signed up will receive a full refund. There are persuasive arguments that we should be proactive in limiting the spread of the virus. We can either voluntarily choose to sacrifice events and travel now, or the virus will likely force painful restrictions in the future. We choose the former for the sake of our workshop attendees and our staff. Hopefully, if we all work together, we can host the Fall 2020 Workshop in September. Thank you to everyone who signed up. We also thank everyone for fighting this pandemic and pray for those suffering from it — may they receive the care they need and recover quickly. … read more

Time-lapse of large ammonium nitrate storage inflated in Elkhart, Texas

POSTED 13 Jan 2020 By Dave South

It’s Monday morning, January 6, and Wayne Norsworthy with El Dorado Agricultural Products flipped the switch to the inflator fans. A 115-foot diameter by 92.5-foot tall Airform began to inflate. Soon, the tallest building in Elkhart, Texas is a Monolithic Dome Airform. … read more

Monolithic granted patent for Transverse Airform pattern

POSTED 10 Oct 2019 By MDI News

The offer for a commemorative plaque always arrives first when a patent is granted. The plaque company usually beats the patent office by a day or two. It’s an effective marketing strategy; after all, Monolithic has five of these plaques. Now there will be six. A couple of days later, the official notice from the United States Patent and Trademark office arrives. Monolithic Constructors, Inc., is granted patent number 10,400,462 for the “Transverse Span Airform Structure.” … read more

Luxury eco-tourism dome hotel coming to Costa Rica

POSTED 10 Oct 2019 By Dave South

A dome hotel is opening in Costa Rica this December. The IGLOO Beach Lodge is a series of individual Monolithic Domes surrounding a swimming pool. Each dome is a room with one or two beds with a huge windowed entryway. Vines will grow over the shells to complete what is billed as a luxury eco-tourism accommodation. … read more

Ohio opens first tornado shelter at Delaware State Park

POSTED 26 Aug 2019 By Dave South

Ohio is probably not the first State people think of when discussing tornadoes. Oklahoma or Kansas are more likely to provoke visions of violent skies and Dorothy running for the storm cellar. Yet, 36 tornadoes already struck Ohio this year — double the total tornadoes in 2018. “We are not dealing with a theoretical hazard,” said Sean Miller at the open house of the new Delaware State Park Tornado Shelter. “This is a very realistic hazard … and campers are vulnerable.” … read more

The “spaceship” house for sale again in Colorado

POSTED 20 Aug 2019 By Dave South

Architect Jason Elliott Purdy designed the “spaceship” house for Clarence and Louise Lederhos who constructed the dome in 1978. “For some reason, I always wanted to live in a round house,” said Louise Lederhos in an interview. “But it was the energy efficiency that drew us to this design.” In 2016, they sold their home. Today, it’s on the market again. … read more

Student prank covers MIT Great Dome with Captain America's shield

POSTED 10 Jun 2019 By Dave South

MIT students hacked the MIT Great Dome by turning it into Captain America’s shield in honor of Avengers: Endgame. Students carefully covered the dome with a fabric “shield” on Saturday, April 27, 2019, during the opening weekend of Endgame. MIT sophomore Raymond Huffman shot a drone video of the shield on Sunday morning. By Monday, the shield was taken down. … read more

Fantastic Colorado dome home with indoor salt-water swimming pool for sale

POSTED 5 Jun 2019 By milehimodern

There’s a palpable “wow factor” to this home. Surrounded by a sense of pleasure and possibility, the structural roots of this monolithic dome home define its genius. The brainchild of aeronautical engineer Chris Barnes, the dome was built intentionally to be a showplace for modern design, energy efficiency, optimism and individuality. … read more

Anonymous donor gifts dome gymnasium to Idaho community

POSTED 30 May 2019 By Dave South

Thanks to a generous, anonymous donation the community of Hansen, Idaho, has a new gymnasium. The Hansen School District owns the 120-foot diameter monolithic dome but shares it with the city. “This is a unique facility,” said Superintendent David Carson at Friday’s open house. “It’s a community school district partnership. Both entities will be able to use it — a lot.” … read more

Dave and Mary Spellings’ Palapa Pineapple taking shape in Belize

POSTED 21 May 2019 By Dave South

Interior construction is underway for Dave & Mary Spellings’ Monolithic Dome home — the Palapa Pineapple — in Belize. Dave Spellings said he got the idea about 25 years ago when he visited Ivan Sheinbaum’s Xanadu Resort on Ambergris Caye in Belize. “I wanted a smaller, more unique shape, with one room on top of the other. I squeezed the dome into the shape it’s in.” … read more

Monolithic Dome cameo in upcoming ABC TV show

POSTED 16 May 2019 By Dave South

A shoutout for the Monolithic Dome making a brief cameo in the trailer for ABC’s new show, Stumptown. The trailer clearly shows the cement storage facility built for Lone Star Northwest, Inc. on the Willamette River in downtown Portland, Oregon. … read more

Animals—and people—sheltered in dome during Hurricane Michael

POSTED 14 Nov 2018 By Dave South

Forecasts predicted Hurricane Michael would land in Panama City as a strong, but still manageable, Category 3 hurricane. Employees of the Humane Society of Bay County — along with their families, friends, cats, and dogs — spent the day preparing to ride out the hurricane under the protection of their Monolithic Dome. As everyone settled in for the night, no one expected anything too severe. Then Hurricane Michael intensified into the strongest hurricane to ever hit the Florida panhandle. … read more

Letter: Margaret tells her story of riding out Hurricane Michael in a Monolithic Dome home

POSTED 5 Nov 2018 By Margaret Clayton

I was not a bit afraid during Hurricane Michael. A South Florida newspaper said there were sustained winds of 185+ mph and gusts of 201 mph. I believe that as I watched the neighbor house explode and saw trees twist and fly apart. Debris pounded the dome viciously. My hurricane windows were fractured but held so no rain entered. … read more

Hurricane Michael smashes power transformer into Monolithic Dome home

POSTED 1 Nov 2018 By Dave South

Hurricane Michael smashed a power transformer into Margaret Clayton’s caterpillar shaped Monolithic Dome home. The home is a few miles southeast of Mexico Beach in Port Saint Joe, Florida. Clayton stayed in her home during the hurricane. Everything was going well — until her neighbor’s house exploded. … read more

Eye of the Storm for sale [SOLD]

POSTED 2 Jul 2018 By Stewart Ulrich

Located on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina is a beautiful Monolithic Dome home known as “Eye of the Storm.” That beachfront property can be yours because the home is now up for sale. Listed at $4.9 million, this hurricane proof home is spread across 4,097 square feet. It features three bedrooms, five bathrooms, and other amenities and is one of the most well-known dome homes in the country. … read more

Immersive 3D dome theater under construction at Hawaiian aquarium

POSTED 10 May 2018 By Stewart Ulrich

The Maui Ocean Center on the island of Maui will soon be the home of a Monolithic Dome functioning as a theater for the center. Ground was broken in April 2018 and construction is underway. … read more

Monolithic completes large logo on The Vanguard School dome

POSTED 1 Nov 2017 By Stewart Ulrich

Logo creation is one of the newest services Monolithic offers and this is the biggest one they’ve done yet. … read more

The Vanguard School holding open house for new dome

POSTED 29 Sep 2017 By Stewart Ulrich

The recently completed dome addition will be shown to the public for the first time. … read more

Shalom Dome gets underway

POSTED 4 May 2017 By Stewart Ulrich

After 20 years of dreaming, the Small family is finally seeing their desire for a dome home realized. The process of construction is underway, to their great excitement. They recount their journey in choosing to build a Monolithic Dome home. … read more

Construction begins on The Vanguard School dome addition

POSTED 11 Nov 2016 By Stewart Ulrich

The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs, CO is adding a Monolithic Dome to its campus. The building will serve as the junior high for the charter school and will house seventh- and eighth-graders. … read more

Community open house for Catoosa dome

POSTED 1 Nov 2016 By Stewart Ulrich

The Catoosa Cafeteria Monolithic Dome held an open house this week. The ceremony publically celebrated the opening of the domed addition to the school. … read more

A pioneering monolithic-style dome home for sale in Colorado [SOLD]

POSTED 27 May 2016 By Jana Easley

Rarely does a home with such a rich history and distinctive architecture become available. This extraordinary home — which sits on approximately 3 acres — was constructed in 1978 by the current, original owners. It was a time between two of the worst energy crises in the U.S. — 1973 and 1979 — caused by interruptions in petroleum exports from the Middle East. Oil prices skyrocketed, and many homeowners began to look for alternative energy sources to run their homes. Others decided the best solution was to use less energy. … read more

Aerial video of Catoosa, Oklahoma safe room under construction

POSTED 10 Dec 2015 By Dave South

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. … read more

Great news story with timelapse of Catoosa safe room inflation

POSTED 24 Nov 2015 By Dave South

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. … read more

Construction continues for event center with oblong shaped Monolithic Dome

POSTED 19 Feb 2015 By Dave South

Construction progresses for the new Mathena Event Center at Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center. This Monolithic Dome is especially interesting because of the non-standard shape of the dome itself — it’s roughly an oval around the perimeter wall. … read more

Italy High School gymnasium construction photo journal

Rendering of Italy High School gymnasium

POSTED 15 Jan 2001 By Kris Garrison

The Italy High School Multipurpose Center is a 148-foot diameter gymnasium in Italy, Texas. The finished gym will accommodate 1500 and is expected to be finished on December 1, 2001. The facility will be used for basketball, physical education, volleyball, theatrical performances, and more. Beyond the gymnasium floor, the building includes locker rooms, restrooms, storage, a concession stand, and a ticket booth. The dome will also serve as an emergency shelter during severe weather. … read more

Hurricane Keith huffed and puffed and …

POSTED 21 Dec 2000 By Freda Parker

Like the wolf of Three-Little-Pigs fame, Hurricane Keith huffed and puffed and literally blew homes down, but unlike our fairy tale wolf, Keith didn’t stop there. From Friday, September 29 to Sunday, October 1, 2000, Keith — a force 4 hurricane with winds up to 135 mph — raged over Ambergris Caye off the coast of Belize in the Caribbean Sea. With the ease of a giant weeding his garden, Keith uprooted trees, flattened buildings, overturned aircraft, and jettisoned boats onto rocks. Meanwhile, the severe, three-day rains Keith brought with him caused floods and mudslides, swept jetties away, and downed power lines. … read more