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Domes

MDI UPDATED 10 Feb 2021 Share this via Email Share this on Twitter Share this on Facebook Share this on Reddit Share this on Pinterest

Domes are often portrayed as the building of the future when they are actually one of humanity’s oldest structures. There are dome dwellings constructed as far back as 19,280 BC. The concrete dome Pantheon in Rome (126 AD) is the oldest, ancient structure with an intact roof and is still in use today. The Renaissance produced many famous domes, but the real renaissance in dome construction was in the 20th century.

Modern pioneers developed barrel-shells, hyperbolic paraboloids, folded plates, membrane theory, geodesic domes, concrete thin-shells, polyurethane foam, pneumatic structures, and — finally — the Monolithic Dome.

The Monolithic Dome is a super insulated, steel reinforced concrete thin-shell structure invented in 1976 by three brothers — David, Barry, and Randy South. There are Monolithic Domes all over the world used for houses, schools, gyms, bulk storages, tornado safe rooms, churches, and many more uses. Monolithic Domes are strong, energy-efficient, green, and beautiful. Sizes vary from 10-feet (3 m) to 340-feet (100 m) diameter with designs and engineering for larger structures.

The mission of the Monolithic Dome Institute is to teach and train individuals and organizations about the benefits and construction of the Monolithic Dome. However, our higher goal is to champion all curved architecture. We believe it’s time to stop building boxes. Architects, contractors, governments, engineers, and owners should expect more from the buildings where they live and work.

We will include news, projects, and topics not only about the Monolithic Dome but on all concrete domes — including the concrete-only Monolithic Ecoshell — plus thin-shells, geodesic domes, and other curved structures that inspire and push the state-of-the-art.

Monolithic Domes

Cutaway diagram of finished Monolithic Dome
7 Photos 7
Domes UPDATED 10 Feb 2021

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

Historic Domes

Dome shaped 25,000 year old Mammoth House
Domes UPDATED 10 Feb 2021

Domes of all sizes and purposes have been built for thousands of years. Widely regarded as the earliest known examples of dome-shaped structures, the huts built from mammoth bones found in Ukraine in the 1960s are believed to be about 15,000 years old. More recent examples of historic domes include the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, and the Pantheon in Rome, Italy.  … read more

Concrete Domes

Domes UPDATED 28 Jul 2020
 … read more
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