Drummond Public Schools Gymnasium
Aerial view of Drummond Public Schools Gymnasium under construction. The gym is also a FEMA P-361 rated safe room. Students from the main buildings all shelter in the dome during tornado warnings.
The multi-purpose Monolithic Dome at Drummond Public Schools serves as a gymnasium, auditorium, classroom, and FEMA rated safe-room. The K-12 school completed the 123-foot (35.5 m) diameter by 39-foot (12 m) tall structure in 2016.
Construction began in spring 2015 with a foundation and 13-foot (4 m) tall concrete block stem wall. The 26-foot (8 m) tall Airform membrane inflated on June 24, 2015. It is the first dome to use the horizontally patterned Transverse Airform membrane. Dome construction ended in August with interior construction completed in time for school in fall 2016.
The 11,900 square foot (1,100 m²) facility includes a gymnasium floor, small stage, restrooms, storages, and a large classroom. The dome is part of the Oklahoma safe room initiative and partly funded through grants for emergency shelters. It meets the FEMA P-361 standard for safe shelter during tornadoes and can contain the entire 340+ students from the nearby school buildings.
Drummond Public Schools serves pre-k, kindergarten, and grades one through twelve for the small community of Drummond, Oklahoma, near Enid and 90 minutes north of Oklahoma City.