In The Media

Spencer schools dedicates new gym and arts center in Wisconsin

Light snow on top of the Monolithic Dome gymnasium and arts center in Spencer, Wisconsin.

Posted 7 Dec 2021 By Dave South

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

Central City to build Nebraska's first Monolithic Dome gymnasium

Posted 15 Jul 2021 By Dave South

Central City Public Schools is constructing the first Monolithic Dome gymnasium in Nebraska. When the dome is opened in August 2020, it will seat 2,500 spectators and shelter over 3,000 people during severe weather. The facility is years in the making and it started with a simple internet search. … read more

WSAW-TV covers gymnasium dome inflation in Spencer, Wisconsin

Partially inflated Airform membrane for Spencer gym

Posted 7 Jan 2021 By Dave South

“It’s a great day to be a Spencer Rocket,” said district administrator Mike Endreas at the Spencer Public Schools gymnasium dome inflation. District officials turned on the fans to inflate the 107-foot diameter dome on Saturday, January 2. WSAW-TV was on hand to capture the event. … read more

Easter Sunday tornados send residents to Monolithic Dome safe rooms

Posted 13 Apr 2020 By Dave South

A tornado outbreak, Sunday evening, wreaked havoc throughout the south. Residents in Starkville, Mississippi, took refuge in a Monolithic Dome safe room. … read more

The ‘Texas Bucket List’ features Monolithic Dome Research Park in Italy, Texas

Posted 6 Apr 2020 By Dave South

UPDATE: Now watch the full segment online. This week, The Texas Bucket List is featuring the Monolithic Dome Research Park on their weekly, syndicated television program. Entering its fourteenth season of “sharing the joy, wonder, beauty and excitement of Texas,” host Shane McAuliffe interviews Gary Clark and tours the Monolithic Domes in Italy, Texas. It’s fun to be profiled by a Texas program, after all, the 240-foot long caterpillar shaped manufacturing plant — Bruco: The Texas Italian Caterpillar — is an iconic landmark on Interstate 35E. … read more

Quick Look: Monolithic Dome safe rooms in the news, Jan 2020

Congressman Kevin Brady speaks about FEMA grant

Posted 23 Jan 2020 By Dave South

Several Monolithic Dome safe rooms recently made it into the news. A nearly completed safe room in Mississippi was used for the first time as a large storm approached the community. Tuscaloosa, Alabama, opened its new community center and tornado shelter dome. A first responder safe room grant awarded to Covenant Christian School in Texas. And a Tennessee high school applies for FEMA grant for a combined gymnasium and safe room. … read more

Engineering.com article calls for buildings to survive AFTER disasters

Posted 6 Aug 2019 By Dave South

A building must do more than stand during a disaster. It must be useful afterward. Water infiltration and other issues can render a still-standing structure useless. Emily Pollock digs into this issue in her Engineering.com article, Outside In: Designing Building Envelopes to Withstand Climate Change. … read more

Wisconsin newspaper features Johnson Creek’s new domed school

Posted 14 Sep 2016 By Dave South

The Wisconsin State Journal featured the Johnson Creek middle and high school as they begin their first year in the new school. It is the first Monolithic Dome school in Wisconsin and the district went all-in, creating a five-dome campus with a gym, cafetorium, administration offices, and two classroom domes. Barry Adams writes about these first days and what the district plans for in the future. … read more

Monolithic Dome tourism at Johnson Creek’s new high school

Superintendent Garvey tours school construction

Posted 12 Jan 2016 By Dave South

The Monolithic Dome high school in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin is also becoming a sort of tourist attraction. In a Wisconsin State Journal article, Superintendent Michael Garvey reports adding tour guide to his job. “Garvey frequently hands out hard hats and makes the rounds with taxpayers, area superintendents, construction design professionals and anyone else with a curiosity about the facility scheduled to open for the start of the 2016-17 school year.” … read more

First dome school in Wisconsin on schedule

Brick-like appearance of concrete stem-wall

Posted 2 Dec 2015 By Dave South

Five Monolithic Domes under construction in Wisconsin will become the first Monolithic Dome school in the state. The Johnson Creek Middle School / High School will include classrooms, gymnasium, cafetorium (cafeteria and small auditorium), administration offices, and more. Good weather and hard work mean that construction is slightly ahead of schedule. Everyone is optimistic it will all be ready for the 2016-17 school year. … read more

‘Eye of the Storm’ in the news again

Posted 9 Sep 2011 By Carol Cirulli Lanham

It’s perhaps the best known of all the Monolithic Dome homes in the world, and it continues to make headlines every time a hurricane threatens the U.S. mainland. The Eye of the Storm on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, was the focus of another news feature after Hurricane Irene hit the East Coast. … read more

Avalon dome provides safe haven during tornadoes

WFAA news 8 van parked outside Monolithic Dome gym.

Posted 28 Apr 2011 By Carol Cirulli Lanham

When the Avalon Independent School District in Texas needed a new multipurpose building, Superintendent David Del Bosque had safety at top of his mind. Since the nearby Italy school district had just completed a Monolithic Dome gymnasium center of its own, the decision was easy. “I personally was concerned about safety for students: the stability of the building in case of a storm,” Del Bosque said, adding that when he saw Italy’s dome, he knew that it was “the safest structure anywhere.” … read more

Xanadu Island Resort earns a Green Globe

Posted 4 May 2010 By Carol Cirulli Lanham

The Xanadu Resort in Belize was the first Monolithic Dome resort in Central America and the Caribbean when it opened in 1998. Now it can lay claim to another first. The property recently became the first Green Globe Certified Island Resort in the town of Ambergis Caye, according to The San Pedro Sun. … read more