READ MORE ABOUT MDI READ MORE ABOUT THE NEW MONOLITHIC DOME INSTITUTE GO TO MONOLITHIC.ORG
Domes
Uses
News
Events
Projects
Shop
Resources
Search
Main Menu
MDI Logo
Search
Monolithic Dome Institute

Monolithic Dome News & Stories

MDI UPDATED 27 Apr 2022 Share this via Email Share this on Twitter Share this on Facebook Share this on Reddit Share this on Pinterest
Johnson Creek School in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin

The Monolithic Dome Institute News & Stories section with news stories, blog posts, curated content, and feature stories about the world of Monolithic Domes, thin shell structures, and curved architecture.

Feature Stories | Dome News | Think Round | In The Media

Honoring sunflower yellow and sky blue

A yellow and blue dome shows our emblem of support for Ukraine.
Think Round POSTED 25 Apr 2022 By Dave South

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

Why and how Rocketship is building a Monolithic Dome gym and cafeteria

Rendering of Monolithic Dome gym and cafeteria.
6 Photos 6
Dome News POSTED 30 Mar 2022 By Dave South

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

Learn to build a dome at the Spring 2022 Monolithic Dome Builders Workshop

Students learning to apply shotcrete.
Dome News POSTED 9 Mar 2022 By Dave South

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

On a hill, among the rocks and trees, sits a splendid Monolithic Dome home — for sale

Gray concrete exterior.
26 Photos 26
For Sale POSTED 28 Jan 2022 By Dave South

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

Beautiful ‘Forgotten Coast’ beach house for sale

The caterpillar shaped design of Golden Eye dome home.
12 Photos 12
For Sale POSTED 24 Jan 2022 By Dave South

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

Photo tour of Hawaiian dome home

The house with an open ground floor and living space above.
24 Photos 24
For Sale POSTED 20 Jan 2022 By Dave South

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

Hard math, made easy, when calculating a horizontal ellipsoid

Orthographic sketch of a horizontal ellipsoid dome.
5 Photos 5
Think Round POSTED 7 Jan 2022 By Dave South

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

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.
In The Media 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

Throwback: Why Avalon chose a Monolithic Dome gym

Aerial view of the Avalon Multipurpose Center.
Dome News POSTED 29 Nov 2021 By Dave South

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

Throwback: The world’s oldest monolithic dome — the Pantheon

The entrance to the Pantheon in Rome, Italy.
Think Round POSTED 28 Jul 2021 By Dave South

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

Central City to build Nebraska's first Monolithic Dome gymnasium

Gymnasium interior rendering
In The Media 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

Throwback: Houston area church is a dome of many firsts

Flying over the job site reveals the scope of work.
6 Photos 6
Dome News POSTED 1 Jul 2021 By Dave South

Today’s throwback story is from 1984 with a dome of firsts — the Maranatha Church — the first Monolithic Dome over 200-feet diameter, the first dome proving energy savings enough to pay for the building, and the first high capacity auditorium with seating for over 4,000. … read more

The South’s say goodbye to the South Sawmill Lodge

Aerial view of South Sawmill Lodge in Island Park, Idaho.
16 Photos 16
Features POSTED 16 Jun 2021 By Dave South

It’s time to say goodbye to the South Sawmill Lodge. Randy South’s family of South Industries started the 90-foot diameter dome in 2009 on the old family homestead in Island Park, Idaho. Over the next four years, the family squeezed in time to finish the dome which became a lodge and reunion center rented out to dozens of families over the years. The lodge sold this spring. … read more

The easy way to calculate a dry bulk storage dome

Sketch of the medium dome design template.
6 Photos 6
Think Round POSTED 15 Jun 2021 By Dave South

How big is a Monolithic Dome that stores 10,000 tons of ammonium nitrate? Or 750,000 bushels of corn? Or 34,000 metric tonnes of gypsum? These are straightforward questions without quick answers — until now. … read more

Throwback: Breckon Sports Center at Park University’s underground school

Nighttime at Breckon Sports Center.
Dome News POSTED 11 Jun 2021 By Dave South

Today’s throwback is the story of an innovative school with an equally innovative campus — the largest underground educational campus in the world. When the school needed a new gymnasium they sought a solution as innovative as building underground — the Monolithic Dome. … read more

The dome builder workshops are back!

Monolithic Dome Builders Workshop Alumni.
Dome News POSTED 3 Jun 2021 By Dave South

It’s back! After a year and a half hiatus, the Monolithic Dome Builders Workshop resumes again in September 2021. Coronavirus restrictions are lifting. Travel is returning. We can finally gather to teach, discuss, and build another Monolithic Dome. … read more

A stunning tour of the red rock Chavez Ranch Road dome home

Red rock coated Monolithic Dome home
18 Photos 18
For Sale POSTED 20 Apr 2021 By Dave South

Stunning is the only word for it. It is a massive, red-rock coated Monolithic Dome nestled among the red landscape of Sedona, Arizona. The house contains 10 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, a fitness room, a theater, a beautiful kitchen, and so much more. … read more

Over the edge with vertical ellipsoids

Sketch of concepts used in the vertical ellipsoid dome calculator
Think Round POSTED 18 Mar 2021 By Dave South

Inflatable shapes are the basic components of Monolithic Dome design. If it inflates, it can be constructed … probably. There are two primary shapes that dominate dome design — the sphere and half-ellipsoid. However, these are not the whole design palette. Sometimes we need to go beyond the basics. or in this case, beyond half of the ellipsoid. … read more

Rare winter storm wreaks havoc in Texas

The Callisto.
5 Photos 5
Think Round POSTED 23 Feb 2021 By Mike South

Monolithic Domes are amazing. The insulation, coupled with the concrete’s thermal mass, creates an atmosphere that is hard to describe. Simply put, it feels the same today as it does in the middle of summer. If you set the thermostat at 70 (21°C), it just stays there. During the two-degree, 24 hour period, my heater ran for a total of 9 hours. This is a small heater, with only 30,000 BTUs. Most homes the size of mine have 100,000 BTU heaters, but even my neighbors with electricity struggled to stay warm with heaters running nearly 24/7. … read more

Refactoring the ellipsoid calculator

Ellipsoid dome conceptual sketch
Think Round POSTED 28 Jan 2021 By Dave South

Circles and spheres are easy to measure. Calculating a spherical dome’s floor area, surface area, perimeter, and volume are straightforward mathematical formulas. When I wrote the new Spherical Dome Calculator, the challenge was the scaled drawing, not the computed values. Ellipsoids — on the other hand — are hard. … read more

WSAW-TV covers gymnasium dome inflation in Spencer, Wisconsin

Partially inflated Airform membrane for Spencer gym
In The Media 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

TBT: Design inspiration in a frozen hotel

"White Santorini" art suite
12 Photos 12
Think Round POSTED 17 Dec 2020 By Dave South

In today’s Throwback Thursday we revisit the Ice Hotel — 200 km north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. This unique hotel is built and rebuilt every winter using ice, snow, and a lot of creativity. It’s a masterpiece of design and is an inspiration for curved architectural elements that could be built — permanently — in a Monolithic Dome. … read more

Obituary: David Barney South, 1939-2020

David and dome map
6 Photos 6
Dome News POSTED 3 Nov 2020 By Dave South

We are sad to announce the passing of David Barney South Sr. — husband, father, entrepreneur, and inventor. David was married to the late Judy Lynne South (née Bates), and they raised nine children together. He co-invented the Monolithic Dome with his brothers, and they built a new construction industry. … read more

Tour a remarkable underground Monolithic Dome home for sale in North Texas

The hobbit house entrance to the underground Monolithic Dome house in Buffalo, Texas.
18 Photos 18
Features POSTED 21 Oct 2020 By Rebecca South

The underground dome house in North Texas is getting a lot of attention. This completely hidden Monolithic Dome home is totally unique, absolutely private, and currently up for sale. In addition to real estate listings and coverage by local news websites, national news outlets like HouseBeautiful.com and Today.com have published stories about this unusual house. … read more

Visualizing the spherical dome calculator

Spherical dome calculator conceptual sketch
Think Round POSTED 14 Oct 2020 By Dave South

Eighteen years ago, I wrote the first dome calculator for our website. I’d used the formulas before in spreadsheets, pattern programs, and even a script for the Palm Pilot. Writing the little program in the new web language of Javascript was fun. We still use it today, but it’s showing its age. The old calculator doesn’t work well on phones, and it has a dated, turn-of-the-millennium style. We have a new website; it is time for a new calculator. … read more

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • …
  • Next ›
  • Last »
Contact Us | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy
RSS Newsfeed @monolithicdomes
© 1996–2022 Monolithic Dome Institute LLC
© 1996–2022 Monolithic Dome Institute LLC