Nine Days to Done: A Modern Monolithic Dome Storm Shelter with World War II Windows
Inside the tornado shelter—this simple Monolithic Dome safe room comes complete with a Tornado Tamer door and custom-installed ship porthole windows and offers long-term protection, emergency readiness, and year-round functionality.
When Leslie Mezzabifera decided to build a storm shelter, she didn’t cut corners. She owns an RV park, and she knew people would need a safe, reliable place to go when severe weather shows up uninvited. Storms don’t give you a heads up, so she was ready to move fast.
We sent our crew out, and they got right to work. Nine days later, the shelter was done. It was built with care, precision, and close attention to every detail.
It started with a straightforward design. But like most good builds, it got better along the way. We added an extended augment with a reinforced concrete wall, and for even more security, we installed a Tornado Tamer door. That door was sprayed directly into the concrete to create a safe room.
[Left] A clear look at the reinforced walls and one of the heavy-duty ship portholes. The dome disaster shelter is an amenity that will draw guests to Mezzabifera’s RV park. [Right] Mezzabifera found these WWII portholes herself. We built the Airform to fit them. They seal from the inside and add serious strength and style.
Mezzabifera had some great ideas of her own, too. She tracked down some old World War II ship porthole windows that resembled those from the Titanic. We adjusted the Airform to fit them, and the final result looked incredible. Those portholes aren’t just for show. Each one can be sealed from the inside with heavy metal covers, giving it a strong, industrial feel and serious storm protection.
The whole thing came together fast. The finished product is a tough, good-looking storm shelter that blends security and style. Leslie plans to keep emergency supplies and a solar-charging battery pack inside so it’s always ready.
This is what Mezzabifera had to say about the construction process in an email received shortly after the crew returned home:
I wanted to take the time to express our gratitude to everyone at Monolithic. Mr Javier and crew… were outstanding and in nine days completed the work. The choice to think outside the box for storm windows by using WW2 ships’ portal windows seems to have been the perfect choice. In the event of a hurricane, we can easily tighten down the heavy metal cover from the inside for convenience. My family and I cannot thank everyone enough for the peace of mind this has provided to us. I’m enclosing some pictures for you. We have work to do on completing our setup, but even now it is sufficient, should we need to stay in it. Words can’t express our thanks.
It’s true, a structure like this is an investment. But it’s not just a storm shelter, it can double as a durable, secure space that stays useful year-round. For the guests at Mezzafibera’s RV Park, the Monolithic Dome shelter is an amenity that’s hard to beat—a safe and comfortable place to run to when disaster strikes.