Students Came to Work at the 2026 Spring Monolithic Dome Builders Workshop
The class of 2026 Spring Monolithic Dome Builders Workshop in front of Bruco.
Another excellent Monolithic Dome Builders Workshop is complete, with 25 hard-working and attentive students from all over the US and even the UK. In five days, they completed an unusual addition to a Monolithic Dome Home.
Heads up, Workshop prices are changing. Keep reading.
[Left] A Workshop student adds water to the skid-steer mounted concrete mixer. [Right] Students, some covered with concrete, stand outside the inflated Airform discussing what they are learning.
Monolithic Dome Builder Workshops are hands on with students observing and then applying shotcrete themselves.
For the 25 students at this workshop, it was all about getting things done.
“This group came here to work,” said Mike South, president of Monolithic. One example, “When we were mixing concrete, I was on the skid steer while they self-organized the whole mixing process—adding cement, water, and ensuring it mixed thoroughly. What a great group!”
This is the story of the week—hard working and involved. They sprayed foam, tied steel, mixed concrete, and applied shotcrete. The class finished the shell by Saturday.
And what an unusual shell. The original plan was a small duplex on a property about two miles from the Research Park. That didn’t work out, so we pivoted to something a little different.
The Oberon is a 32-foot diameter Monolithic Dome Home built in 1991—one of the first domes constructed in Italy, Texas. At 804 square feet, it’s a nice little two-bedroom, one-bathroom home.
It could be expanded by building a new dome next to it and connecting them with a conventional hallway.
Unfortunately, that won’t work for an unusual reason. There is a gas pipeline running north to south along the west end of the property. It’s parallel to Bruco and runs fairly close to the Oberon.
We cannot cross the pipeline easement, so the addition required a unique solution. Instead of a dome, it’s more like a tube attached directly to the Oberon.
Foundation for the addition to the Oberon, a two bedroom, one bathroom home. A gas pipeline next to the property dictated the space and created an opportunity for a unique shell design.
[Left] The custom Airform attached to the foundation and the Oberon itself. [Right] Inflating the Airform.
Workshop attendees worked inside the inflated form for five days—spraying polyurethane foam, hanging steel rebar, and applying shotcrete.
That’s a poor way to describe it. Maybe think of it more like a loaf of bread squished tight against the home. Whatever it looks like, the design would work. It wouldn’t encroach on the pipeline and would add several hundred square feet to the dome home.
This is also another reason why this place is called the Monolithic Dome Research Park. We want to try new things here, so we can apply what we learn to your projects.
Workshop Price Increase
Tuition for the 2027 Spring Dome Builders Workshop is increasing by $500. Construction prices, just like everything else, are going up. We held back as long as we could, but we need to make this increase. The early-bird price will be $2495.
The good news. The 2026 Fall Workshop is still the same price—$1995 with the early-bird discount. If you have ever thought of coming, now is the time. Sign up soon!
The Oberon is now “inside” the finished shell. A new primary bedroom, bathroom, living room, and utility room will finish the interior.