The Monolithic Dome

by David B. South and Freda Parker
May 8, 2007

What is a Monolithic Dome?
Simply defined, the Monolithic Dome is a super-insulated, steel-reinforced concrete structure that can be designed for virtually any use: office or business complex; school; church, synagogue or temple; gymnasium or sports arena; theater or amphitheater; airplane hangar; factory; bulk storage facility; house or apartment complex; military installation, etc.

What makes a Monolithic Dome a better structure and a better buy?
Advantages of a Monolithic Dome fall into three general categories: Economy, Security, Aesthetics and Comfort.

• Economy in Construction - Generally, the construction cost of a Monolithic Dome is less than that of a conventional building of the same size with similar fittings and fixtures. A streamlined construction process and the use of only four major ingredients contribute significantly to the dome's economy. Those principal ingredients or materials are an Airform, polyurethane foam, rebar and concrete.

An Airform is an inflatable fabric structure, made of PVC coated nylon or polyester fabrics. When inflated, the Airform determines the shape and size of the finished building, and it remains on the structure as its roof membrane.

In the construction of a Monolithic Dome, a thickness of polyurethane foam is sprayed on the inside of an inflated Airform. Polyurethane foam is a superior insulator. When sprayed in place, it expands to thirty times its original size, sets in seconds and fills every nook and cranny, completely sealing a structure. This foam is virtually waterproof, forms its own vapor barrier and adds structural strength.

Rebar is a steel bar with ridges that is used to strengthen concrete. In Monolithic Dome construction, rebar hangers that will hold the rebar are placed into the foam, following a pattern predetermined by the dome's size and shape. As in the construction of bridges, tunnels and roads, rebar reinforces the dome's concrete.

Concrete used in the building of a Monolithic Dome is called Shotcrete. It's a special mix of concrete that is spray-applied to a specific thickness, depending on the dome's size. Shotcrete covers the foam and embeds the rebar on the inside of the dome. Click here to view an illustration of the construction process.

The construction of a Monolithic Dome is not restricted by either time or most weather conditions, since majority of the work takes place inside the inflated Airform. Generally, construction can continue around-the-clock in rain or snow, eliminating costly work stoppages.

• Economy in Operation - Every structure requires care. But Monolithic Domes usually require less maintenance because there's less potential for problems. The dome's curvilinear design, its straightforward building process and its superior materials keep maintenance to a minimum.

Moreover, a Monolithic Dome ages better than do most other types of structures. Virtually unaffected by either time, weather, termites, mold or mildew, the dome has a lifespan of not just years, but centuries.

Monolithic Domes are energy-efficient. They are super insulated with polyurethane foam sandwiched between an Airform on the outside and concrete on the inside. Thus, they use 50% less energy for heating and cooling.

• Security - Monolithic Domes have a proved ability to survive tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes. They therefore meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency's criteria for providing near-absolute protection. During a natural disaster, a Monolithic Dome protects its occupants from injury or death.

A Monolithic Dome provides fire protection as well. If a fire attacked the outside of a Monolithic Dome, it might damage the Airform and even melt the foam, but the concrete would survive, and the fire would not burn through.

Tests conducted by the Monolithic Dome Institute have shown that domes can easily tolerate some man-made hazards, such as rifle fire and small explosives. They make suitable, safe housing for military personnel, supplies and equipment.

• Aesthetics and Comfort - Whether its lines are straight or curved, any structure appears bare and unattractive when it's first built and unenhanced. But just as enhancements can soften and beautify straight lines and corners, they can do the same -- often more easily -- for the gracefully curved exterior of a dome.

As for the interior, the uninterrupted openness of a Monolithic Dome lends itself to a myriad of designs.

Choosing a Profile and Shape
The profile of a dome determines the size of its surface area or dome shell, and the amount of surface area significantly affects construction cost. In other words, the more surface area there is, the more expensive it will be.

Hemisphere or Oblate Ellipse?
In a dome that is a hemisphere, the area of the floor is equal to pi (3.14159) multiplied by the radius squared or pi X radius X radius. The surface area of that hemisphere is exactly 2 X pi X radius squared. So, the surface area of a hemisphere dome is precisely twice that of its floor area.

But most of us live only in the bottom eight feet of a structure. Some of that space above us may not be what we want or need. In that case, we might consider a different profile.

An oblate ellipse may better suit us. It can save a considerable amount of square footage of the dome shell and still provide us with virtually the same amount of floor or living area.

For that reason, most of the homes Monolithic designs have an oblate ellipse profile. That includes two-story domes; they go straight up and are then topped with an oblate ellipse.

Big Domes
When we design big domes with diameters of at least 200 feet, we have to be even more cognizant of the geometry. Consider a dome that is 200 feet in diameter and 50 feet in height. That's a great dome! Its surface area equals 39,270 square feet; its floor area equals 31,416 square feet. So, the surface area is only 25 percent larger than its floor area. We have used the least amount of materials to build this dome, but we have given ourselves a maximum amount of usable square footage.

Now consider what happens when we keep the diameter at 200 feet but raise the height and create a dome that is 200' X 67.6'. Its floor area remains at 31,416 square feet, but its surface area increases to 45,802 square feet. Obviously, such an increase affects price and is not something you want to do if there is no need for it.

And here's what happens if we design that same dome as a hemisphere, 200' X 100': floor area = 31,416 square feet; surface area = 62,832 square feet.

An Appropriate Profile
Sometimes people want a dome with a profile that is not appropriate to their needs. For example, a 200' X 100' hemisphere dome is not a good choice for a church. To enclose its floor area, you must build 62,832 square feet of surface area! A church has no practical use for all that space above the congregation.

On the other hand, that very same hemisphere is a most appropriate choice for a bulk storage facility. If you're storing fertilizer, for example, you want and need all that upper space. You might even consider designing your storage dome with an integrated stemwall of twenty, thirty or forty feet and topping it with a hemisphere.

We have illustrated three domes, each with exactly the same amount of floor area below 14 feet in height. But each has a different footprint and a different surface area. It's important that dome buyers understand these relationships so they can get the maximum benefit for their money

At Monolithic, we are more than happy to review the geometry of any project.

Shapes

Here are most of the pure geometric shapes we use in designing the Airforms that are inflated to build Monolithic Domes. These shapes are shown individually. But they can be intersected with each other to provide additional combinations. And their connections can be smoothed to better define the sculptured shapes. In addition to these regular shapes, others can be airformed as well.

FAQs about Monolithic Dome shapes
1) Since the center section is not constructed in a torus, is it less expensive to build?
Actually, no. The dome curves in on itself again to make the tube, thereby increasing the surface area of the dome shell.

2) What is the usual size of a torus and have you ever built one? A common home size is 66 feet in diameter with a 32-foot diameter center section. It definitely can be much larger. So far, the torus has failed the cost test. A Monolithic Dome of equal size is about the same price.

3) What is the maximum height at the center of an oblate ellipsoid style dome? An oblate ellipsoid is an ideal shape for homes and one-story buildings. It brings the height of the dome down; but the walls at the base are more vertical so it provides more shoulder room. In general, an oblate ellipsoid should not have a minor-axis-to-major-axis ratio greater than 1.45. Consider a 32-foot diameter dome. The major axis is 16 feet. Divide 16 by 1.45 and the minor axis is 11 feet.

If we wanted the building to be two-stories high, we would put a 7-foot or 8-foot stemwall under the elliptical dome for a total height of 19 or 20 feet. The Oberon plan ("Dome Living: A Creative Guide for Planning Your Monolithic Dream Home", pp. 64-67) is an oblate ellipsoid, 32 feet in diameter and 12 feet tall. It makes a nice, one-story home with one, two, three or even four bedrooms.

4) The prolate looks as though it may have better interior feel and window options. Am I seeing this correctly? Sometimes a prolate fits the lot better. Rarely does it make the windows or shape better. Mostly, it may look better on paper; but in reality, you cannot see anything but a small part of it from the street or inside. There is very little benefit to the prolate, except for site considerations. Eye of the Storm has the long axis parallel with the beach; therefore more beach can be seen from the house. The house still looks circular from the beach. It also looks circular from within. It just has more exposure to the ocean because it is a prolate. The prolate costs more per square foot. It takes more material to enclose a smaller space than a traditional circular shape.

5) Are profiles other than the circular and elliptical available? Yes -- we can do cones, cylinders, parabolas, some hyperbolics, and some sculpted shapes. Air tends to blow round, therefore at least one dimension of the Airform must be round. The only limitations are that it must be inflatable and engineerable.

Dome Variations/Configurations

These design concepts have been approved as feasible and reasonable for our use.

Dome Profiles:

Oblate Ellipsoid	Oblate Ellipsoid with Stem Wall	Tall Prolate Ellipsoid
Tall Prolate Ellipsoid with Stem Wall	Half Sphere with Stem Wall	Half Sphere
Low Profile Sphere	Torus

Combinations:

Double Dome	Caterpillar
Triple Dome

Openings:

• Radius of Curvature
• Monolithic Dome Construction Process
• Concrete and Steel: Complementary Opposites
• From Toothpicks to Trailblazing
• Who We Are
• The Monolithic Dome -- Not a Square Idea
• The Road to a Home
• The Monolithic Dome Info Pak -- Informational DVD
• Building Survivability
• Think Round
• Surviving Tornadoes and Hurricanes
• From Geodesic to Monolithic Domes
• Construction Process
• Monolithic Dome FAQ
• True Cost of a Dome
• Why Build a Concrete Dome?
• Mapping It Out-- Monolithic Domes Cover the World
•  Design Ideas for the Monolithic Concrete Home by Architect, Frederick L. Crandall
• Monolithic Dome Shapes
• Dome Variations/Configurations
• Airform Dynamics

177 Dome Park Place - Italy, TX 76651
Tel (972)483-7423 - Fax (972)483-6662
| Press Room