Brief History of the Monolithic Dome

Randy South, Barry South, and David South, three brothers living in Idaho in the 1970’s, invented and patented the construction process of the Monolithic dome. Today, each of the three brothers have their own individual dome construction companies. Randy South, with four of his sons (Andrew, Derek, Joshua, and Nathan) manage and operate South Industries, Inc.

Advantages of the Monolithic Dome

AVAILABILITY OF MATERIALS-The primary components that make up a Monolithic dome are concrete and rebar which are found all over the world. Consequently there is minimal shipping of building components for construction. This factor often saves start up time, construction time, and costs for shipments of materials. All of these savings are passed onto you the customer. Because construction times are diminished, dome facilities are often on line for production and used sooner than conventional buildings.

ENERGY EFFICIENT-The large concrete mass, that is the backbone of the dome, is on the inside of the shell and insulation. Because of this, the concrete performs as a large thermal reservoir that keeps the atmosphere in the building constant and steady. Heating and cooling costs are dramatically less than conventional buildings. The savings are substantial and often times can literally pay for the structures in a short number of years.

Polyurethane is the worlds best insulation. In the Monolithic dome, the insulation is outside of the concrete in one seamless envelope. This results in far less thermal transfer, or heat and cooling loss. Consequently, the Monolithic dome is fantastic for saving energy. Those savings will, often times, pay for the building in just a few years.

LOW MAINTENANCE-A dome is also significantly easier to maintain than a regular building. There is no worry about roof repairs, wood rot, termite damage or any other sort of inconvenient maintenance often required in a conventional structure. The lower construction costs and lower maintenance costs allow the structure to lower a project’s budget impact.

SPEED OF CONSTRUCTION-Domes are constructed incredibly fast. Because of this, the savings of the money spent on long conventional construction projects are passed on to you.

STRENGTH-Because of the dome’s incredible strength, you can feel assured that you and your building contents are safe. Inherent in the shape of a dome is its phenomenal strength. Domes are naturally resilient to natural and man made disasters. Hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes do not stress the buildings even to design load.

THE BREAKTHROUGH WITH AIR-FORMED DOMES HAS TAKEN THE WORLD BY A SMALL GROWING STORM PARTICULARLY IN BULK STORAGE AND ARCHITECTURAL BUILDINGS. ANY STRUCTURE THAT NEEDS TO BE PHENOMENALLY STRONG, FREE SPAN AND SUPER INSULATED LENDS ITSELF TO THE MONOLITHIC DOME.

For more information about Monolithic domes, visit these websites: South Industries, Inc., and Monolithic Construction.