Winter,
2000
Reprinted from the Monolithic
Dome Roundup, Winter 2000 Issue
[ Public Relations Changes | In the Media | A Little Help From Friends | Rental Units In Use | A Family Project | Taiwan | Gemini Dome | Sunrise to Sunset | World of Concrete | Construction Management Jobs by Monolithic Constructors, Inc. | Faith Chapel | MDI Workshops | Just in Time | Getting Noticed ]
 |
Anne DeMoss was recently made the new Director of Public Relations for MDI. Anne replaces Jessica South, our first Director of Public Relations, who accepted a call to serve as a missionary in Richmond, Virginia for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from November 2000 to May 2002.
Anne began her career with MDI five years ago as Purchasing and Shipping Director. Although she enjoyed those responsibilities, Anne's looking forward to interacting more with customers. She said, "I enjoy listening to the different perspectives that dome builders and customers share with me. And I enjoy enlightening the public about domes through conferences, seminars and other media avenues."
Anne is currently planning the Monolithic Dome Conference 2001 and serving as general secretary for the Monolithic Dome Builders Association.
Monolithic Domes continue receiving widespread media attention. Recent magazine coverage included:
- American Fruit Grower, August 2000
- The Groves Report, August 2000
- Backhome, Sept/Oct 2000 (first person account of Noel Neighbor's experience building a Monolithic Dome)
- School Business Affairs, December 2000.
Several newspapers featured stories on large Monolithic Domes in Alabama and Texas:
- The Dallas Morning News, Sept. 17
- Fort Worth Business Press, July 21
- San Antonio Express-News, Aug 2
- Birmingham Business Journal, July 28
- East Valley Tribune, June 17.
Radio shows with David B. South as guest speaker:
- KGYN-AM in Guymon, Oklahoma had David discussing the Texhoma School project
- KREI-AM in Farmington, Missouri talked about the Caledonia School construction
- KENS-AM in San Antonio, Texas did a one-hour, Morning Magazine with Tom Clay segment on North Church in San Antonio.
Expositions with a MDI vendor booth:
- The Texas Renewable Energy Roundup, Fredricksburg, Texas in September (David spoke about the energy efficiency of Monolithic Domes.)
- North Texas Fall Home Improvement Show, Dallas Convention Center, Sept. 2-4.
|
| Click Images to Enlarge |
 |
J and Marilyn Oliver estimate a December move-in into their 40-foot, hemisphere dome home in Nevada City, California. With a little help from their friends, the Olivers built this Monolithic Dome themselves. Marilyn generously placed glass brick throughout their dome, which operates strictly on solar power, with radiant heat generating adequate warmth. The Olivers completed their 1200-square-foot floor with a stained concrete finish, costing only $140.
MDI designer Linda Ware recently hired a local landscaping company to enhance the exterior of her 25-foot, self-designed rental unit. Linda chose native Texas plants such as crepe myrtle, a desert willow tree and other local flowers and utilized available rocks for borders and a small fountain just outside her front door. Lattice work provides a private entryway.
Her home features one bedroom set apart from the main living area by a partial wall, a bathroom, a full kitchen with washer and dryer. When asked about the small space, Linda said, "The security and comfort are my favorite features of the dome and besides that, the space is just right for one person."
Small Monolithic Domes rent easily. Utilities and repairs will be substantially less than that of conventional structures, providing additional revenue to the owner (Roundup, Winter 1997, pp. 20-21, 30).
Daryl Cunningham, project manager for Dome Technology of Idaho Falls, has a vested interest in a recent dome project : a 60-foot, 4500-square-foot home for his family in Menan, Idaho. Building this home has become a family project for the Cunninghams. His wife Cindy and each of their seven children have contributed by laying the outer rock walls and helping out where needed. They hope to move in by January 2001. We will report further as more information becomes available.
Taiwan experiences approximately three to ten earthquakes every year, making the Monolithic Dome a smart and safe choice for its people.
During a 6.5 earthquake this past year, no damage was done to any of the three domes built by Charles Lin of Charles Lin & Associates.
Thus far Lin has built a community center and a 60' home/office for J.S. Young of Taiwan. It has a second floor with four bedrooms, a main level with three bedrooms, and an exterior brick finish that extends onto an attached conventional structure.
Lin said that at least 3,000 visitors have already toured this dome. He expects more visitors and more dome orders.
Lin is currently constructing an auditorium/gymnasium for Hualian School.
Russ and Louann Miller of Waxahachie, Texas have nearly completed their 1400-square- foot, Gemini-style dome home (Dome Living, p. 71). The Millers inherited land in Arkansas, but opted to sell so they could purchase land in Texas and build a Monolithic Dome home. Russ said, "We are basically building on savings, so financing wasn't necessary, All that was required to build on county land was a building and septic permit."
Monolithic Constructors, Inc. built the shell while Russ and Louann contracted the electrical, plumbing and air conditioning. They are doing the drywall, floors and other interior details themselves and anticipate a November completion date. Their home consists of two 32-foot domes. One provides a kitchen, utility room and central living area and the other offers three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Conscious Construction, a Monolithic Dome building company, has completd the 39' x 19' dome home of Nick and Carol Nichols in the mountains of Crestone, Colorado.
The house features a large living area, an extremely functional kitchen, a master bedroom and a guest loft. The exterior of the dome is painted with an elastomeric paint in a shade called cactus flower. Carol says, "It's a wonderful color because at sunrise and sunset the light pink hues come out, but in the overhead, direct sunlight, it blends in with the surrounding landscape of sand and rock."
Carol adds, "Our house is a house in progress. We are living in it, but there are many details left to do on the inside and outside which we are doing ourselves. I have received rave reviews on the use of the native rock landscaping. My goal in landscaping was making the house look like it's been here for years." The Nichols expressed their love of nature by placing windows for bird-and-animal-watching convenience and by including many plants, fish and two parrots.
Las Vegas, NV For 25 years, World of Concrete has offered a forum where concrete industrial professionals converge with the latest in products, equipment and services.
MDI will be hosting a vendor booth at World of Concrete at the Las Vegas Convention Center on February 22 - March 2, 2001.
Monolithic Domes will be featured in the February issue of Shotcrete Magazine, the very issue being distributed to all World of Concrete attendees. Come and see us in booth #1601.
Construction Management Jobs by Monolithic Constructors, Inc.
Construction Management is a new service offered by MCI for large scale projects. Every project has a critical path which begins with a contract and ends with a completed project. The construction manager's goal is to keep the project within budget and on schedule and to assure quality work from all hired contractors so clients get exactly what they want.
Dome construction management can be divided into three phases: Phase One: the Monolithic Dome, Phase Two: exterior finishes, Phase Three: interior completion.
Monolithic Constructors, Inc. is currently construction managers for two large dome projects:
St. Agnes Baptist Church, Houston, Texas. A new dome sanctuary designed by Architect Rick Crandall has a diameter of 200 feet. An additional 21-foot donut construction surrounds the dome expanding its diameter to 242 feet. This facility encompasses 31,000 square feet and has a seating capacity of 4,000. An attached conventional structure includes lobbies, rest rooms, auxiliary spaces, nurseries, cry rooms and bookstore.
St. Agnes, Dome of Restoration and Fellowship Hall, 100 feet in diamter, encompasses 7,800 square feet. It includes 19 classrooms, kitchen, utility rooms, rest rooms and an open seating area for 500.
The two Monolithic Domes are part of a campus that includes eleven other buildings totaling 60,000 square feet. As of November 1, 2000 the dome shells for the sanctuary and the Restoration/Fellowship hall are complete and approximately 60 percent of the exterior finishes done. Projected completion date is set for Spring 2001 (Roundup, Summer 2000, p. 16).
Texhoma School The Texhoma School District became interested in a dome school after receiving a Roundup featuring Monolithic Dome schools. Now, things are underway on their new school facility. Keith Ireland is superintendent on this school project in Texhoma, Oklahoma. By November 1, 2000 the 66-foot cafeteria dome will be inflated and the ring foundation complete for the 108-foot classroom dome.
Construction at the Faith Chapel Christian Center in Birmingham, Alabama (Roundup, Summer 2000, p. 15) is progressing well, reports William Robertson, a member of their Building Committee. To date, Dome Technology of Idaho Falls, Idaho has completed the super structure of this largest ever Monolithic Dome: 280' x 72' encompassing 61, 575 square feet. Overhead work such as lighting and catwalks has also been completed, and crews have now begun excavating dirt from the dome's interior, so that plumbing, piping and conduits can be installed and the slab poured.
Demand for our Workshops is growing. To our normal schedule of four Workshops, two in the spring and two in the fall, this year, because of increased demand, we added three more.
October workshop attendees, Michael Boudreaux of Colorado Springs, Colorado and Donald Nelson of Greenfield, Wisconsin plan to leave for Ghana, West Africa within two months of completing the second October Workshop to develop a tract of 1500 EcoShell homes and several Monolithic Dome churches. "People there are standing in line, waiting for homes and anxious for us to arrive and get started," Donald said.
Tony Ajayi, another attendee has a goal to return to Nigeria to build three 32' EcoShells with the help of family members and friends whom he will train.
Click here for further details and dates for the 2001 Workshops.
Lee and Cindy Quaintance broke ground for their 53' x 24' dome home on January 3, 1998. They moved in on February 25, 1999, just three days before the birth of their son Nathan.
The Quaintances enjoy experiencing all four seasons in their two-story Monolithic Dome that includes 3,500 square feet, four bedrooms and three baths.
Their dome was built by Ron Boswell of Mountain Home, Arkansas on an organic farm, Soaring Eagle Farms in Edgerton, Kansas. Lee and Cindy are most impressed with their low utility costs averaging only $128 per month.
Because the Hanson's dome home is built on a hill and can be seen from an ascending road, the Nolan's get noticed. Since its completion in 1998, Ken and Nola Hanson of San Antonio, Texas have received around 300 visitors to their dome home and press coverage as well. Ken said, "It's really interesting to see the reaction of people when they step inside our home. They invariably will comment on how large it looks on the inside compared to how it appears on the outside."
Their double dome, one 34-foot dome and one 32-foot dome, offers 1,932 square feet and averages $100 per month for electricity which includes all heat, ac, lights and the use of a large water pump (Roundup, Spring 1998, p.12).
The Hansons plan to coat the exterior with stucco.
|