Growing Up In A Dome
by Rebecca South
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Cliffdome, where Rebecca South grew up, is a 75-foot-diameter home on a small cliff overlooking the Snake River. By pulling air through open windows and doors at night, the dome shell and home stayed cool, requiring no air conditioning. A small mobile home heater kept the 8,000-square-foot home warm. |
I am one of the first people to be able to say, “I grew up in a Monolithic™ Dome home.” We moved into our dome home in 1979. I was five years old. It was an 8,000-square-foot home overlooking the confluence of the North and South Forks of the Snake River in Idaho.
I was so overwhelmed by the novelty of the home; I thought I had found wonderland. There was a small gymnasium for roller-skating. We even had an indoor garden complete with a dwarf banana tree which bore fruit in 1984.
My dad is David B. South, President of the Monolithic™ Dome Institute, and he always had people coming over to see the house. At eight years old, I gave tours of our home and answered many of the visitors’ questions. During the ten years we lived in the Monolithic™ Dome, I learned a lot about R-values, passive solar structures, PSIs, and other dome-related data. It was a great experience for me.
Imagine a world of domes. It would conserve about 75% of the energy it now uses for simple heating and cooling. There would be millions of dollars saved in natural disaster relief. Monolithic™ Domes are wood-free and therefore fire-safe.
My favorite dream about this world of domes is that everyone would have the inherent feeling of security which a Monolithic™ Dome provides. As a child I always thought there were monsters in the closet, but in my bedroom, it felt like my house would put its big dome arms around me and protect me from whatever was out there. I never had concerns about safety from the elements, either. During the harsh Idaho winters we never worried about snow-load or roof-collapse. We were there during an earthquake and a small tornado. I remember the night the tornado came. We kids were thrilled and excited to have such a calamity going on around us because we felt safe and secure. We would have “storm” parties on those nights.
Now I’m older and live in my own small dome in Texas, we still have storm parties, and I still like to boast about our electric bill. But the thing I am most grateful for is that I have a different perspective on what is important in a home. Today’s world needs safe, strong and energy-efficient housing. Soon there will be a whole generation of people who are willing to make that much needed change. All of us here at Monolithic™ are excited to be a part of this structural revolution, especially me.
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