Monolithic Dome Schools: The Defense Rests

May 10, 2005

by David B. South

The sections of copy reproduced here in normal typeface are portions of an actual letter, submitted by an architect, to a school board interested in Monolithic Domes. Where we have deleted names, you will see XXXX. Other than the deletion of names, we made no corrections or changes. My paragraph-by-paragraph response to the architect's letter appears in bold type.

Click Either Image to Enlarge

Conceptual design by Architect Rick Crandall for an 800 student High School.

This campus would be a great addition to any community.

11 October 2004

Re: Feasibility of Monolithic Dome Construction for K-12 development.

Dear XXXX (School Board Members):

This letter is in response to your request to provide design team response to the feasibility of utilizing concrete monolithic domes for the construction of K-12 facilities in the District.

We have reviewed the information pamphlets and papers you provided and we offer the following analysis for your information and consideration:

In this case, a school administrator sent some Monolithic Dome information to the school district's design firm. An architect responded by claiming that he reviewed that information. It appears that review was superficial. While additional information and knowledge were readily available on our website and through our office, apparently neither source was consulted. This was unfortunate because the Monolithic Dome utilizes state-of-the-art technology and provides cost efficient, beautiful school structures. Equally sad is the fact that many professionals refuse to keep themselves current and up-to-date with what is new in their fields.

( see: Risky Business: Hiring an Architect ; High Performance Schools; How To Buy a Monolithic Dome School; Printable School Information Packet [PDF]; Monolithic Domes Help Pass School Bonds; Monolithic Dome School Pricing )

General Considerations
The concept of dome construction has been around the construction industry since the 70's. Indeed I think we all saw the artist's conception of what living in earthen domes could be like for the first time as we watched Luke Skywalker fight the empire in Star Wars. It is not a new revelation in construction methodology. It is however, a construction methodology that has limiting factors which have caused it not to become the preferred common methodology in the development of certain facility types. The utilization of an air filled formed membrane to shape the dome, which is at the core of it's construction method, limits the single size capability of the dome making it more feasible for buildings of smaller size such as homes, chapels, small school houses and medium sized arenas.

Dome construction has been around the construction industry long before the 70s, and it certainly didn't take Luke Skywalker to show it to us. Rome's Pantheon, the oldest surviving construction still in use, is a dome that was built in 126 A.D.

( see: Monolithic Mosque in Iraq Still Stands; Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey; The Pantheon-- Rome 126 AD )

In the past, domes were premier buildings. Many were built as cathedrals and national office buildings. Domes fell out of mode because they became too expensive to build. The air-formed Monolithic Dome changed that. It makes dome construction not only affordable, but less expensive than many other design types.

( see: Dr. Arnold Wilson and Domes-- Past, Present and Future; Why Build A Concrete Dome? )

The second half of the paragraph intimates a serious size limitation for a single dome. This is totally inaccurate. We can and will build a dome with a diameter of up to 1000 feet (covers 18 acres).

( see: Why the Crenosphere Was Invented ; Affordable Indoor High School Stadiums )

But a building of that size may not be the smartest idea for a school. Monolithic has found that designing a school as a campus makes more sense. One gigantic building works well if you want to create the smallest possible envelope because of HVAC problems. But a Monolithic Dome simply does not have HVAC problems, so a school can be designed in a campus style ? not as a single, big block.

( see: First Monolithic Dome School in Florida Opens ; Pattonsburg Revisited )

For instance the product information lists the largest Monolithic Dome built to date as the Faith Chapel Christian Center in Alabama. Built in 2001 at 64,000 square feet, it is less than half the size of the xxxx Junior High School at 133,000 square feet and less than a quarter the size of the xxxx High School at 230,000 square feet. In order to utilize a dome for the development of these facilities it would require the construction of several domes with connectors built between them essentially dividing the school community into separate pods. Administration and security come to mind as some of the key operational elements that this configuration would have a negative impact on. With further research it would be essential to determine what impact this configuration would have on student and teacher performance and well being. I suspect it would also be negative in a size of school above the one room school house.

Here again, compared to a single building, a campus style is more efficient, and it can incorporate additions more easily on an as-needed basis. On the other hand, for those who want a single huge dome, we can certainly do that.

( see: Arenas and Ice Rinks ; Crenospheres-- A Dream Come True)

Roofing Considerations
The development of the dome shape which also shapes the roof makes the maintenance of that roof very difficult. If a leak develops in the single ply of the air form, forming the outer shape of the dome, reaching that leak and repairing it becomes a dangerous proposition. It is also not clear what type of warrantee would be available when the air form is used as the roof membrane.

The Monolithic Dome is built to last 500+ years. It has a lifetime measured in centuries. Its only maintenance requirement is the singly-ply membrane on the exterior of the dome, and it can be coated with several more permanent options.

( see: Lessons Learned by Monolithic in Exterior Coatings ; Metal Cladding For Domes: The Why And The How ; Eye-Catching New Exterior for Faith Chapel ;Ceramic Coating-- Insulation or Reflective Surface? )

Unless you drill a hole through it, the roof of a Monolithic Dome will not leak. Not only is the Airform/single-ply roof membrane water tight, the urethane foam underneath it is also water tight. The dome's roof requires little if any maintenance, but should some be required, by using proper harnesses, workers can ascend and work atop a Monolithic Dome.

( see: Passing the Bullet Test-- The strength and durability of Monolithic Domes; Pensacola Beach virtually destroyed, but Dome of a Home still stands!; Cleaning An Airform )

It should be noted that the manufacturer recommends that ?eventually the air form must be protected with a liquid coating, stucco, more concrete, metal cladding or wood shakes?. All of which have significant additional cost and their own life cycle maintenance issues and costs.

As I have already stated, a conventional building's roof requires far more maintenance than a Monolithic Dome roof. A Monolithic Dome's roof is not flat, so there is never such a thing as ponding water -- the main problem with most roof membranes. The life cycle cost of the roof membrane on a Monolithic Dome is vastly less than that of a flat roof. Our experience shows we can expect at least twenty years before any maintenance (beyond washing) must be done to the roof membrane of a Monolithic Dome.

( see: Monolithic Crews to Repair Hurricane Claudette Damage; Monolithic Dome Survives Engulfing Flames of California Wildfire )

Space Utilization Considerations
The development of classroom and other spaces in a large school utilizing a circular building shape will mean than many of the spaces will have a wedge shape much as would be derived while cutting a pie into smaller pieces. You can very that somewhat by shortening the wedge and straightening out the point of the wedge shape, but the irregular angled walls, inherent in the pie shape, creates a very difficult space to efficiently utilize by the end user. This would mean that more area of the building must be developed to accommodate this inefficiency. And area is money.

The round shape of a school building dramatically reduces the amount of space needed for circulation. Grand Meadow School in Minnesota was amazed by the amount of space they were able to add to classrooms that, in a conventional design, would have gone into circulation space. Then too, wedge-shaped classrooms are often much more efficient, certainly they are not less efficient, than the square box.

( see: LPDJ Architects, LLC Use Holistic Approach )

The problem of efficient space utilization is somewhat less difficult in small buildings such as homes and small school facilities or in arenas were the number of divided spaces required is much less. But please consider when the XXXX School District last had the luxury of developing a 34,000 square foot elementary school as is the size facility noted in the product information as being very successful.

Grand Meadow School, a five dome campus, claims that its Monolithic Domes provided them with much better space utilization. The same is true for Frontier Elementary in Payson, Arizona; their domes gave them better than average school utilization. And since the domes have no internal supports, there are no posts, poles, or anything else that must be built around.

( see: Grand Meadow's Grand Opening; Frontier Elementary -- Payson, Arizona; Grand Meadow Superintendent Produces Informational DVD )

Structural Considerations
It should be noted that we do not agree with the assertion made in the information pamphlets that the domes can resist earthquake forces better. The more conventional structures using masonry or concrete are also designed to stand up to the IBC Code mandated design forces.

Structural engineers know that a dome will resist earthquake forces far better than a conventional building. The dome has no moment connections -- those intersections of walls and roofs that fall apart in an earthquake. Consider a bowl upside down on a table; you can rock that bowl all you want, but there is nothing to fatigue and fall apart.

( see: Building Survivability; FEMA -- Design and Construction for Community Shelters and Its Application to Domes; Understanding Seismic Zones; Shell Movement )

Concrete Domes however can have long term maintenance issues related to the structural method employed in their development. The Seattle King Dome had large pieces of the concrete ceiling falling down on the spectator seating below before they elected to tear it down.

The Seattle King Dome was NOT a Monolithic Dome, nor did it ever have concrete falling off its ceiling. What fell from the ceiling were some pieces of rain-soaked acoustic insulation. That resulted from a leaking roof situation that is not possible with a Monolithic Dome. Contrary to what the letter implies, the King Dome was torn down because it was considered no longer needed and poorly located. Structurally, the King Dome would have remained stable for many more decades.

( see: Reinforced Concrete Thin Shell Sports Facilities-- Before the Monolithic Dome ; Printable Sports Facility Information Packet [PDF] ; Arenas and Ice Rinks ; Cost Estimates for Simple Monolithic Dome Rinks and Arenas ; World Hockey Association Considers Low Cost Monolithic Dome Arena ; Arena Football League-- Its Popularity Is Skyrocketing; )

It should also be noted that the cost of reinforcing steel and cement powder has increased along with structural steel. Therefore there can not be a great advantage in the construction of the dome since it relies heavily on a mat of reinforcing steel to support the overhead concrete shaping the dome. The use of Shotcrete or concrete placement and mix in dome construction is 25% more costly than the use of conventional concrete placement methodologies.

This pricing out of buildings was done without proper knowledge. It shows that Monolithic Domes cost 25% more to build than conventional buildings, and that the concrete takes 25% more to place. That is not true. A simple phone call or email to Monolithic would have provided the correct data. The reinforcing steel in a Monolithic Dome is a fraction of the amount of steel used in a steel building. Consequently, even the recent large increase in steel prices raises the cost of a Monolithic Dome only slightly. The price of cement powder has also increased. But neither of these has taken the increase that structural steel has. The construction of Monolithic Dome schools generally costs less than conventional designs of a similar size.

( see: Monolithic Domes Weather Price Increases Better Than Conventional Structures ; Texhoma's Showplace: Two Monolithic Domes ; Gladiator Coliseum -- Italy ISD Multipurpose Center; Aggieland Fitness Dome; Avalon ISD Gymnasium Complete! )

Environmental Systems Considerations
We do not agree with the product information's assertion that there is a great energy savings inherent in the monolithic dome. We recognize the potential energy savings that can result by improving the building envelope insulation value and mass of the roof structure. However, it should be noted that the bulk of the mechanical energy costs required to cool and heat the building are based on the internal loads not the external loads.

The extraordinary energy savings of a Monolithic Dome are a fact. Ward Huffman, Senior Financial Specialist with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has shown that compared to conventional buildings the energy savings of Monolithic Domes are huge and not to be ignored. These are numbers produced by the DOE. One superintendent of a Monolithic Dome school estimated that their energy savings would pay for their new school in eleven years.

( see: Renewable and Sustainable Energy-- by Ward Huffman; "R" Fairy Tale -- The Myth of Insulation's R-Value; Monolithic Joins Energy Star Program ; Passive Solar Handbook ; Monolithic Dome R-value -- Effective 60! )

In comparing the monolithic dome to the our design for the new Junior High School, XXXX has run DOE2 energy analysis on the xxxx Jr. High School. They have calculated the total energy costs for the traditional building design at approximately $0.40 per square foot or $50,000 per year. The use of a monolithic dome could produce a total cost savings to that cost in the range of $5,000 to $10,000 per year at best. In our opinion, this savings is not significant enough to out way the other draw backs in the use of monolithic domes.

Most Monolithic Dome owners estimate energy savings equal to the original cost of the buildings in less than 20 years. These are actual numbers and can be verified with a few phone calls. As energy costs increase, and they are expected to do so, these savings will become even more significant.

( see: Emmett High School -- Emmett, Idaho; Maranatha Christian Church -- Mont Belvieu, Texas; A Monolithic Dome's Two Batteries )

It should also be noted that the use of a dome roof structure, would preclude the use of roof top air handling equipment and the savings in building square footage cost they provide.

A Monolithic Dome's air handling equipment is never placed on its top. Air handlers on a roof generally are more expensive to maintain and repair. Usually, a Monolithic Dome requires 50 to 60 percent less air handling equipment than conventional structures of the same size. So the dome's equipment can be easily and conveniently located on the ground.

(see: How To Determine HVAC Needs For A Monolithic Dome: An Engineer's Advice; Design Criteria for HVAC; Heating and Cooling Systems ; In With The New; Out With The Old )

Sincerely,
XXXX (architect's name)

Monolithic Dome Schools: The Defense Rests

Click Either Image to Enlarge

Related Links: