History of the Monolithic Dome

Where did the idea come from?

The Monolithic Dome was inspired by the Geodesic dome in the mid 1970's by David B. South, president of the Monolithic Dome Institute (MDI), and brothers Barry and Randy South. Eventually, the South brothers developed a process of spraying in-place the Dome structure. The original construction method can accommodate a Domes up to 300 feet in diameter.

The first Monolithic Dome was built in 1976 in Shelley, Idaho, and the process received a patent in 1979. Since then, Monolithic Domes have been built in more than 45 states.

As larger Domes were eventually needed, the building method was refined further. In 1999, a patent was issued to David South for the Crenosphere, a Dome construction method capable of 300 to 1000 foot diameter structures. Considering that large Dome construction costs are substantially less than conventional construction, we are sure to see Domes become common place.