![]() ![]() The more you can tell us, the more we can help you.A safe room is an ultra-secure location within a residence. The Monolithic Dome Institute can help you determine the feasibility of your project and put you in touch with industry design and engineering experts.įill out a Free Monolithic Dome Safe Room Evaluation form and we will respond with real, useful information. When considering a new structure in a tornado or hurricane-prone area, a Monolithic Dome can serve as both the primary structure and an emergency safe room for the business or area residents at little to no extra cost. There are safe rooms constructed as laundromats for trailer parks or as offices and other business structures. Not every building can qualify for FEMA grants, but every building can and does need improved safety. If you think you may qualify, we can put you in touch with successful grant writers. Next stepsįEMA grants are available for qualified organizations such as schools and communities in participating states. Knowing there is a place to go in a storm is incredibly comforting. The weather is irrelevant to interior comfort. ![]() It’s an open, high-ceiling structure that arches overhead. It doesn’t feel like some kind of bunker. The interior layouts are flexible and unique.Īnd finally, there is a feeling in a Monolithic Dome like no other structure. Plus the Monolithic Dome is completely free span. It typically saves over 50 percent compared to conventional structures. More than a shelterīeyond safety, there is the incredible energy efficiency of the Monolithic Dome. FEMA does not endorse any building method, but the Monolithic Dome qualifies and many Monolithic Dome safe rooms are built using FEMA grants.Īnd because a Monolithic Dome is already so affordable, the federal monies go further. Therefore, FEMA offers financial grants-up to 75 percent of the building cost-to qualified communities and schools to build safe rooms. Plus, there is immeasurable value in protecting lives. Federal grantsįEMA recognizes that it costs less money to build safe structures to withstand a disaster than to rebuild the same structures afterward. Essentially, you get a safe room for FREE. You can build a Monolithic Dome for the close to the same price as a regular building. To build a safe room using conventional techniques is going to cost more. This is a comparison against standard construction, not safe room level construction. There are now dozens of Monolithic Dome safe rooms across “tornado alley.” Two buildings for the price of oneĪ Monolithic Dome gymnasium, for example, costs about the same or less than a conventional structure. With only minor improvements-like installing impact-resistant doors and windows-a Monolithic Dome becomes a FEMA361 safe room. The FEMA guidelines are the basis of safe room building codes published by the International Code Council for construction of safe shelters ( ICC 500). The publication included safe room building standards plus instructions on preparing for a disaster and cleaning up afterward. In 2000, FEMA published FEMA P-361, Safe Rooms for Tornadoes Hurricanes, Guidance for Community and Residential Safe Rooms. “From 1950 through 2011, tornadoes caused about 5,600 fatalities in the United States, more than hurricanes and earthquakes combined over the same time period (NIST 2014).” “Compared with hurricanes and earthquakes, single tornado events typically affect smaller geographical areas but occur more often and cause more deaths,” reports FEMA. Doors, windows, and other openings must be hardened. Yes, it’s still incredibly safe inside and moving to an interior area helps, but when protecting a school full of students against an EF5 tornado, it’s not enough. Openings in the concrete shell for windows and doors are vulnerable to flying debris. In many ways, all Monolithic Domes are almost perfect safe rooms. The outer layer of polyurethane foam also buffers impacts and can capture flying debris. The spray-in-place concrete-or shotcrete-is much stronger than typical concrete. When an object strikes the wall, the forces are distributed across the entire structure. The steel-reinforced concrete wall is curved in all directions. Monolithic Domes have survived tornadoes, hurricanes, forest fires, earthquakes, gunfire, explosions, and more. Strength comes standardĪ standard Monolithic Dome is incredibly strong. ![]() But a Monolithic Dome safe room is more than a building. It meets the Federal Emergency Management Agency ( FEMA P-361) standards for “ near-absolute protection” for sheltering-in-place. ![]() A Monolithic Dome safe room is designed to withstand tornadoes, hurricanes, and other disasters. ![]()
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