Articles & News
Articles & News
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- by Rebecca Pyper
The DomeSilo is Dome Technology’s most popular dome-storage model, but companies shouldn’t rule out the hemispherical dome as a prime […]
The DomeSilo is Dome Technology’s most popular dome-storage model, but companies shouldn’t rule out the hemispherical dome as a prime option too.
When just looking at the dome storage itself, a “hemisphere is often the least expensive to build,” said Dome Technology sales manager Cameron High. “I would say at least half the proposals we are sending out include a hemisphere option.” But when looking at entire project costs considering the filling and reclaim systems, the DomeSilo tends to provide the most overall economical storage option.
A hemispherical dome is just what it sounds like—a sphere sliced straight through. These domes are most economical because the materials needed are significantly less than in tall and slender or short and wide domes. And it’s absolutely ideal when there are no site restrictions or plenty of land is available.
“Due to its shape, it’s just inherently efficient in regards to the amount of materials you use and the strength you receive from those materials,” High said.
A dome meets and often exceeds building codes thanks to geometry. Because a dome’s hemispherical geometry renders strength at all points of the structure, the entire interior can be used to contain product, and the curved design can drastically increase the capacity of any existing circle ground pile.
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- by Rebecca Pyper
Dome Technology has pioneered proprietary round explosion panels ideal for products prone to deflagration. Until now, square and rectangular explosion […]
Dome Technology has pioneered proprietary round explosion panels ideal for products prone to deflagration. Until now, square and rectangular explosion venting have been the norm, but Dome Technology’s round model has been and will continue to be installed on bulk-storage domes with significant advantages.
Whether a pre-manufactured rectangular panel or a metal cladding piece, a squared-off panel creates a weak spot. Round panels are preferable because there are no sharp corners for stress concentration.
The proprietary explosion vents are comprised of a circular geodesic steel lattice covered with the same PVC fabric used in the dome construction process. The panel is anchored to the dome with explosion-venting relief screws that remain secure during the design dead, live, and wind loads. But in the event of a deflagration event, the screws release the panel and allow for the release of the excessive internal pressure. The system is watertight and meets the required operational design loads.
In the event of an explosion, the fabric accepts the load and transfers it uniformly around the ring’s circumference. “Because it’s circular we can predict the load going to each of the fasteners really well,” said Jason South, Dome Technology Vice President of Engineering, Research, and Development. “If it were rectangular, the pressure going to each fastener could be different,” and more difficult to estimate.
This article includes more information about round explosion panels in action.
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- by Rebecca Pyper
In an effort to prevent storm damage and loss of life, FEMA makes it possible for tornado-prone areas to access […]
In an effort to prevent storm damage and loss of life, FEMA makes it possible for tornado-prone areas to access grant money to cover storm-shelter costs, often paying as much as 75 percent of the structure.
Here are a few helpful things to know before beginning the application process for FEMA grants, according to FEMA.gov:
- The Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program was developed to be proactive. According to FEMA.gov, “Mitigation planning is a key process used to break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. PDM grants are funded annually by Congressional appropriations and are awarded on a nationally competitive basis.”
- The maximum federal share for a mitigation project, like a storm shelter, is $4 million. Federal funding is available for as much as 75 percent of eligible costs; however, small impoverished communities may be eligible for as much as 90 percent Federal cost share.
- For most of the storm shelters Dome Technology builds, grant money covers 75 percent of the cost of the shell; this requires the balance plus interior finishing to be funded in other ways.
- Before grant money will be awarded, FEMA must approve the plan. FEMA makes funding decisions based on most effective use of grant funds.
- States, federally recognized tribes, and local governments are all eligible to apply for grant monies, but applying requires planning ahead. For instance, local governments are considered subapplicants and must submit project applications to their state during the open application cycle. From there, the state prioritizes applications and forwards them to FEMA. Application dates are shared here.
- In FY 2018, $235.2 million was available to assist state, tribal territorial, and local governments through this program. As a rule, $15 million is set aside for Native American Tribal applicants; the remainder of PDM Grant program funds are distributed to eligible applicants.
- FEMA publishes an annual fact sheet highlighting the agency’s priorities for the year. This document is called “TY 2018 PDM Fact Sheet” and can be accessed online here.
Sources: https://www.fema.gov/pre-disaster-mitigation-grant-program
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- by Rebecca Pyper
Dome Technology has produced a company overview with information about our scope of expertise, including hyperlinks to relevant information on […]
Dome Technology has produced a company overview with information about our scope of expertise, including hyperlinks to relevant information on our website. It also highlights our project locations around the world, how we prioritize safety, and what “turnkey construction” means to us.
Planning a new bulk-storage facility, community event center, or FEMA-rated storm shelter is a big undertaking, and Dome Technology is your partner for doing things right. We are an international construction company providing your turnkey solution for bulk storage and handling, commercial construction, and concrete repair and rehabilitation. Our goal is to help your company achieve the ideal facility, and we can help with every stage of the project.
Our Portfolio page includes a handy list of bulk-storage applications that work well with our domes and a list of all the products and services we provide. And just for fun, we’ve included a diagram showing eight projects to scale and comparing them size-wise to the United States White House.
Our team relies upon a collaborative approach with companies—they’re in the driver seat, and we help navigate. Every project begins with in-depth discussions designed to understand customer objectives, and our company’s design-build team quickly provides preliminary engineering and an estimate within an acceptable plus-or-minus margin so customers can determine if a project’s scope fits the budget.
Click here to download our company overview and click here to meet team members who can answer your questions.
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- by Rebecca Pyper
Besides having a new building that comfortably fits equipment and fire fighters, the Central Fire District in Menan, Idaho, enjoys […]
Besides having a new building that comfortably fits equipment and fire fighters, the Central Fire District in Menan, Idaho, enjoys lower utility bills. That’s because a dome’s concrete construction and insulation yield 30 percent more energy efficiency than conventional buildings. It’s a cost savings all commercial customers can expect.
“We typically see a two-fold savings in energy costs when comparing a dome to conventional construction,” said Dome Technology project manager Daren Wheeler. “The first is the initial costs in HVAC equipment, which is reduced by 30 to 50 percent. The second is in your monthly bill for heating or cooling, which again can easily be 30 percent.”
Besides costing less to build and operate, domes are also cost efficient. All domes are built with locally available concrete and reinforcing steel. Their double curvature requires fewer construction materials with significantly less waste. And a dome can be built quickly; one the outer weatherproof membrane is in place, construction moves inside where building continues regardless of the weather.
Click here for more information on this project.
Menan Fire Station: Facts and features
Overall building facts:
- Windspeed overhead doors can withstand: 120 mph
- Thickness of wall at base: 8” CMU stem wall
- Dome thickness at apex: 4.5”
- Lot size: 249’ X 184’ or 45,816 square feet
- Height of stem wall: 17’ 4”
- How tall is dome: 31’ 8”
- Pounds of rebar in the CMU walls: 20,000
- Pounds of rebar in the dome shell (roof): Around 50,000 lbs
- Post-tensioning allows the roof to be built flatter, producing a less conspicuous domed roof that still provides the strength of a dome.
- The fire station was designed after a storm-shelter concept Dome Technology has built all over the country, dozens of them located in the tornado belt and Gulf Coast. Although not considered a storm shelter at present, this fire station can withstand high wind events and the threat of roof collapse.
- Concrete construction and insulation yield 30 percent more energy efficiency than conventional buildings.
Exterior features:
- Clock tower
- Drainage in parking lots
- Integrated parapet gutter system that directs precipitation away from the foundation
Interior spaces:
- Office for filing reports following incidents
- Kitchen
- A diesel-powered generator behind the kitchen to maintain power should electricity go down
- Bathrooms with full showers
- Conference room: 1,072 square feet. Includes full audiovisual system for trainings and public events.
- Storage closet for tables and chairs under stairs
- Upstairs area: 2,349 square feet. Includes mechanical room and can house future living quarters as needed.
Bay area:
- 4,731 square feet
- Five bays. Fire trucks are getting bigger, so the space was designed for the biggest trucks in the Central Fire District.
- Lockers located on wall opposite overhead doors
- Two large fans to circulate air to dry equipment and trucks
- Decontamination shower for post-fire cleaning
- Laundry area
- Compressor room for refilling oxygen tanks
- Multiple entry points so volunteers can enter the building quickly regardless of where they park
- Trench drain centrally located for washing trucks
- Button for the siren used in the original station
- Before radio was available, the firefighter living at the station would alert the townspeople of fire by sounding the alarm; neighbors came running to help put out the flames. Now the alarm will be used for kicking off events like the annual Easter-egg hunt and could still function as a town warning system.
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- by Rebecca Pyper
If you hope to employ a design-build approach with your commercial project, Dome Technology is the answer. We excel at […]
If you hope to employ a design-build approach with your commercial project, Dome Technology is the answer. We excel at working within customer parameters. If you’ve got a list of must-haves and a firm budget, we will work with you to get the most bang for your buck.
Rely on our team to deliver a structure with an unlimited lifespan—its concrete shell and geometry mean unrivaled strength. Our construction method also requires no trusses inside. Every square foot can be utilized, and interior walls can be reconfigured at will because the dome is self-supporting—no need to consider load-bearing walls because there aren’t any.
Here’s how it works: A customer brings us the budget and a list of required features; our team then identifies what can be included for the set price. The two groups can then add or subtract features to strike the balance and achieve the structure a customer needs.
Cost savings result from domes being built with locally available concrete and rebar, reducing transportation costs for materials. The dome’s double curvature provides an efficient design, resulting in less construction materials. In addition, the construction process often reduces the overall construction schedule.
Two major advantages with design-build are that change orders are reduced and schedules are usually met because each phase of the project is built into the plan. These equal cost savings more often than not and yield a smoother building experience.
For more information on our commercial building process, including a step-by-step explanation of how a structure is built, click here.
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- by Rebecca Pyper
For a new clinker storage site in Santiago, Chile, BSA Cementos needed massive storage that would stay secure, no matter […]
For a new clinker storage site in Santiago, Chile, BSA Cementos needed massive storage that would stay secure, no matter how much the earth might shake.
Dome Technology was contracted to build a dome that would increase BSA Cementos production by 950,000 tons per year during the first stage of operation, with as much as 1,900,000 tons a year being processed per year. The dome could deliver on that, plus withstand earthquakes and other natural disasters.
Chile is known for its seismic activity, “but even more important than that, we are known to have one of the most rigorous building codes regarding the considerations to be accounted for when doing any type of construction,” Araya said. ”The dome’s geometry gives it excellent stability and load-absorption characteristics; therefore, this design has important advantages in meeting seismic requirements that are mandatory in our country, which will as well translate into savings during construction.”
Dome Technology’s reinforced concrete domes withstand earthquakes, hurricanes, and the test of time and are trusted by schools, communities, and governments to protect their most critical infrastructure and valuable assets. The dome’s natural-disaster resistance is a product of geometry; the double curvature provides the ability to distribute a given load in two directions, resulting in twice the strength of a single curved wall like that of a traditional silo.
Our domes can be engineered to meet FEMA standards for wind and projectile resistance and are chosen for some of the most seismic-prone areas of the world based on the ability to withstand movement. Heat and fire protection is inherent as each dome employs Type 1 (fire-resistant) construction. In the event of a fire, the reinforced concrete dome maintains structural integrity better than wood or even steel structures.
For more information, visit the BSA project summary.
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- by Rebecca Pyper
Dome Technology has produced its Annual Report 2019, available here. This annual report highlights projects from our diverse scope of […]
Dome Technology has produced its Annual Report 2019, available here.
This annual report highlights projects from our diverse scope of work. It provides a sampling of last year’s projects and a glimpse at the range of projects Dome Technology performs today. For more information on available services, click here for industrial and here for commercial.
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- by Rebecca Pyper
By Cameron High, sales manager Construction always impacts the environment, but a dome from Dome Technology is more environmentally responsible […]
By Cameron High, sales manager
Construction always impacts the environment, but a dome from Dome Technology is more environmentally responsible than conventional structures and building methods in these ways:
Use of less material during construction.
The dome’s efficient double-curvature structure conserves construction materials by using less material to enclose more storage volume than any other comparative structure.
Less construction material waste.
As shotcrete and rebar are installed on the inside of the dome’s airform, significantly less waste is generated than compared with conventional construction. This not only saves the customer in overall project costs but also provides less waste in local landfills.
Containment of potentially harmful environmental contaminants.
The continuous single-ply PVC waterproofing membrane of the dome ensures complete waterproof protection for the reinforced concrete shell and consequently the material stored within. Combine this with the catch basins and drains, which are to be installed at each entryway, and the dome provides for excellent containment and protection of potentially harmful environmental contaminants.
Low maintenance.
A mold-resistant UV-protective resin coats both sides of the membrane, providing long-term protection from the outside environment as well as securing whatever material is stored inside. This membrane and the shell itself require a fraction of the maintenance when compared with traditional construction.
More storage with a smaller footprint.
Product can be stored against the vertical wall and into the dome roof as well, which provides for efficiently storing more product using a significantly smaller footprint. Valuable property and resources are preserved because of the dome’s strength to withstand the pressures of product being stored inside the entire dome structure.
Heat, fire, and explosion protection.
The reinforced concrete shell uniquely maintains structural integrity in extreme heat and fire conditions. Its designed strength provides superior structural integrity in the event of a fire, often eliminating the need for complete reconstruction in the event of a fire.
All-weather construction method.
Once the airform has been inflated, all construction work is completed from the inside in a controlled environment. This encourages and facilitates efficient construction sequencing, improved quality control, and a safer work environment; it also virtually eliminates construction delays caused by weather, which reduces the amount of time machinery, generators, and the like are running at the site.
For more information about our environmentally responsible bulk-storage domes, visit our Key Benefits page.
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- by Rebecca Pyper
Dome Technology has launched an updated website with easier searchability, more information on available services, and improved readability. The new […]
Dome Technology has launched an updated website with easier searchability, more information on available services, and improved readability.
The new site includes industry-specific information so potential customers can quickly determine how Dome Technology can best serve them. Also, the distinction between industrial and commercial construction is clearer, better meeting the needs of diverse customers.
The video library now highlights 21 videos organized into industrial and commercial categories.
Check out the new site today! Visit www.dometechnology.com.