Emmett High School Dome
Location: 721 W. 12th, Emmett
History: In 1987, student life was difficult at Emmett High School. Room restraints in the old high school (now the Emmett Middle School) forced double shifts to accommodate the student load. Many students traveled 30-40 miles one way to get to school each day. Those who chose to participate in sports or extracurricular activities often found themselves putting in outrageously long days. The kids that were involved in high school activities would come to school at 6:30 in the morning, and were supposed to go home at 12:30 in the afternoon. However, if they lived in Ola or Sweet (in the extreme northern parts of this rural county), and they had practice at three or three-thirty, regardless of whether it was band or athletics or drama, they just had to stay. So, they got through about five or six o'clock and by the time they got home and got something to eat, they were putting in thirteen or fourteen hour days.
The necessary change came to Emmett in the form of Idaho's first Monolithic Dome school buildings. The domes offered a reasonably priced, unique alternative to so-called stick frame buildings. Also, dome design provides savings in both maintenance and utility costs. One year later, the class of 1988 proudly gathered their diplomas inside the gym of the gleaming white domes.
Interesting Points: Classrooms in the domes are bigger than those in other structures, which has proved to be enormously advantageous. One of the most frequent misconceptions concerning the domes has centered around this issue in particular. Most people assume, because of the curvature of the outside construction, that the building encloses a considerable amount of unusable, wasted space. Tony Villanueva, former Vice-Principal, now retired, says that this is just not so. "We got more space out of the a building than we thought we were going to have. It's not crowded at all. It has proven very functional in that way. Even though some of the classrooms are 'pie shaped', they are roomier than anything else we looked at."
The superintendent, Ronald Noble, reports that the dome saves at least 66 percent in energy costs over the district's other conventional schools. In 1995, the elementary school, a conventional building, cost is 33.3 cents per square foot to heat, versus 9.2 cents per square foot in the dome.
Monolithic Domes are shaped perfectly to reflect all sound through their focal point — their centers. This means the sound is captured and absorbed at the center of the dome without covering all the other surfaces.
Statistics: The 900 student Emmett High School uses two 180 foot diameter domes to house classrooms and the gymnasium. Three smaller domes house the woodworking, metal, and auto shops. Three floors of classrooms surround a five story tall atrium. A 25 foot diameter artificial skylight provides a daylight atmosphere during all weather conditions. The double-wide gym can seat 3,000 for graduation ceremonies. The dome also houses a weight room, wrestling room, locker rooms, offices, concessions, and a 350 seat theater.
How a dome is constructed: The Monolithic Dome starts as a concrete ring foundation, reinforced with steel rebar. Vertical steel bars embedded in the ring later attached to the steel reinforcing of the dome itself. Small domes may use an integrated floor/ring foundation. Otherwise, the floor is poured after completion of the dome. An Airform -- fabricated to the proper shape and size -- is placed on the ring base. Using blower fans, it is inflated and the Airform creates the shape of the structure to be completed. The fans run throughout construction of the dome. Polyurethane foam is applied to the interior surface of the Airform. Entrance into the air-structure is made through a double door airlock which keeps the air-pressure inside at a constant level. Approximately three inches of foam is applied. The foam is also the base for attaching the steel reinforcing rebar. Steel reinforcing rebar is attached to the foam using a specially engineered layout of hoop (horizontal) and vertical steel rebar. Small domes need small diameter bars with wide spacing. Large domes require larger bars with closer spacing. Shotcrete, a special spray mix of concrete, is applied to the interior surface of the dome. The steel rebar is embedded in the concrete and when about three inches of shotcrete is applied, the Monolithic Dome is finished. The blower fans are shut off after the concrete is set.
For more information visit Emmett High School