Many folks driving north on Interstate 35 through Ellis County have noticed curious concrete domes snaking through the fields.
The domes represent the dreams of a North Texas businessman who’s gearing up for one of the biggest projects of his life: building new homes for Haitian families left homeless by the fierce earthquake on January 12 that crippled the country.
David South, president of the Monolithic Dome Institute in Italy, Texas, south of Fort Worth, actually launched the home-building project in October with the help of Haitian rap artist Won-G and the nonprofit organization One Dome at a Time. But, now, in the wake of the earthquake, the team wants to build a 500-unit village that includes a school, a medical clinic and a community hall.
South touts the family domes—each about 18 feet in diameter, or 300 square feet—as hurricane- and earthquake-proof “ecoshells.”
After a massive earthquake in 2006, One Dome at a Time helped erect a 100-unit village in Indonesia. For more information about the domes, go to www.monolithic.com or www.onedomeatatime.org.
