Would you feel more comfortable about your hangar knowing that buildings from which it was derived are used as community disaster shelters? Monolithic Constructors of Italy, Texas, has designed and built schools, churches and storage warehouses that double as hurricane/tornado shelters. The company claims its new-design hangars can withstand winds of greater than 150 mph. Company president David South said his dome hangars cost about the same to build as a metal-frame hangar, but offer superior climate control, as well as better protection from wind, rain and snow.
The hangars are built using a balloon-like structure that is inflated to create the shape of the building. The interior is coated with polyurethane foam and steel rebar is attached to the foam. Then several inches of shotcrete is sprayed onto the assembly from the inside, embedding the rebar. The result is a concrete, steel-reinforced, thin-wall structure.
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