First Domed School Gym in California Nears Completion

AHWAHNEE, Calif.— Wasuma Elementary School in Ahwahnee is now home to the first domed school building in California. The dome-shaped gymnasium serves the Wasuma Elementary Wildcats and was considered something of a funding feat.

Due to budget restrictions throughout the Bass Lake School District, the Wasuma gymnasium was not a top priority project. The district instead focused funding on improving other existing facilities. As Wasuma Elementary was still in need of a gymnasium, however, school district officials got creative, finding ways to provide the building without straining the budget.

A new gymnasium would normally have cost the district $4 million to build. That figure was cut in half to $2 million when the school chose a dome-shape structure over a traditional building. By using the techniques of the Monolithic Dome Institute located in Italy, Texas, the school was able to save money on both materials and labor. The dome-shaped structure will also save more on energy and maintenance costs than a traditional building.

Energy savings are a result of the building’s unique structure. The dome, which is made of concrete and insulated with polyurethane foam, acts as a container that can naturally regulate temperature. Glen Lauterbach, a developer with California Dome Builders who oversaw the project, told The Fresno Bee that by using the dome structure, the school would be able to lower its energy costs by up to 75 percent annually.

Another benefit of choosing a dome-style structure was that it required fewer materials and less time to complete than a traditional gym. The building is shaped around an inflated bag of air, which is held in place by steel bars while concrete is sprayed onto the outside.

Prior to completion of the dome-shaped gym, the school had been using the cafeteria for lunch, gym class and school events. This space restriction had forced faculty to hold separate student assemblies and gatherings, as they were not able to fit the entire school population into the cafeteria at one time.

Discussing the new, larger gym — that will be able to hold all students comfortably — Bass Lake School District Superintendent Glenn Reid told The Fresno Bee, “I don’t want people to think they’re stepping into the Save Mart Center — it’s still an elementary school built for an audience of about 300 small children.” Reid also was impressed with the build timeline and projected savings.

School officials all over the country — most notably in Oklahoma, Texas and Arizona — have also starting using this technique for constructing classrooms; not only for the savings, but also because the dome can provide added protection in the event of natural disasters. This safety function inspired the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to become involved in funding domed facilities. The only stipulation is that the FEMA-supported buildings must also be used as disaster shelters.

Although the buildings are mostly recognized for their protection against tornadoes and fires, David South, chairman of the Monolithic Dome Institute, who invented the design 40 years ago, said that it could be effective against earthquakes. South told The Fresno Bee that the design contains no “moment connections” and the lack of structural breaks prevents a domino effect from occurring. South said that a dome structure is “just as strong in every direction,” providing superior disaster shelter.

Wasuma Elementary School’s new domed gym is expected to be complete by September, in time for the 2015-2016 school year.