SDAF’s 5th annual Dome Sweet Dome has wrapped, and judging by the smiles on participants’ faces, it was a celebration worth building toward. Dome Sweet Dome is a fun, free, outdoor, hands-on construction experience for youth in grades K–12. Guided by industry professionals, including architects, engineers, and contractors, participants collaborate to build geodesic domes using recycled newspapers. The program introduces basic structural concepts while emphasizing teamwork, creativity, and sustainable thinking.
This year’s event welcomed over 80 children and their families to Civita Park, and the enthusiasm in the crowd said it all. Add in more than 40 parents and 45 dedicated volunteers, and it made for quite a gathering.
A heartfelt thank you to Sudberry Properties for graciously hosting us at Civita Park, and to our event sponsor, Dome Construction, whose support made the day possible. We were also thrilled to have strong board representation this year, with SDAF board members Kevin, Lauren, Kramer, Wayne, and Olga all joining in. None of it would have come together without the tireless leadership of program co-chairs Laura Ducharme Conboy, FAIA, and Tony Garcia, AIA, and CEC co-chair Jessica Vences.
A standout addition to this year’s event was Candyland, designed with our youngest attendees (children under five) in mind. Candyland brings the dome-building concept to life using toothpicks and gumdrops, and it turned out to be a huge hit. It’s a natural fit with the program’s spirit of hands-on learning and a meaningful step toward making Dome Sweet Dome as inclusive as possible.
As always, we continue to reflect on what we’ve learned and look forward to making next year’s event even better. Our goal is to build a program that can grow and thrive on its own — and each year, we get a little closer to that.
We hope to see even more of you at Dome Sweet Dome 2027!
Interested in getting involved? Learn more about BEEP here, and consider becoming a member to stay connected and help support programs like this one.