So, this was a busy council session. We have passed some laws, decided upon future priorities and foiled even more proposals.
From now on we will build really nice tombs for citizens (for now all dwarves are considered at least citizens, though it might change as more dwarves arrive and citizens and serfs become properly separated by the city walls).
We will try our best integrating worker's dwellings with their working places within same building, or at least within a tightly packed district.
We will not disturb the first 5 dead without exhumation ban lift.
And finally we will start a brick factory right away.(Neblime, we need a proper announcement of that one, Cain, we need some drafts of such factory. I am thinking of ~ 6 kilns. 3 for clay scooping, 3 for brick making. or 4/2?)
I was thinking about more IC buildings, looking at various architectural achievements over the human history and noticed the following aspects:
1. common purely stone buildings are usually pretty small in size, That is mainly because it is increasingly hard to lift a heavy, yet perfectly sized, stone on any kind of height. Any really complex buildings involving stone are usually made by civilizations with long architectural traditions and established masonry heritage (Greeks, Egyptians).
2. Up until the modern times brick buildings were also not maid without wood. Beams were made out of wood, and columns had a wooden support inside. Before the modern concrete technology and proper clay refining it was nigh impossible to support any kind of heavy weight by bricks alone.
So, I figured, that up until late game, we should build buildings from several different materials:
Stone foundation, brick walls, and wooden top floors. With wooden beams and columns (IC coming from great trees) through all of the building. Like this (typical box)
s-stone,
w-wood
.-floor
b-brick
#-soil
surface-x:
###########
#wsssssssw#
#s.soil..s#
#s.floor.s#
#s...w...s#
#s.wood..s#
#s.floor.s#
#wsssssssw#
###########
This is basically basement. lowest level gets soil floor, then wooden floors. Walls are made of hard true stone to resist humidity and pressure from soil and to support whole structure. If the building is big-a few wooden columns will ahve to support it though whole height.
surface, surface+y
bbb bbb
bwbbbbbbbwb
bb.wood..bb
b.floor.b
b...w...b
b.wood..b
bb.floor.bb
bwbbbbbbbwb
bbb bbb
first few floors. Wooden supports are encased with bricks to protect them from elements.
top floors, surface+y+z
wwwwwwwww
w.wood..w
w.floor.w
w...w...w
w.wood..w
w.floor.w
wwwwwwwww
Top floors. made entirely out of wooden planks.
And a roof made out of bricks(IC roof tile)
Bigger structures may also need support beams in the walls.
Of course, as we build more and more we will surely gain enough experience, heritage and tradition to use materials more freely. Like having temples out of pure stone, palace, gilded with gold or whatever. Tasks nigh impossible without a guild system and proper outdoor construction lineage(as IC dwarves are obviously proficient with cutting tunnels in the stone, but not so much in construction out of stone).
Any thoughts?