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[Don Blake]

So, I've decided to finally stop thinking about doing it, and actually go an build a mega(ish) project, and I've elected to take a note from the Seven Wonders of the World (before they recounted them, I don't know if it's still included) and construct a hanging garden.  Out of platinum.

Basically, I'm going to build four pillars, of as yet undetermined size, and then, through applications of Dwarven !!SCIENCE!! figure out whether I can have a structure, attached to the pillars only at the top one or two z levels, but with the actual garden rather below that.  After that, I'll need some sort of scaffolding to get my dwarves above the garden so that I can dump water onto it, allowing growth.  Unfortunately, plant options being what they are, it'll be more of a "Hanging Meadow/Forest/Farm," but I figure natural tree growth studded with strawberry plants should count, right?

Anyways, mostly posting this so I'm committed to doing it and don't just get bored and start working on something else.  Any advice from veteran megaprojecteers?

Update:  I've included images of the Proof of Concept, for purposes of record keeping.  I don't know if this is of interest to anyone, but I'm building the structure from first principals, so the first thing I did was to build a much smaller version of it, the idea being to make sure that what I'm trying to do on a larger scale is possible.  TL;DNR, it is.

Spoiler: Proof of Concept (click to show/hide)

[AngleWyrm]

Do you actually have the platinum stockpiled in a big enough quantity to complete the project? Because if the answer is "no," then you should reconsider your choice of building materials.

[Don Blake]

Do you actually have the platinum stockpiled in a big enough quantity to complete the project? Because if the answer is "no," then you should reconsider your choice of building materials.

No, unfortunately.  I do have some in the caverns, and I've been buying both bars and nuggets from all the races that will sell them to me, but my stock are still rather low.

[Soapalope]

Build it from chalk.
Chalk is gooood.

[squeakyReaper]

Is this at all influenced by the upcoming grass update, which may or may not allow us to plant flowers and kinds of grass?

[Don Blake]

Is this at all influenced by the upcoming grass update, which may or may not allow us to plant flowers and kinds of grass?

That's partly where the idea came from, yes.

Hmm.  Lacking chalk, and though I'm in the process of stockpiling platinum, it might take a while, since what's in the caves is limited and caravans bring me about three a year (two bars and a nugget, I'll try requesting it as a higher priority) perhaps a hybrid of materials?  Partly platnium, partly clear glass, partly marble?

[Urist Imiknorris]

All marble.

Also, aboveground crops can't grow on constructions, so you're going to have to carve space for the pillars out of the ground, build the pillars, connect them to the center part, then carve away the ground around it to make the actual garden.

[Don Blake]

All marble.

Also, aboveground crops can't grow on constructions, so you're going to have to carve space for the pillars out of the ground, build the pillars, connect them to the center part, then carve away the ground around it to make the actual garden.

Even muddied constructions?  Hmm.  Good to know, thank you.

[twilightdusk]

For the record, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are indeed still counted as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

[malroth]

You can make a hanging constructed bowl out of whatever suspended by a magma proof support,  then fill it with magma and water to form "natural" obsidian inside your constructed bowl,   and muddy that so that plants can grow on it

[Urist Imiknorris]

Aboveground plants actually can't grow on any rock, constructed or natural. They also can't grow on constructions made of any other material. They need soil.

[xczxc]

Bonus: dig out the whole surface level, leaving only the sections which will hang, then dig the level below that. the result: the hanging surface of dwarf fortress.

[Don Blake]

I suppose I could put a roof over it, and thus make it indoors.  Or just build it underground with extensive chanelling.

[Zaerosz]

Putting a roof over it won't change anything.

[twilightdusk]

building a roof only marks a tile as inside. a tile with a roof built over it is still above ground, meaning no subterranean crops.

Maybe eventually there will be a way to move soil tiles around.