Construction Techniques

Construction techniques, like the designs themselves, are being refined all the time, but there are some key constants. Building takes a lot of raw materials, which need to be transported, and those working on the building need the skill and manpower to build towards the target design.

Raw Materials

Despite the army of craftsmen involved in constructing great buildings, the main cost comes from the raw materials, with stone needing to be quarried and transported, wood needing to be felled and prepared, and other materials such as glass expensive in their own right. With this in mind, everything is done to reduce the cost of materials as far as possible. This is why stone is usually shaped and carved at the quarry rather than at the building site, to make transport easier, quicker, and cheaper.

Falsework

Falsework is the term given to all temporary structures used in the construction of buildings. This generally breaks down into three types of falsework: scaffolding, centering, and shoring.

Scaffolding provides temporary elevated platforms, allowing craftsmen and laborers access to raised parts of the building. Scaffolding can be built directly on the ground, extending upwards on rigid frames, or suspended from the building itself, usually through wooden beams extending from planned post-holes in the walls.

Hermetic Projects

Centering consists of strong rigid frames designed in the shape of vaults and arches. They are built or moved into place and the stonework is built around these frames to ensure that the correct forms are achieved.

The last type of falsework is shoring, which consists of temporary supports that bear the weight of a structure, keeping its proper alignment and shape, while the permanent supports are built.

Craftsmen and Artists

The main craftsman involved in building any tower is the mason. More than just a laborer or worker of stone, he is a learned engineer with knowledge of the Artes Liberales, an understanding of his raw materials, and the leadership to organize complex building projects. Masons are members of an international guild that governs their trade, and this guild is a powerful presence at major works. There is more information on masons in City & Guild, page 59.

Supporting the mason is an army of carpenters, joiners, blacksmiths, stonecutters, brick-layers, plasterers, and other laborers. All of these craftsmen, skilled in their own right, are further supported by local tradesmen selling food, lodging, clothes, tools, and other necessities.

Construction projects of a certain size employ many masons. One of these is considered the master mason and is usually the architect of the project; his Ability scores should be used throughout. Every trade represented in the construction, from blacksmiths to carpenters, stone cutters to glaziers, is led by a master craftsman who is involved in the decision-making at the highest level.

The construction of a building is only part of the project. Whether for the glory of the sponsor or for God, castles and cathedrals are augmented by the