Chapter 663 (1/2)

Chapter 663: The Spectacle

Translator: TransN Editor: TransN

“In addition, I intend to build a landmark in the city of Neverwinter,” Roland continued to say.

“Landmark?” Karl quickly composed himself after the excitement. “Do you mean an eye-catching architecture such as a monument or a clock tower?”

“You could also call it a spectacle.” Karl was without a doubt a top figure in the Mason Guild of the king’s city, judging by his quick response to such a new terminology. Roland nodded at first, then shook his head and said, “But I’m not going to build any useless landmark.”

After the battle with the church, the First Army suffered serious losses. Although Iron Ax reported that the army’s morale was still high, the casualties caused huge grief to the families.

In order to strengthen the confidence of the subjects, especially those who came from out-of-town, he came up with this amazing idea of the spectacle. Some spectacles in history were built entirely to satisfy the lust of the rulers without having any benefit to the builders. Even if this could highlight the power of the state, Roland would not build such a white elephant.

“I plan to build a residential building on the south bank of Redwater River, behind the industrial park.”

Karl did not reply as he must have realized that this was no ordinary building.

Roland was very satisfied with Karl’s calmness. “It’ll have about 15 floors, with a height of three and a half meters per floor and an overall building height of more than 50 meters. In other words, it’s close to the height of the four old city walls of the king’s city—was that the biggest project you’ve ever been involved in?”

Karl gasped. “Your Majesty, this would be the Tower of Babel!”

“I wouldn’t consider it the Tower of Babel. It’s just an ordinary high-rise building.” Roland said laughingly, “It just happens to be suitable as a landmark in this era.”

The 15-floor height meant that it would tower over the castle. It would be visible as soon as one entered the city of Neverwinter. It would not only symbolize the power of Neverwinter but also make up for the shortage of housing now. After all, high-rise residential buildings had a higher plot ratio than cottages. This explained why more and more skyscrapers were built in the future.

“Could residential buildings really be built so high?” Karl seemed a bit skeptical.

“This is still far from the limitations of concrete.” Roland thought for a moment and said, “I’ll personally guide you through it.”

Although a change of profession often meant a different field of knowledge, mechanics and structural principles were still interchangeable. Before coming up with this idea, he already considered many factors: the height might seem alarming, but in fact, it was not. For example, the Pyramid of Khufu which was constructed in 2,000 BC possessed a height of over 140 meters and relied only on the pilling up of stones. China also had wooden pagodas with a height of more than 130 meters—as long as the foundation was sturdy enough, the height would not be an issue.

Provided stability would not be affected, future generations minimized the volume of the pillars and walls to reduce the cost of materials. Neverwinter already had a surplus of cement production, hence using it to build a concrete building was a good choice.

It would also be advisable to use a multi-podium and towering building design for the structure. Although that would mean occupying more land, it would also greatly enhance the structural stability and reduce the difficulty of construction.

More columns could be added if stability was an issue. Reinforced steel bars could also help with its quality. As long as the foundation was solid, it would be almost uncollapsible.

The last issue was the casting of the concrete—Roland had already considered it and decided that Maggie and Hummingbird would rise into the sky, while Hummingbird would carry iron cans and pour concrete from the air. This would almost be as efficient as using the pump.