40d:Building designer

Skill: Building Designer

Association
Profession	Administrator
Job Title	Building Designer
Labor	Architecture
Tasks
Construct Building
Workshop
None

The building designer skill is used in the construction of certain buildings. Its corresponding labor is architecture. Building designer has no influence on the speed with which such buildings are constructed; its only effect is to influence the quality of designed buildings, which has only modest benefits.

Using architecture

The building types that require architecture are:

• Archery targets
• Bridges
• All furnaces
• Paved roads
• Screw pumps
• Shops
• Supports
• Trade depots
• Waterwheels
• Wells
• Windmills

When building structures that require architecture, it is the architect who carries the building materials to the site and clears it of debris. The architect's time can be minimised by placing appropriate stockpiles near the selected location and by designating debris for dumping in advance. The building is then built in two stages: the first performed by the architect, and the second by a mason (if the building built from stone, stone blocks, or glass blocks), a carpenter (if it is built from logs or wood blocks), or a metalsmith (if it is built from metal bars or blocks).

Speed of construction

Building designer skill does not increase the speed with which buildings are designed, nor does agility: a no-skill building designer and a legendary designer will both design buildings at an identical rate. The rate of construction is likewise unaffected by the level of the secondary skill (masonry, etc.), but is dictated solely by agility. This makes the building designer skill of very limited value, having only an effect on the designed building's quality.

Buildings which require a variable amount of materials (namely, bridges and roads) will be built at a rate proportional to the amount of material used. Buildings which require a set number of materials to construct (such as a trade depot or a support) will all be built at the same rate, once the needed materials are all assembled.

Bridges and roads will take longer to build than those that require a set number of materials, even when comparing, say, a one-tile road (one stone) to a three stone trade depot.

Experience granted

Building a "designed" building grants 30 points of experience in building designer to the architect and a varying number of points in masonry/carpentry/blacksmithing to whomever finishes the structure (this may be the architect as well, if he or she has the appropriate labor enabled). Any of the metalsmith labors will be used if the building is made of metal, though only blacksmithing experience will be granted.

The architectural experience will be awarded at the end of the "designing" stage, but the masonry (or other) experience will be awarded gradually as the dwarf constructs the building. The amount of experience granted depends on the amount of time spent constructing - for example, constructing a 10x10 tile road will grant more experience than a screw pump.

Training methods

A relatively easy way to train a dwarf's building designer skill is to place many supports in a recently mined hall. The architect can use nearby stone to design the supports and gain experience, then those designations can be deleted with q + x. Note that if the architect also has the masonry labor enabled they may actually build the support before designing the next. (If other dwarves have masonry enabled, they might come in behind the designer and do likewise.) If unbuilt, the stone can be immediately reused after cancelling the construction of the supports.

Building quality

Building designer skill influences the quality of "designed" buildings (those listed above). The quality of the building is determined by the skill of the architect and the skill of the builder (mason/etc.). The game assigns two values that can be viewed with the building list. It is not known if and how these are added up to one value.

Buildings that do not involve an architect do not have any quality (aside from "built" furniture -- tables, statues, doors, etc.).

Building quality has only two effects in-game: high-quality buildings can occasionally trigger a happy thought in dwarves who notice them, and higher-quality buildings will boost your fort's overall architectural wealth (as displayed in the "created wealth" section of the status screen). The first effect is usually easy to achieve by using high-quality furniture, however, and the second effect is minimal unless you make your buildings out of high-value materials (such as platinum or artifact components).

Destroying a masterwork structure (whether via cave-in or building destroyer) will give an unhappy thought to its designer and/or builder (depending on whether the design or construction are masterful), though dismantling it will not.

V · T · E Skills
Miner	Miner
Woodworker	Bowyer · Carpenter · Wood cutter
Stoneworker	Engraver · Mason
Ranger	Ambusher · Animal caretaker · Animal dissector · Animal trainer · Trapper
Farmer	Brewer · Butcher · Cheese maker · Cook · Dyer · Grower · Herbalist · Lye maker · Milker · Miller · Potash maker · Soaper · Tanner · Thresher · Wood burner
Fishery worker	Fish cleaner · Fish dissector · Fisherdwarf
Metalsmith	Armorsmith · Furnace operator · Metal crafter · Blacksmith · Weaponsmith
Jeweler	Gem cutter · Gem setter
Craftsdwarf	Bone carver · Clothier · Glassmaker · Leatherworker · Stone crafter · Strand extractor · Weaver · Wood crafter
Engineer	Mechanic · Pump operator · Siege engineer · Siege operator
Administrator	Appraiser · Building designer · Organizer · Record keeper
Military	General Armor user · Shield user · Wrestler Dwarven Axeman · Crossbowman · Hammerman · Maceman · Spearman · Swordsman Other Blowgunner · Bowman · Knife user · Lasher · Pikeman
Social	Broker Comedian · Conversationalist · Flatterer · Intimidator · Judge of intent · Liar · Negotiator · Persuader Other Consoler · Pacifier
Other/Peasant	Swimmer · Thrower
Unused	Alchemist · Druid · Tracker