Workshop layout

Workshop layout is very important to making a fortress run smoothly. Workshops should be close to stockpiles containing their inputs and outputs in order to minimize the amount of hauling necessary. In many cases, it is also desirable to be able to lock workshops either to force the use of certain materials or to contain a dwarf in the case of a failed strange mood.

Pair workshops that have similar inputs or similar outputs or where the output of one is the input of another. Examples: Pair a mechanic's workshop with a mason's workshop because both consume stone and produce furniture, or a forge surrounded by smelters. If multiple inputs are required (smelter, smith..), it is better to make specialized stockpiles rather than having a single 'input' stockpile because you want to make sure that there is always some of every input. Use the 'take from stockpile' interface to fill these subsidiary stockpiles from your main stockpile and vice versa.

There are several possible layouts for workshops and stockpiles, including but not limited to the following.

Basement stockpiles

This design gives workshops easy access to input and output stockpiles.

  Level 1:              Level 2 (below, as shown, but could be above as well)

╔══════╦══════╗            ╔══════╦══════╗
║WWWWWW║WWWWWW║            ║iiiiii║iiiiii║
║WWWWWW║WWWWWW║            ║iiiiii║iiiiii║
║WWWWWW║WWWWWW║            OiiiiiiOiiiiiiO
║..>>..║..>>..║            ...<<.....<<...
╚══════╩══════╝            OooooooOooooooO
                           ║oooooo║oooooo║
W = workshop               ║oooooo║oooooo║
i = input item             ╚══════╩══════╝
o = output item

Alternatively you can place input above and output below the workshops or the other way round, depending, for example, on the location of your trade depot, or other workshops involved in the chain of production. Additional stairs may be useful.

3x3 rooms

This design makes it easier to contain berserk dwarves.

╔═══╦═══┼..
║WWW║WWW║..
║WWW║WWW║..
║WWW║WWW║..
╩══┼╩┼══┼..
....X......
╦══┼╦┼══┼..
║WWW║WWW║..
║WWW║WWW║..
║WWW║WWW║..
╚═══╩═══┼..

W = workshop
X = up/down staircase
... = hallway

Access and stockpiles are placed above and below the room. Similar workshops can be grouped together for easier checking on, and doors can be locked should a moody dwarf's wishes be unmet. This concept can be used for your entire fortress:

Below you can see a piece from around the central staircase, to see how the design should start. Notice that it is pretty modular, you can have two workshops pushed together, or you can separate them all, and you have a couple options on how you set up your entrances, connecting two workshops with one door, or leaving them with separate entrances. Up to you. Notice the initial diagonal terminates at a workshop, and starts the grid pattern.

║WWW║.║`║.║WWW║`
║WWW║.╠═══╣.║WWW║`
║WWW║.║WWW║.║WWW║`
╩═══┼.║WWW║.┼═══╩═
......║WWW║.......
══════┼═╦═┼═══┼═══
WWWWWW║.O.║WWW║WWW
WWWWWW╠OXO╣WWW║WWW
WWWWWW║.O.║WWW║WWW
══════┼═╩═┼═══┼═══
......║WWW║.......
╦═══┼.║WWW║.┼═══╦═
║WWW║.║WWW║.║WWW║`
║WWW║.╠═══╣.║WWW║`
║WWW║.┼WWW┼.║WWW║`
╚═══╣.║WWW║.╠═══╝`
║.║WWW║.║`
║.╠═══╣.║`

The floors alternate workshop/storage. On workshop floors the diagonals immediate to the main stairway are mined out a couple spaces to make room for the first workshops; around those you can start mining in straight lines and start a grid pattern. For storage floors you can leave a wall of stone around the staircase with only one or two walls mined out for access; then mine out everything around it. On the ground level you start by mining into a cave, clear out space for a trade depot, and mine out one spot where you build a single downward staircase; here the entire fortress starts. It works great and is very efficient, though it takes a while to get setup right.

Decentralized Workshop Complex

Designed for use with the decentralized living plan, this plan emphasizes fine-grained planning with many small, specific stockpiles and planned workshop quarters. It therefore requires some micro-management to get going. However, once you have it working, things work extremely smoothly and you should never have a significant delay in production again.

Total workshop loadout for 1 floor:

Sixteen (16) 3x3 workshops
Four (4) 4x3 workshops
Two (2) 5x5 workshops

Maximum walk to stockpile on same wing: 18.

The light gray crosses are optional doors. They can be useful for sealing off a Kitchen or Butcher's Shop to keep miasma from annoying the neighbors. Beyond that, the blue field is the stairwell access (recommend separate up stairs and down stairs for safety reasons), and the gray fields are stockpiles.

4x3 workshops are useful for workshops with strange blocked square formations (the Bowyer's shop is an example). They can also be nice for setting up a tiny 1x2 or 1x3 stockpile for a specific workshop - with bins, this can be a significant reserve of material. Imagine a Clothier or Leatherworker with 3 full bins of cloth or leather right next to them.

The 5x5 workshops are useful for shops, kennels, and siege workshops. You can even put your trade depot in one of them if you've got a mind to. Maintaining proper security can be a nightmare in that situation (remember that trolls and others can break down doors and floodgates), but if you manage to get it done it can be a trader's dream come true. They can also be useful for making a specialty shop with a few stockpiles designed to accomplish only one thing (encrusting statues with gems, for example).

The 3x3 workshops are best organized into wings, where a pair of workshops share a similar function with the pair directly next to them. They share stockpile space better this way. When set up correctly, less than 10 dwarves will regularly use each stockpile room, so traffic is a non-issue. There tends to be a lot of dwarves in the halls, though, because peasant haulers visit the workshops frequently, hence the 3-wide corridors.

Finally, this design offers lots and lots of wall space for smoothing and engraving. Free wealth is good.

Interconnected 6x6 rooms with stockpiles

╬══┼┼══╬══┼┼══╬
║.****.║.****.║
║**..**║**..**║
┼*....*┼*....*┼
┼*....*┼*....*┼
║**..**║**..**║
║.****.║.****.║
╬══┼┼══╬══┼┼══╬
║.****.║.****.║
║**..**║**..**║
┼*....*┼*....*┼
┼*....*┼*....*┼
║**..**║**..**║
║.****.║.****.║ * = pathway
╬══┼┼══╬══┼┼══╬

In this design, each room functions as workshop, hallway, and stockpile. A workshop is placed near the center of each room, preferably so that only a walkable tile overlaps the (*) pathways. The pathways form a virtual double-wide diagonal hallway, allowing dwarves to move through the fortress easily. The pathways, as well as the remainder of each room, are filled with the appropriate stockpiles. Each room should have at least one set of stairs for easy access to adjacent z-levels.

Each workshop has a short path to several nearby workshops on the same and other z-levels, allowing for a lot of flexibility in which workshops are placed in which rooms. Each room is also lockable if necessary. Optionally, the corner can be replaced with a door to allow faster movement between diagonally adjacent workshops.

Fluid workshop locations

Alternatively, you can employ a "work site" methodology where workshops are constructed and destroyed as necessary. For example, if you mine out a huge dining hall and it is completely filled with stone, build a masonry shop in the hall to manufacture tables and chairs. This eliminates the need for a stone hauler because your mason only has to travel a few squares to get raw material. In addition it makes furniture hauling more efficient because the tables and chairs are right next to their eventual location. And of course it clears stone out of your dining hall, eliminating the need for a refuse hauler to dump it all.

Smelting Operations

In very resource-heavy maps, 10-12 smelters may be necessary to keep up with mining operations. I've had very efficient results with this setup - and it looks good, to boot. The stairways lead down into a high Z-level mining operation (keeps the noise away from the bedrooms, too), with additional bar storage 1-2 levels below. One or more magma forges would be down the hall from the bar stockpiles.

     ╔════════════╗
     ║SMSSMSSMSSMS║
     ║SSSSSSSSSSSS║
     ║SSSSSSSSSSSS║
     ║OOOOOOOOOOOO║
     ║OOOOOOOOOOOO║
     ║OOOOOOOOOOOO║
     ╠┼┼═══┼┼═══┼┼╣
     ║............║
     ║............╠══════╗
     ║..╔═....═╗..┼OOOSMS║
     ║..║>>BBBB║..┼OOOSSS║
═════╝...>>BBBB...║OOOSSS║
.........BBBBBB...║OOOSMS║
.........BBBBBB...║OOOSSS║
.........BBBBBB...║OOOSSS║
═════╗...BBBB>>...║OOOSMS║
     ║..║BBBB>>║..┼OOOSSS║
     ║..╚═....═╝..┼OOOSSS║
     ║............╠══════╝
     ╠┼┼═══┼┼═══┼┼╣
     ║OOOOOOOOOOOO║
     ║OOOOOOOOOOOO║
     ║OOOOOOOOOOOO║
     ║SMSSMSSMSSMS║
     ║SSSSSSSSSSSS║
     ║SSSSSSSSSSSS║
     ╚════════════╝

*S = Smelter
*M = Magma access (lines up with unpassable tile on magma smelter)
*B = Bar Stockpile
*O = Ore Stockpile