modern radium girl

hello and welcome to gondolin. shining city on the hill? alike to the elven cities of old in valinor? it wont be if you dont pick up a shovel and dig more privies. get to work.

of note:

the aforementioned privies which are perhaps the first "structure" on site, if you could call pits structures.

the lovely quarry and single temporary house

the impractical but strategically chosen tower construction taking place. while not the most functional or necessary building, high morale and visible results are also necessary for a project of this scope. if it has the added benefit of being a monument to lordly authority and might, well that was by design.

the chosen valley is unfortunately rather devoid of trees, on account of the altitude and particular climate, but it is rich in stone, clay, and scrub. this issue was of course identified in initial visits to the valley and there are the plans for lumber orchards in the works. it is thought that the lowest lying part of the valley closest to the south has the greatest depth of soil thanks to the river deposits, and will provide a shaded causeway to the first (planned) gate.

there is also a fierce debate taking place over how best to manage the necessity of pasture and farmland with the overall footprint of the city itself. this is complicated by differing opinions of what "counts" as the valley and at what point construction and habitation should continue no further up the slopes.

elemmakil is not all alone up there, there are a good number of elves posted up on even more miserable peaks surrounding the valley. (though there is be some distance between him and his closest fellows.)

they plan to be living out of their travel dwellings for at the least a year, but likely several years more in most cases. as more foundations are laid and projects progress, the dwellings can be shifted as need be as placeholders for future more permanent structures. due to the size of the valley (and the wish to emulate tirion) it is expected that future dwellings will utilize as much vertical space as possible, with multiple families living in the same larger structure together. of course with the exception of the lords, who will all have their appointed estates.

(literal)house of the golden flower and associated outbuildings

freshly slathered in clay and not nearly as ornamented as it would later become as gondolin developed a taste for their large flowery frescoes.

luxurious use of wood for awnings and walkway of dubious safety

outbuildings include a tower (of course) which is officially in use as a nesting place for migratory bird populations. a most auspicious thing to have in this valley looked after by the eagles. following gondolin's engagement in the nirnaeth arnoediad the tower took on the unfortunate double use as a grave for the dead left behind.

other outbuildings include the kitchens and stewards residence, the latter with its adjoining garden. the path to the main house from the kitchens is miserable. so miserable in fact, subsequent remodelings delved a stair from the kitchens to the basement of the main residence.

gondolin has no particular interest in window glass or its production. the dry cold of the climate in the winter, as well as the sometimes unbearably hot summer necessitate some trial and error when it comes to maintaining optimal indoor temperature. high-set, small windows are an easy solution in smaller dwellings, but a lords house requires more natural light than a cave, thank you. the larger windows of the second floor maintain a pleasant coolness in the summer, but is a bit colder than is desirable in the winter, unless one wants to shutter them completely and live in the dark.