Saigaran Architecture

Gar-Plaster Construction
Most Saigaran buildings are made using gar-plaster construction. The “ribs” or framework of the building are laid out using lumber, onbalt horns, or similar materials and shaped in to the general shape of the house. Some sort of fiber like rope or string is then woven between the ribs. Then, a muddy mixture of dalwood sap, soil, clay, river silt, bone/ivory/ceramic shavings, talc, diatomaceous earth, straw/reeds/some kind of fiber, ash, gravel, and water is packed all around the frame and left to dry.

Several layers are done, before the final layer which is made of dalwood sap, clay, talc, ash, and water is laid on. When this is dry it’s given a coat of dalwood sap, honey, ash, water, milk, and heated tar. This is then exposed to flame via a special instrument and seals the mortar. Gar-plaster construction was developed by Khuvan Khula’s chief architect, combining techniques from Tairese, Zagari, and Oncan construction methods.

The purpose of gar-plaster construction was to help in creating a unified Saigaran architectural style that was made of materials readily available in all areas of the empire, that would insulate against the biting cold of the most southern plains, and hold up against the powerful storms, floods, and threat of falling trees in the forests.

In addition, it was found to be surprisingly easy to use and allowed for creative and intricate designs and engineering. It’s proven to be very strong and resistant to damage, the only maintenance being occasionally resealing it.

When complete, gar-plaster takes on various earthen tones, depending on the ratio of ingredients used, ranging from very dark to very light, and often having red or orange hues to it. Due to the nature of the construction process, the vast majority of gar-plaster structures have an almost natural or even biological/anatomical appearance, like the shells of giant crustaceans or the inside of a whale’s stomach.

The primary downsides of gar-plaster are that it takes a long time to build something and the creation of several story buildings is very difficult, expensive, and time consuming. It’s not uncommon, however, for a building to be built down instead of up. You might enter on the third floor, and find the other two beneath you, though you just entered off the street.

Most buildings still use doors, shutters, and most furnishings made primarily of wood, but glass windows are not uncommon, and important buildings often have large bronze doors.