Skyscraper

Skyscraper: A skyscraper, a type of Megastructure, is a building exhibiting vertical building.

Description (Specifications)

Buildings are limited by materials, power, movement. Building materials (masonry) therefore limited the useful building height to about 50 meters (tallest acutually built at 66meters). Thus with the development of structural steel, electricity, and the elevator at TL5, the skyscraper was born. As materials developed, the usable building heights increased. At TL5 building heights jumped to 300 meters, 450 meters by through TL6, and 600 meters through TL7. But by TL8, 1 kilometer heights were being seen and transportation once again became a problem. Elevators were starting to take up too much interior space. Grav vehicles moving people and goods outside the structure once again made the now Megascrapers usable.With the extreme height of Megascrapers, many started putting everything needed into the building; housing, retail, jobs, services, recreation, etc. Bringing them closer to the definition of Arcology.

Term Etymology

Coined from the appearance of scraping the sky.

Term Definition

Definition has changed over the years starting with "an inhabited building of over 100 meters height". Other definitions include "building of over 40 inhabited floors" and "an inhabited building of over 150 meters height"

History & Background (Dossier)

Expected Arcology Development Sequence

MACRO LEVEL:

• Ziggurat → Pyramid → Skyscraper → Underground City → Arcology → Undersea Habitat → Colony Dome → Megacity → Grav City → Deep Space Habitat → Hostile Environment City → Portal City

TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE:

• Caravanserai → Airport → Rocketport → Spaceport → Planetary Transit System → Highport → Beanstalk → Hyperloop → Gravity Train → Portal Network

Technological Overview of Computers

Epochal Technological Development: Architecture is the art of providing structures that modify the environment, provide shelter against the elements, and mitigate the dangers of the environment in its most basic form. Structures eventually grow into megastructures and arcologies are a development of this sequence of technological development.

Information Age Societies (Calculative Computers)

Technological Period: TL:1-9 and Tech-Name: Ur-Tech
Common Characteristics: Digital Networks, High scarcity, Prototype Nanotech, Calculative ("Calculating Machines"), Automatons, Low Autonomous Robots, etc.
Tech Epoch	TL-Range	Remarks
Tool Making Epoch	TL:1-3	STRUCTURES, ENVIRONMENTS & MEGASTRUCTURES: Ur-tech megastructures include pyramids, ziggurats, and an array of early stone-based structures of immense size for their epoch. Other materials have been used, but stone is the most common. Many later societies erect giant libraries, light houses, mausoleums, statues, and even massive cathedrals.
Division of Labor Epoch	TL:4-6	STRUCTURES, ENVIRONMENTS & MEGASTRUCTURES: The first cities grow into even larger into metroplexes. Some of these metroplexes become known as mega-cities. A few span entire seaboards or even continents. Using better materials and engineering practices, buildings tend to grow in height and size. Refined and hardened metals are often used for the internal structures of these immense buildings. The first skyscrapers are born. TL:4-6 megastructures often include vast hydroelectric dams, long bridges, giant statues dedicated to philosophical triumphs, and a variety of other, very large and impressive structures.
Processor Epoch	TL:7-9	STRUCTURES, ENVIRONMENTS & MEGASTRUCTURES: Metropolises continue to grow in size, sometimes covering entire seaboards greatly proliferating. Giant skyscraper jungles dominate many urban environments, and some of the more advanced societies develop the first prototype arcologies. Megacities go from being isolated examples to becoming commonplace. Cities can be built in tougher environments such as jungles, permafrost plains, underwater, and rougher terrain.

Bright Age Societies (Bright Computers)

Technological Period: TL:10-18 and Tech-Name: Stell-Tech
Common Characteristics: Intelligent Networks, Low Scarcity, Weak nanotech, Synaptic processors, Positronic Brains, Cognitive ("Thinking Machines"), High Autonomous Robots, etc.
Tech Epoch	TL-Range	Remarks
Gravitics Epoch	TL:10-12	STRUCTURES, ENVIRONMENTS & MEGASTRUCTURES: The Arcology reaches its stride and allows denser and denser concentrations of population to be achieved, freeing up more of a planet’s surface for agriculture and the preservation of pristine native environments. Metropolises or Metroplexes often include sophisticated processor nets, called City Minds, capable of coordinating traffic, production, and resources to greater and greater efficiencies. Underwater domes and floating cities become economical, opening up colonization of worlds previously thought undesirable. The first large scale orbital habitats become viable and more and more of the population expands throughout the star system.
Biologicals Epoch	TL:13-15	STRUCTURES, ENVIRONMENTS & MEGASTRUCTURES: Arcologies are extremely commonplace on high-population worlds and domed cities are becoming quite common in underwater and hostile environments. Integrated world processor nets and worldnets are part of the background expectations for worlds at this stage of development. Processor nets known as City Minds run recycling nets, maintain environmental systems, traffic grids, and nearly every other urban function as part of a comprehensive and cooperative city system.
Artificials Epoch	TL:16-18	STRUCTURES, ENVIRONMENTS & MEGASTRUCTURES: Larger and larger spacebourne habitats become possible. Larger planets can harbor densely packed populations in the trillions and even quadrillions. Arcologies are becoming even more sophisticated and increasingly diverse sophont populations are learning to cohabitate. Artificial persons soon form a new kind of under society.

Brilliant Age Societies (Brilliant Computers)

Technological Period: TL:19-27 and Tech-Name: Ultra-Tech
Common Characteristics: Delegative Rule (AI), Post-Scarcity, Strong nanotech, Emotive ("Dreaming or Feeling Machines"), Self-Aware Robots, etc.
Tech Epoch	TL-Range	Remarks
Matter Transport Epoch, Transformations Epoch, and Psionics Epoch	TL:19-21, TL:22-24, and TL:25-27	STRUCTURES, ENVIRONMENTS & MEGASTRUCTURES: Larger and far more sophisticated space environment residences are projected to become possible including the "Capsule Environment" (Dyson Spheres) and the ability to create Ringworlds. Access to pocket universes may become possible.

Beyond Brilliance

Technological Period: TL:28-30 & TL:31-33 and Tech-Name: Dei-Tech & Omni-Tech
Common Characteristics: Mass Minds, Delegative Rule (AI), Zero-Scarcity, Very Strong nanotech, Omni-Heuristic ("Deific Machines"), etc.
Tech Epoch	TL-Range	Remarks
Transcendent Epoch & Ascendant Epoch	TL:28-30 & TL:31-33	STRUCTURES, ENVIRONMENTS & MEGASTRUCTURES: All variety of Sphereworlds may become possible including the truly complex and demanding rigid Dyson Spheres. Some sophont societies are projected to develop [Tesseract]]s and Portals allowing for residences that span worlds, star systems, galaxies, and even dimensions. The Criswell Structure, a residence of unimaginable density, and the Topopolis, a galaxy-spanning urban residence, become achievable realities. Pocket Universes are mastered including the creation and destruction of such technological miracles. Shkadov Thrusters allow stars to be moved and rearranged.

References & Contributors (Sources)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Referee's Companion
• TBD
• TBD
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Master Scout and Former Naval Architect CRHensley of the Ministry of Science
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science