The Steamhouse
The Steamhouse is a large iron lattice warehouse in Triple Mesa. Formerly a steamtech (the technological stage before dieseltech workshop, The Steamhouse now exists as the largest department store in Free Faces League territory.
Design
The Steamhouse fully occupies a rectangular plot of land which, like many structures in Triple Mesa, abuts the walls of one or more of the eponymous mesas. In the case of the Steamhouse, the triangular back lot is formed by a large open-air crevice in the mesa wall on two sides and the back wall of the structure on the third side.
A railroad line still runs all the way through The Steamhouse from the front of the building all they way to the back lot. On shopping holidays, specially decorated cargo trains manned by rail workers in dress uniforms deliver goods directly into the main shopping area during operating hours. This spectacle is treated as a sort of parade sponsored by The Steamhouse, and many Triple Mesa citizens have fond memories of witnessing "Train Days" from their youth.
Alterations
The first- and second- floor workshops in The Steamhouse have been converted for use as small retail spaces, some of which are for rent by companies looking to have their products featured by The Steamhouse. The old maintenance dugout beneath the central rail line has been turned into a museum of sorts, detailing the history of rail travel and steamtech design in the Manifold as well as various interesting tidbits of local history. Along either side of the rail line lie the main shopping floors, with numerous product displays, a small food court, and a sitting area.
As The Steamhouse was formerly a workshop, numerous vents and hoses had to have valves installed to control the flow of geothermal steam. The old steam plant (once used to provide peak power) has been adapted for use as a heating and cooling system for the building; numerous Brayton cycle engines slaved together in parallel to spin ventilation fans and refrigeration compressors in the summer, while during the winter months, vented steam and sunlight turn the building into a greenhouse. While the hangar doors - large enough to admit full-sized locomotives - remain present on the front and rear walls of the building, the banks of man-doors flanking them have been replaced with revolving door displays.
Architecture
The Steamhouse is constructed of red iron lattice with decorative filigree supports. The Steamhouse features a glass-covered roof with metal shutter louvers which can be angled during the hot months. The peaked rooftop expands into a taller, cylindrical-profile section in the middle, matching roughly the area of the floor clan where the central rail line (and therefore tall trains) would be located. Inside, along either side of the space where the lower roof sections cover, wrought iron stairwells lead up to the second floor retail spaces.
Type
Shopping mall / Commercial Complex
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