Echo Spire
Purpose / Function
Originally, Echo Tower was designed as a kind of "echo" of the primary government tower, intended to function as an emergency meeting place. Then, for a very short amount of time, it was used as a perching place for the Garruw who visited.
During this time period, a large number of educational materials and scientific matter made its way to the tower, so that the humans could teach the Garruw about themselves and that they could all attempt to learn about each other. This attempt ultimately failed, but the educational stuff remained.
So now it's a school. Normally used for the higher levels of education, but the bottom floors of the building have a few of the toddler classes on those rare occasions when the usual buildings are full.
Alterations
The building was made taller during the period where the Garruw were guests, to create several upper structures to hold them while still maintaining the lower functions.
The lower floors have been modified several times to accommodate classes of different types and sizes. Also, on one memorable occasion, the fifth floor had to be completely dismantled and then reconstructed due to a biological contaminant. In the end, it was left as a wide open space and used for a training room.
Architecture
It's a tall, narrow building. Not as tall as the main buildings, but taller than the houses. A kind of white stone was used in the construction. There are two or three classrooms per floor. The outside is more window than wall, letting in a lot of light.
The staircase and elevator form two spines on the building, one on either side.
It likely wasn’t literally the same as when it was first made. But you could see it in the style. It had a strange, claw-like top to it, and a lot of large spaces inside with exceptionally broad staircases. Almost as if it was designed to be used by giants.
History
Echo Tower has been an educational center for as long as anyone can remember. It's the building where you go once you're an apprentice, to take all the supplemental courses in the areas that your master won't be specifically teaching you. As such, most people in the Dome have spent at least some time in the building.
It's an institution. Nothing great or grand has happened there in the time that people can remember.
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