On Dwarven Surface Architecture

Visitors occasionally express surprise that Dwarven houses built above ground retain thick walls, narrow windows, heavy doors, and disproportionately deep foundations. They should not, since cultures carry their habits with them. A Dwarf who moves from a mountain city into open country does not immediately discover a spiritual attachment to French windows.

One architect attempted to popularise what he called the “open Dwarven style,” with broad panes of glass and airy interior spaces. His first commissioned client added shutters, reinforced the cellar, narrowed three windows, and built a stone wall around the garden. The architect called the result compromised. The owner called it finished.