The Palace of the Dedicated Worker

Easily the most recognised building in all Rhanukhan, the Palace of the Dedicated Worker (officially The Hall of the Citizens' Assembly of the Unified Provinces of Rhanukhan) is a government building in Rhanukhan Kaglakh. It stands on the Khunate Embankment, facing into Lady Helena's Square at the midpoint of the Avenue of the Dedicated Worker (from which the building derives its popular name). The building serves as the primary office of the government of Rhanukhan and is the official home and workplace of the Rhanukhani Supreme Chairman, replacing the ancient Dominus' Grand Palace as the centre of power in Rhanukhan. It was built from 2004 to 2007AU according to the design of architect, Dominic Trouserpress, to house the Citizens' Assembly and the Supreme Chairman of Rhanukhan. The structure was damaged during the 2008 Symyano Invasion and was subsequently reconstructed.

The Palace of the Dedicated Worker viewed from Lady Helena's Square.

In 2004, construction of the Palace of the Dedicated Worker was begun to accommodate the administrative bodies of the newly formed Citizens' Assembly at this site. The plan for the reconstruction of the territory was prepared by a group of architects led by Dominic Trouserpress, Paul Saltpetre, Veronica Loveseat, and others, alongside a team of engineers. The overall design derives in part from Trouserpress's 1984 draft of the unrealized Rhanukhani Sahaerod Vokhiredrumba headquarters building. Initially, Trouserpress proposed constructing the building on Merchants' Square, which rises above a significant part of the city, as the site on the Khunate Embankment was inconvenient due to nearby buildings; however, because of the good view alongside the high bank of the Khunate River, the current location on Lady Helena's Square was chosen instead.

The Palace of the Dedicated Worker is a multi-storey building in which a uniformly shaped prefabricated reinforced concrete frame with monolithic stiffness cores is used. Outside, the structure is lined with individual claydite concrete panels, which are finished with a white marble. The total area of the complex is 732,000 square metres, with a total area of office space around 132,000 square metres. The building was designed with a complex three-level system of underground floors, where parking, bunkers, ventilation chambers and refrigeration equipment are located. The structure is equipped with a separate sewerage and an autonomous power supply system. There is a theory that the building is connected by underground passages to subway tunnels, but official sources do not confirm or refute this information.

During the construction of the Palace of the Dedicated Worker, Dominic Trouserpress used elements of his unrealized 1984 design for the headquarters of state airline, Rhanukhani Sahaerod Vokhiredrumba (popularly abbreviated to "Rhansahvo") The original idea for the Rhansahvo building was developed in honour of the 1983 rescue, by Rhanukhani pilots, of the passengers of the sunken cruise liner, RSS Melissa II. The construction was supposed to have simplified forms; the stylobate of the building was similar in size to the ship; it was supplemented with numerous sculptural compositions. The main entrance of the planned building emphasized the portico, which resembled a triumphal arch. It was assumed that the Rhansahvo building would form a new look for the Khulakhallan Kaglakh railway station square, but the structure did not correspond to the site in size and configuration, so it was never built.

In 2004, Dominic Trouserpress used his plans for the unrealized project of the Rhansahvo building to develop the plans for the future Palace of the Dedicated Worker. However, the monumental complex of the Palace of the Dedicated Worker differed from the original idea of the architect. The simplified composition of the building has a symmetrical pyramidal structure composed of three parts. The powerful base with divergent ramps and a front staircase is supported by a wide seven-storey building with side wings. Above them stands a twenty-storey tower with chamfered edges. The strict rhythm of the windows is disturbed on the upper technical floor, where the openings are much narrower. The outer walls of the structure are lined with granite and white marble. The building is crowned by a small square tower with a gilded Burrowing Octopus on the front and rear faces and a flagpole on which the State Banner is fixed. The height of the structure with the flagpole is 119 metres: without it, 102 metres. The building was the last lifetime project of Dominic Trouserpress and is a unique object of Rhanukhan Kaglakh's development, forming a panorama of the Khunate Embankment. The premises of the complex are decorated with multicolored stone marble inserts. The main assembly hall is located in the central part of the seven-storey base and faces the Khunate River. In total, the building has 27 meeting and reception rooms.

According to the memoirs of one of the builders, Felix Maghemite, when installing the flagpole, Dominic Trouserpress ordered it to be shortened by three metres for a more harmonious combination of proportions; however, due to possible delays, workers were ordered to install the already prepared bar in secret from the architect over a weekend.

Construction was completed in 2007, with a total cost exceeding 6 billion khongs. After the completion of the project, team leader Dominic Trouserpress, architect Veronica Loveseat, and designer Yenny Datolite were awarded the Prism Prize (one of the most prestigious Rhanukhani awards for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology). From 2007, the Citizens' Assembly of the Unified Provinces of Rhanukhan, which had until then held its sessions in the Dominus' Grand Palace, moved to the Palace of the Dedicated Worker. The new building stood for less than a year, however, before suffering notable damage during the failed extraterrestrial Symyano invasion of Sargvilosahnah in 2008, particularly the upper eight floors being gutted by fire.

Dhunvalan architect, Oscar Loofah, suggested that restorers mark the burnt floors on the façade with black granite cladding; however, this idea was abandoned in favour of recreating the original appearance of the complex. Some repairs on the upper floors of the building were carried out by Symyano workers as an act of contrition - a large number of Symyano having remained on Sargvilosahnah, becoming citizens of its nations, when their fleet returned to Symyan'zu. During the restoration work, the clocks on the upper tower of the building were restored and reused; though by the second half of 2009, the clocks were dismantled and the golden images of a Burrowing Octopus - the national animal of Rhanukhan - had been installed in their place. As a further part of the restoration, the building was closed off from the Khunate Embankment with a massive fence that prevented rallies at the walls of the building. Nevertheless, protesters continue to gather in front of the Palace of the Dedicated Worker in Lady Helena's Square.

Restoration work was carried out for almost a year, and in 2010 the repaired complex was occupied by the Citizens' Assembly. An inscription at the base of the tower reads "Darlbach idan vor Kaglakhatsina Zhokovreba idan vor Ermiatianakan Govartsiana idan Rhanukhan" ("Hall of the Citizens' Assembly of the Unified Provinces of Rhanukhan"), the official name of the building. There is a suite of offices for the Supreme Chairman of Rhanukhan located on the third floor of the building. These offices include access to the Golden Balcony, from where His Resplendence makes public appearances, addresses the citizenry, or enjoys watching a grand military parade along the Avenue of the Dedicated Worker. Traditionally, the Supreme Chairman holds meetings with his ministers in the Palace of the Dedicated Worker.

In 2011, there was a large-scale reconstruction of the fifth floor of the building. At the same time, some media outlets reported on the construction of a swimming pool and gym within the building, but official sources did not confirm this information. A year later, a private restaurant was opened on the twelfth floor of the complex. In 2012, plans were made to move the offices of certain officials to a new federal centre in Loidisuria Kaglakh, but this idea was postponed indefinitely. Also, that year, a landing pad for the new bananætherium-derived "angrav" vehicles was installed near the building. In 2013, on the territory of the nearby Prism Park, a monument was erected in memory of those who had died in the Palace of the Dedicated Worker during the Symyano invasion. In 2014 the Unified Provinces Postal Service issued a 40 khao stamp depicting the Palace of the Dedicated Worker and honouring resistance to the invasion attempt.

In September 2020, the press service of the Citizens' Assembly of the Unified Provinces of Rhanukhan reported that the condition of Palace of the Dedicated Worker was recognized as an emergency, citing issues with the roof and leaks in the basement among other issues. The Rhanukhani government has planned to allocate more than 5 billion khongs for reconstruction purposes, almost as much as the original construction costs.