Estrope - Russo 1

Introduction
As architects, we are absolutely delighted to have you, Mrs. Copeland, to choose us as
your personal architects for your tower. However, we usually do not have people ask us to design
fourteen sided towers. It shall be a new and interesting task. We also find it fantastic that you
wanted a medieval theme opposed to a practical one. But do not fret, we will still install
lavatories within your medieval tower.
Although our plight will take a huge amount of effort, we will pour our heart and soul
into this project. We will also do our best to combine practical architecture with medieval
architecture. It is ensured that you will be able to enjoy reading a book while sitting on top of an
aquarium and gazing into the eyes of a two-headed dragon. We hope you will enjoy the final
product as much as we will have designing it.
The Fourteen Sided Polygon Maximized on the Plot

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Figure 1. Base of Tower in Plot

Figure 1 shows the base of the tower within the plot of 41 ft by 41 ft. The local rules do
not permit building within 3 ft of the boundaries of the plot which is why the base of the tower
will be built within the 35 ft by 35 ft piece of land (41 ft - 6 ft). To ensure that the area of the
base is maximized, two of the vertices must touch the boundaries of the buildable plot area. If
one of its sides were to touch the boundaries, parts of the base would be outside of the buildable
plot area, thus breaking the local rules.

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Figure 2. Polygon 1 Dimensions

Figure 2 shows the outermost tetradecagon. Its area must be calculated. By dividing the
tetradecagon into 14 triangles, finding the dimensions becomes easier. The length of c can be
easily calculated by taking the side length of the buildable plot, 35 ft, and dividing by 2. The
calculations to find the height, x, and a side of the polygon, 2y, are shown below in Figure 3.
C=central angle
y=h alf of t h e base lengt h of Polygon 1
x=h eig h t of triangle

360
n
360
C=
14
180
C=
7
C=

90
y
)=
7
17.5
90
y=17.5sin( )
7

sin(

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2 y=217.5sin(

90
)
7

2 y 7.79 ft
90
x
)=
7
17.5
90
x=17.5cos( )
7
x 17.06
Figure 3. Finding the Dimensions of a Triangle in Polygon 1
cos(

Figure 3 shows the calculations made to find the dimensions of a triangle within Polygon
1. The first calculation made was finding the central angle, which is necessary to find the other
lengths using right triangle trigonometry. By dividing 360 by 14, the number of sides the

polygon has, the central angle measurement is found to be

180
. A height was dropped
7

down, splitting the angle in half, and the congruent angles became

90
. That angle
7

measurement will be used to calculate the height and the side length of the polygon.
By using the sine function, the approximated measurement of the side length of the
polygon can be found. The approximated height of the triangle was found with the cosine
function.
A tri =Area of triangle wit h P olygon1
A poly= Area of Polygon 1
1
A= b h
2
1
A tri = (2 y)( x )
2
A tri =(17.5sin(

90
90
))(17.5cos( ))
7
7

A poly=14A triangle

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A poly=14 (17.5sin(

90
90
))(17.5cos( ))
7
7

A poly 930.14 ft 2
Figure 4. Area of Polygon 1
Figure 4 shows how to find the area of Polygon 1 once the base and height are found
(refer to Figure 3). Once the base and height are plugged in, the area of the triangle can be found.
Once it was found, it was multiplied by 14 because there are 14 of those triangles within a
tetradecagon. The area of Polygon 1 was found to be approximately 930.14 ft2.

Figure 5. Polygon 2 Dimensions

Figure 5 shows the second outermost tetradecagon. Its area must be calculated. By
dividing the tetradecagon into 14 triangles, finding the dimensions becomes easier. The length of
x can be calculated by subtracting a foot from the length found in Figure 3.
z=h alf of t h e base lengt h of Polygon 2

tan (

90
z
)=
7
x1

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tan (

90
)=
7

90
))1
7
90
90
z=(17.5cos ( )1)( tan( ))
7
7
90
90
2 z =2(17.5cos( )1)(tan( ))
7
7
2 z 7.33
Figure 6. Finding the Side Length of Polygon 2
(17.5cos (

Figure 6 shows how to find the side length of Polygon 2 by using the tangent function.

The same angle measurement of

90
is used and x is also plugged into the equation. Once
7

z is solved, the total side length of Polygon 2 can be found by multiplying z by 2.

A tri2= Area of triangle wit hPolygon 2
A poly 2= Areaof Polygon 2
1
A= b h
2
1
A tri2= (2 z )( x1)
2
90
90
90
A tri2=(17.5cos( )1)(tan( ))(17.5cos ( )1)
7
7
7
A poly 2=14A triangle2
A poly 2=14 (17.5cos(

90
90
90
)1)( tan( ))(17.5cos( )1)
7
7
7

A poly 2 824.30 f t
Figure 7. Area of Polygon 2
Figure 7 shows how to find the area of Polygon 2 once the dimensions of the triangle are
found. Using those dimensions, the area of the triangle can also be found. Once it was found, it
was multiplied by 14 because there are 14 of those triangles within a tetradecagon. The area of
Polygon 2 was found to be approximately 824.29 ft2.

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Figure 8. Polygon 3 Dimensions

Figure 8 shows the second innermost tetradecagon. Its area must be calculated. By
dividing the tetradecagon into 14 triangles, finding the dimensions becomes easier. The length of
x can be calculated by subtracting a two feet from the length found in Figure 3.
a=h alf of t h e base lengt h of polygon3
90
a
)=
7
x2
90
a
tan ( )=
7
90
(17.5cos ( ))2
7
90
90
a=(17.5cos( )2)(tan ( ))
7
7
90
90
2 a=2(17.5cos ( )2)( tan( ))
7
7
2 a 6.88 ft
Figure 9. Finding the Side Length of Polygon 3
tan (

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Figure 9 shows how to find the side length of Polygon 3 by using the tangent function.

Again, the angle measurement of

90
is used and x is also plugged into the equation. Once
7

a is solved, the total side length of Polygon 3 can be found by multiplying a by 2.

A tri3 =Area of triangle wit hPolygon3
A poly 3= Areaof Polygon 3
1
A= b h
2
1
A tri3 = (2 a)( x2)
2
90
90
tan ( )(17.5cos( )2)
7
7
90
A tri3=(17.5cos ( )2)
7
A poly 3=14A tri3
90
90
tan ( )(17.5cos( )2)
7
7
90
A poly 3=14 (17.5cos( )2)
7
2
A poly 3 724.85 f t
Figure 10. Area of Polygon 3
Figure 10 shows how to find the area of Polygon 3 once the dimensions of the triangle
are found. Using those dimensions, the area of the triangle can also be found. Once it was found,
it was multiplied by 14 because there are 14 of those triangles within a tetradecagon. The area of
Polygon 3 was found to be approximately 724.85 ft2.

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Figure 11. Polygon 4 Dimensions

Figure 11 shows the innermost tetradecagon. Its area must be calculated. By dividing the
tetradecagon into 14 triangles, finding the dimensions becomes easier. The length of x can be
calculated by subtracting three feet from the length found in Figure 3.
b=h alf of t h e base lengt h of polygon 4

90
b
)=
7
x3
90
b
tan ( )=
7
90
(17.5cos ( ))3
7
90
90
b=(17.5cos( )3)(tan( ))
7
7
90
90
2 b=2(17.5cos ( )3)( tan( ))
7
7
2 b 6.42 ft
Figure 12. Finding the Side Length of Polygon 4
tan (

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Figure 12 shows how to find the side length of Polygon 4 by using the tangent function.

Again, the angle measurement of

90
is used and x is also plugged into the equation. Once
7

b is solved, the total side length of Polygon 4 can be found by multiplying b by 2.

A tri 4= Ar e a of triangle wit hPolygon 4
A poly 4 =Area of Polygon 4
1
A= b h
2
1
A tri 4= (2 b)( x3)
2
90
90
90
A tri 4=(17.5cos ( )3)( tan( ))(17.5cos( )3)
7
7
7
A poly 4 =14A tri 4
A poly 4 =14(17.5cos (

90
90
90
)3)(tan( ))(17.5cos( )3)
7
7
7

A poly 4 631.79
Figure 13. Area of Polygon 4
Figure 13 shows how to find the area of Polygon 4 once the dimensions of the triangle
are found. Using those dimensions, the area of the triangle can also be found. Once it was found,
it was multiplied by 14 because there are 14 of those triangles within a tetradecagon. The area of
Polygon 4 was found to be approximately 631.79 ft2.
Materials Needed to for the Footing, Floor, and Aquarium

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Figure 14. Drawing of the Footing

Figure 14 shows what the footing of the fourteen sided tower will look like. Because Mrs.
Copeland wants an aquarium under the actual tower, the footing will extend from Polygon 1 to
Polygon 4 and will be 3.5 ft tall.
V = A base h
V poly 1=(14(17.5sin (

90
90
))(17.5cos( )))(3.5)
7
7

V poly 1 3,255.48 f t
Figure 15. Finding the Volume of Polygon 1
Figure 15 shows how to find the volume of Polygon 1. It was calculated by taking the
area of Polygon 1 and multiplying it by the height of the footing. We calculated this volume so
that we could find the amount of concrete needed for the footing.
V = A base h
V poly 4 =(14 (17.5cos(

90
90
90
)3)(tan )(17.5cos( )3))(3.5)
7
7
7

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3

V poly 4 2,211.27 f t
Figure 16. Finding the Volume of Polygon 4
Figure 16 shows how to find the volume of Polygon 4. It was calculated by taking the
area of Polygon 4 and multiplying it by the height of the footing. We also calculated this volume
so that we could find the amount of concrete needed for the footing.
V footing =V poly 1V poly 4
V footing =3255.482211.27
V footing 1,044.21 f t 3
Figure 17. Finding the Volume of the Footing
Figure 17 shows how to find the volume of the footing. Because the footing extends from
Polygon 1 to Polygon 4, we found the difference between the two. We need to know this volume
in order to calculate the cost of the concrete.
V concrete =(V footing )/27
V concrete=(1044.21)/27
3
V concrete 38.67 y d
Figure 18. Finding the Volume of the Concrete Needed for the Footing
Figure 18 shows how find the amount of concrete we need to buy for the footing. The
concrete company will only install the concrete for $115 per cubic yard. We already found the
volume of the footing in cubic feet we just had to convert that into cubic yards. That was done by
taking the volume of the footing and dividing by 27 (1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet).
C concrete=39115
C concrete=$ 4,485.00
Figure 19. Concrete Cost Analysis
Figure 19 shows how to find the amount of money needed for the concrete. Because the
concrete company only installs concrete per cubic yard, we had to round the amount of concrete
up to 39 cubic yards. Each cubic yard costs $115 so we multiplied that by 39 to find the total
cost.

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Figure 20. Drawing of the Floor

Figure 20 shows what the Plexiglas floor will look like. It extends to the end of the
footing so it has the same dimensions as Polygon 4. It will also be 4 in thick.
V = A base h
V floor =14(17.5cos (

90
90
90
1
)3)( tan( ))(17.5cos( )3)( )
7
7
7
3

V floor 210.60 f t 3
Figure 21. Finding the Volume of the Floor
Figure 21 shows how to find the volume of the floor. It was calculated by taking the area

of Polygon 4 and multiplying by 4 in. Because 4 in is equal to

area of Polygon 4 by

1
3

ft.

A=b h

48
96
12
A plexi=
12
2
A plexi=32 f t
Figure 22. Finding the Area of One Sheet of Plexiglas

1
3

ft, we just multiplied the

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Figure 22 shows how to find the area of one sheet of Plexiglas. One sheet is 48 in by 96
in but we need to convert that into feet to make the rest of our calculations easier. This was done
by dividing the dimensions by 12 (1 ft = 12 in). Now with both the volume of the floor and the
area of one sheet of Plexiglas, we can find the amount of Plexiglas sheets we need.
P=s h eets of plexiglas
P=(A poly 4 )/32
P 19.74
Figure 23. Sheets of Plexiglas Needed for the Floor
Figure 23 shows how to find the amount of Plexiglas sheets we need. Because both the
floor and Plexiglas are 4 in thick, we just took the area of Polygon 4 and divided it by the area of
the Plexiglas to find the amount of Plexiglas needed.
C plexi =201100
C plexi =$ 22, 000.00
Figure 24. Plexiglas Cost Analysis
Figure 24 shows how to find the total cost of the Plexiglas. The Plexiglas company will
only install the Plexiglas for $1,100 per sheet. Because they will not sell parts of a sheet, we had
to round 19.74 to 20 and multiplied by 1100.

Estrope - Russo 15

Figure 25. Drawing of the Aquarium

Figure 25 shows the drawing of the aquarium. The aquarium will be the hollow area
within the footing and will only be 75% full with water. If you decide to fill the aquarium with
fish, please make sure that the different species you would like are capable of living with each
other.
V = A base h

90
90
90
)3)(tan ( ))(17.5cos( )3)(3.50.75)
7
7
7
V aqua=
V aqua 1,658.45 f t 3
Figure 26. Finding the Volume of the Water Needed for the Aquarium
14(17.5cos (

Figure 26 shows how to find the volume of the water. Like we said earlier, the aquarium
will be the hollow area within the footing, which has the same dimensions as Polygon 4, and will

Estrope - Russo 16
be 75% full. To find the volume of the water needed, we took the area of Polygon 4, multiplied
that by the height of the footing, and took 75% of it.
One Lateral Face of the Outer Prism Base

Figure 27. Drawing of the Outer Prism Base

Figure 27 shows the base of the outer prism, which has the same dimensions as Polygon
2. The heights of both the inner and outer prisms will be twice the length of one of the sides of
the outer base.

Estrope - Russo 17
Figure 28. Drawing of One Lateral Outer Prism Face
Figure 28 is an example of what one of the sides of the outer prism will look like. The
base length corresponds to the side length of the outer prism base.
A=b h
A lopf =2 z4 z
A lopf 107.51 f t 2
Figure 29. Finding the Surface Area of One Lateral Outer Prism Face
Figure 29 shows how to find the surface area of one lateral face on the outer prism. It was
simply done by multiplying the base length and height of the face. The area of one lateral face
will be helpful when we find the surface area of the outer prism.

Figure 30. Drawing of One Lateral Outer Prism Face and Door
Figure 30 shows one of the sides on the outer prism with a door. The dimensions of the
side are the same as the ones in Figure 28. The door is 3 ft by 5 ft and includes half of the
original fourteen sided polygon shape.
A=b h
90
90
)(2(1.5sin ( )))
7
7
7
A door =( 35)+
2
A door 21.83 f t
Figure 31. Finding the Area of the Door
1.5cos(

Estrope - Russo 18
Figure 31 shows how to find the area of the door. We calculated it by adding the area of
the rectangle to the area of half the fourteen sided polygon shape. The area of the polygon was
found by first separating the polygon into triangles. The length of one of the triangles
hypotenuse is 1.5 because it is half of one side of the door. Sine and cosine were used to find the
area of one of the triangles and that area was multiplied by 7 because 7 triangles make up the
shape.

Figure 32. Drawing of One Lateral Outer Prism Face and Window
Figure 32 shows one of the sides on the outer prism with a window. The dimensions of
the side are the same as the ones in Figure 28. The window is the same shape of the prism base.
A=b h
90
90
)(21.5sin( ))
7
7
A window =14
2
A window 13.67 f t
Figure 33. Finding the Area of One Window
1.5cos(

Figure 33 shows how to find the area of the window. The area of the window was found
using the same method we used in Figure 31. Instead of multiplying the area of the triangle by 7,
we multiplied it by 14.
LSA = of t h e lateral faces
LS A oprism =14 A lopf A door 2 A window
2
LS A oprism 1,455.96 f t
Figure 34. Finding the Lateral Surface Area of the Outer Prism

Estrope - Russo 19
Figure 34 shows how to find the lateral surface area of the outer prism using the area of
the lateral face, door, and windows. We multiplied the area of the lateral face by 14 because the
prism has 14 sides. Then we proceeded to subtract the area of the door and the area of two
windows.
Volume of the Inner Base Prism

Figure 35. Drawing of the Inner Prism Base

Figure 35 shows the drawing of the inner prism base, which is essentially Polygon 3.
Like we mentioned before, the height of this prism will be the same as the height of the outer
prism.

Estrope - Russo 20

Figure 36. Drawing of One Lateral Inner Prism Face

Figure 36 is an example of what one of the sides of the inner prism will look like. The
base length corresponds to the side length of the inner prism base.
V = A base h
A
( poly 3)( 4 z )
V iprism =
90
90
)1)(tan( ))
7
7
90
90
90
14(17.5cos ( )2)(tan( )(17.5cos( )2))
7
7
7
V iprism =
V iprism 10,628.82 f t 3
Figure 37. Finding the Volume of the Inner Base Prism
4( 17.5cos (

Figure 37 shows how to find the volume of the inner base prism. We found the area of
Polygon 3 and the height of the prism already so we just multiplied the two to get the volume of
the inner base prism.
Pyramid Top of the Outer Pyramid

Estrope - Russo 21

Figure 38. Drawing of the Pyramid Top

Figure 38 shows the drawing of the pyramid top of the outer pyramid. The base has the
same dimensions as Polygon 2 and the height is three times the length of one of Polygon 2s
sides. With that information, we can find the dimensions of this pyramid.
h pyramid =6 z
tan (

90
)
7

h pyramid =6( 17.5cos (

90
)1)
7

h pyramid 22.00 ft
Figure 39. Finding the Height of the Pyramid
Figure 39 shows how to find the height of the pyramid. The height is three times the
length of one of Polygon 2s sides which was shown in Figure 6.
a2 +b 2=c 2
6 z 2=s 2
x1 2+

Estrope - Russo 22
21.99 2=s 2
90
17.5cos( )1 2+
7

2
21.99
90
17.5cos( )1 2+
7

s=
s 27.24 ft
Figure 40. Finding the Slant Height of the Pyramid
Figure 40 shows how to find the slant height of the pyramid using the right triangle that is
formed by the apothem of the base and height of the pyramid.We were able to calculate the slant
height of the pyramid by plugging in the known sides into the Pythagorean Theorem.
tan=

6z
x 1

ta n1 tan=ta n1

6 z
x1

6 z
x1
53.86
Figure 41. Finding the Angle Between the Prism Base and Pyramid Face
=tan1

Figure 41 shows how to find the angle between the prism base and pyramid face. The
angle is found by applying the inverse tangent to the height, which is the opposite side length,
and the apothem, which is the adjacent side length.
One Lateral Face of the Outer Pyramid

Estrope - Russo 23

Figure 42. Drawing of One Lateral Pyramid Face

Figure 42 shows a drawing of one lateral pyramid face. The drawing shows the base and
height of the triangle, which were found in Figure 6 and Figure 39.
tan=

27.24
z

ta n1tan=tan1(
=ta n1 (

27.24
)
z

27.24
)
z

82.33
Figure 43. Finding the Base Angles of the Triangular Face
Figure 43 shows how to find the base angles of the triangular face. To find one of these
angles, we applied the inverse tangent to the slant height of the pyramid as the opposite side
length and half of the base as the adjacent side length.
tan=

z
27. 24

ta n (tan)=tan (

z
)
27.24

z
)
27.24
z
2 =2(tan1 (
))
27.24
2 15.33
Figure 44. Finding the Vertex Angle of the Triangular Face
=ta n1(

Estrope - Russo 24
Figure 44 shows how to find the vertex angle of the triangular face. To find the vertex
angle, we applied the inverse tangent to half of the base as the opposite side length and the slant
height of the pyramid as the adjacent side length.
1
A tri = b h
2
A tri =( z )(27.24)
A tri 99.84 f t 2
Figure 45. Finding the Area of One Lateral Face
Figure 45 shows the how to find the area of one lateral face. To find the area, the base of
the triangle is multiplied by the height. For this lateral face, 2z was used for the base and the
slant height of the pyramid was used for the height which results in the area of one lateral face
being approximately 99.84 square feet.
LS A pyramid =14( A tri )
LSA pyramid =14 (99.84)
LS A pyramid 1,397.7 7 f t 2
Figure 46. Finding the Lateral Surface Area of the Outer Pyramid
Figure 46 shows how to find the lateral surface area of the outer pyramid. To find the
lateral surface area, the area of the outer triangle was multiplied by 14, which results in the the
lateral surface area being approximately 1,397.77 ft2.
Pyramid Top of the Inner Pyramid

Estrope - Russo 25

Figure 47. Pyramid Top of the Inner Pyramid

Figure 47 shows the drawing of the pyramid top of the inner pyramid. The base has the
same dimensions as Polygon 3 and the height is three times the length of one of Polygon 3s
sides. With that information, we can find the volume of this pyramid.
1
V = A base h
3
V pyramid =A poly 32 a
3
V pyramid =4,983.53 f t
Figure 48. Volume of the Inner Pyramid
Figure 48 shows how to find the volume of the pyramid. We simply multiplied the area of
Polygon 3 (found in Figure 10) and multiplied that by the height.
The Fourteen Sided Tower

Estrope - Russo 26

Figure 49. Drawing of the Fourteen Sided Tower

Figure 49 shows the drawing of the fourteen sided tower. It obeys the local rules and has
your requirements so we hope you like it!
LS A tower = of LSA
LS A tower =LS A oprism + LS A pyramid
2
LS A tower 2,853.73 f t
Figure 50. Finding the Lateral Surface Area of the Tower

Figure 50 shows how to find the total surface area of the outer tower. We simply added
the previously found lateral surface areas together (Figure 34 and Figure 46). The total surface
area approximates to 2,853.73 square feet.
V tower = of volumes
V tower =V iprism +V pyramid
3
V tower 15,612.35 f t

Estrope - Russo 27
Figure 51. Finding the Volume of the Tower
Figure 51 shows how to find the volume of the inner tower. The volume of the tower was
found by adding the previously found volumes together (Figure 37 and Figure 48). The volume
of the tower approximates to 15, 612.35 ft3.
Conclusion
Our complete design is finished! We hope that it is not only pleasing to our eyes, but to
yours as well. Afterall, it was designed for you.
With 2,853.73 ft2 and 15,612.35 ft3, there is plenty of room for imagination. Even though
you are a millionaire, we are both worried for your bank account, Mrs. Copeland. Decor,
wallpaper, and paint will be very expensive with that amount of space. We have made a scale
model in hopes of inspiring you with ideas. (We may be architects but we minored in interior
design as well.) We are really hoping that you are fascinated with dragons.
For now, we must bid you adieu. We sincerely hope that you enjoy our design and yes,
we do accept tips.
Graciously yours,
Jillian Estrope and Heidi Russo