One of Ward's sketches for Arceon

Here is a section detail (note: important elements are larger rather than to scale).

It shows:
I. The massive cathedral that reaches almost a kilometer high.
II. The central vertical shaft that runs from the top of this “world” down into the cells at the bottom.
III. The internal lake runs off the lower right hand steps of the cathedral – this is one of two water reservoirs (the first of these is on the exterior not shown in this drawing).
III. Beneath the cathedral deck is the central engineering core. It addresses the monks more sophisticated needs – air, heat, gravity, and the narrow atmosphere that hems their world.
IV. On both sides of this is a deck entirely of windmills. Which are used for their more mundane operating needs (for example grinding their wheat and driving the bellows for their forges).

Artist: Ward

A monastic community in outer space.

The beliefs of this religious fraternity’s mean they reject technology, but rather than risk persecution on Earth, they have chosen to live on a satellite. In order to make it look like the sort of environment befitting their ideology they have turned it into a world of wood and water.

This image shows the gothic structures within what has become the decaying husk of the satellite.

Concept: Ward, Artist: Mike Worrall

The satelite is made of steel, and a fireproof coated construction. Deep within it is a central engineering core or hub that sustains them all.

The Brotherhood cling to a way of life whereby they use only the simplest of means knowing that the core allows them to breathe, and work, and survive (air, gravity, warmth, and on the surface of their world a narrow protective atmosphere).

Concept: Ward, Artist: Stephen Ellis

Ant's Nest

There are floors and floors of engine rooms: waterwheels, windmills, a glass factory, orchards, wheatfields, even beehives and weaving looms.

Concept: Ward, Artist: Stephen Ellis

The structure of the satellite and its sophisticated core are
from a prebuilt conventional orbiter that was prepared and
waiting on earth to be towed into outer space for use.

The structure is conventional space fare, but eventually by the time it’s interior is clad in wood and it is restructured as a monastery it is anything but.

Concept: Ward, Artist: Stephen Ellis

After being towed from earth the water for the exterior lake was added by an industrial tanker and replenished from time to time.

Concept: Ward, Artist: Mike Worrall

Later the monks added exterior gantries and waterwheels to the surface lake but this did not happen until sometime after they had been towed into outer space and they found they had to adapt to their current needs.

Concept: Ward, Artist: Mike Worrall

Arceon with broken shields

It has been some 10 years since the last supply ship came and their world is crumbling around them. Banished from Earth their population is ageing and weary.

Concept: Ward, Artist: Mike Worrall

Cross section of world early drawing

Concept: Ward, Artist: Lebbeus Woods

A cathedral within a cathedral

Concept: Ward, Artist: Lebbeus Woods

Cathedralesque interior of monastic space satelite

Concept: Ward, Artist: Lebbeus Woods

Upside down cathedral

Concept: Ward, Artist: Mike Worrall

upside down cathedral

Concept: Ward, Artist: Stephen Ellis

Windmill Deck

Concept: Ward, Artist: Stephen Ellis

Cosmonaut Monk Makes Repairs

There are a trained few who learn the art of maintaining the technological core. For other repairs they use only simple anachronistic tools – preferring manpowered machines.

Concept: Ward, Artist: Stephen Ellis