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Description
A bit more detailing of the plan and some little tweaks to address a few troublesome areas — all a consequence of coming back to it after a few months. There is nothing quite like a bit of distance to improve objectivity.

(Download the PDF version for full resolution)

Obviously, this is not the Doctor's battered old Type 40's control room of any period.

Rather, this plan is intended to represent a look back toward the glory days of the Time Lords, when they still sent expeditions out to the far corners of the universe, and were establishing a name for themselves. TARDIS design like this was probably long past-tense before the Doctor was even born 900+ years ago.

The real challenge for this project was to avoid Star Trek layout conventions — not an easy thing to do while still attempting to suggest functionality.

The key lay in recognizing that a TARDIS technically has no fore or aft, or even a clear directional orientation — eliminating any reason to mimic a conventional, linear set-up of bridge or cockpit stations — and there was no reason to accommodate the naval and aerospace underpinning of most sci-fi starship operations, allowing me to completely rethink how the command crew would interact with and within the space.

Likewise it helped to deliberately incorporate an air of architectural grandeur suitable to the play of pomp and ceremony, arranging things for maximum drama, even at the expense of efficiency.

And all the while, I was attempting to keep some of the key design cues established by the multitudinous control rooms (and glimpses of Gallifrey) featured on Doctor Who over the decades.

I do believe I have succeeded.

(And I suspect that a given TARDIS' Prime Historian had a more common title in the vernacular of that august age — peers and crewman alike would simply call him, "The Doctor"...)

**********

A Few Words on the Concept of "Omnilifts"
Omnilifts are dedicated transpatial chambers that can link on demand to any compatible, preestablished omnilift access station within a given TARDIS. Although operating in practice not unlike a "turbolift", the term "omnilift" is something of a misnomer as transfer chambers of this type do not, in fact, move at all. Rather, each chamber is a discrete space within the TARDIS that may connect its portal to any one of many corresponding points therein: the chamber door shifts relative location, not the omnilift itself.

Personnel omnilifts are typically around 2m in diameter, but can be of any size, shape, or configuration so long at its doors are compatible with those of the access stations.

"Cargo" omnilifts do exist and are accordingly larger in volume and apertures to accommodate their typical burdens, and tend to operate on separate, dedicated networks of specialized access stations. However, such types can access the general network if they equipped with a properly sized aperture (which may in addition to the primary one), and may themselves be a destination for the personnel omnilift system.

Specialized transpatial chambers, such as the mobile "TARDIS Stores", are technically a form of onmilift, though these are usually strictly limited in both points of access and operation, unconnected to the ominift networks.

"Shuttle" omnilifts that may travel between TARDIS craft also exist, and can be configured to operate seamlessly in multiple craft networks. More commonly, such have limited, dedicated access stations for security reasons.

____________________
"Doctor Who" and related materials are Registered Trademarks of the British Broadcasting Corporation

Description
A bit more detailing of the plan and some little tweaks to address a few troublesome areas — all a consequence of coming back to it after a few months. There is nothing quite like a bit of distance to improve objectivity.

(Download the PDF version for full resolution)

Obviously, this is not the Doctor's battered old Type 40's control room of any period.

Rather, this plan is intended to represent a look back toward the glory days of the Time Lords, when they still sent expeditions out to the far corners of the universe, and were establishing a name for themselves. TARDIS design like this was probably long past-tense before the Doctor was even born 900+ years ago.

The real challenge for this project was to avoid Star Trek layout conventions — not an easy thing to do while still attempting to suggest functionality.

The key lay in recognizing that a TARDIS technically has no fore or aft, or even a clear directional orientation — eliminating any reason to mimic a conventional, linear set-up of bridge or cockpit stations — and there was no reason to accommodate the naval and aerospace underpinning of most sci-fi starship operations, allowing me to completely rethink how the command crew would interact with and within the space.

Likewise it helped to deliberately incorporate an air of architectural grandeur suitable to the play of pomp and ceremony, arranging things for maximum drama, even at the expense of efficiency.

And all the while, I was attempting to keep some of the key design cues established by the multitudinous control rooms (and glimpses of Gallifrey) featured on Doctor Who over the decades.

I do believe I have succeeded.

(And I suspect that a given TARDIS' Prime Historian had a more common title in the vernacular of that august age — peers and crewman alike would simply call him, "The Doctor"...)

**********

A Few Words on the Concept of "Omnilifts"
Omnilifts are dedicated transpatial chambers that can link on demand to any compatible, preestablished omnilift access station within a given TARDIS. Although operating in practice not unlike a "turbolift", the term "omnilift" is something of a misnomer as transfer chambers of this type do not, in fact, move at all. Rather, each chamber is a discrete space within the TARDIS that may connect its portal to any one of many corresponding points therein: the chamber door shifts relative location, not the omnilift itself.

Personnel omnilifts are typically around 2m in diameter, but can be of any size, shape, or configuration so long at its doors are compatible with those of the access stations.

"Cargo" omnilifts do exist and are accordingly larger in volume and apertures to accommodate their typical burdens, and tend to operate on separate, dedicated networks of specialized access stations. However, such types can access the general network if they equipped with a properly sized aperture (which may in addition to the primary one), and may themselves be a destination for the personnel omnilift system.

Specialized transpatial chambers, such as the mobile "TARDIS Stores", are technically a form of onmilift, though these are usually strictly limited in both points of access and operation, unconnected to the ominift networks.

"Shuttle" omnilifts that may travel between TARDIS craft also exist, and can be configured to operate seamlessly in multiple craft networks. More commonly, such have limited, dedicated access stations for security reasons.

____________________
"Doctor Who" and related materials are Registered Trademarks of the British Broadcasting Corporation