A question on structure size

[LonewandererD]

Okay this is a question that has really being bugging me, we've all seen them, those MASSIVE fortresses and palaces that are just so epic that they scream high fantasy. However, I can't look at them without questioning would they even be able to stand up in real life, and as my understanding of physics is somewhat limited I through the question over to the learned members of the guild. Would it be possible to build structures like this that bound by the laws of real world physics?

I ask because I want to have some sort of massive, ornate and iconic structure at the heart of the Dal capital and I won't know what my size limits would be; if it helps the Dal mainly use brick and heavy wooden beams in construction with large stone blocks being used as foundations or in defensive structures. I provided some examples below that I have found while wandering around the net. I remember it being mentioned somewhere that structures made of stone are limited in how big they can be become because the stone would begin to sink, is there a way around this? I suppose a simple solution be to simply carve it out of a mountain, like Tolkien's Minas Tirath, as the mountain itself would act as a solid foundation but what if I wanted to build from the ground up?

It's not a major question, just a question I would greatly appreciate some insight on. Please remove this thread if it's innappropriate for this forum.

-D-