Maybe he's not as imaginative but you have to admit that Lord F's resources, at least, are probably the backing behind the Sphere as a project. The sheer cost of something like that would be ruinous, I would think. For that matter, once Gryphon had the idea, Lord F might have simply run with it.

Still, I have to wonder just what the timescale was for the Sphere's construction. It seems... unlikely that such a large project would have been built in a couple of years. That makes me think that while Gryphon is in on it (whether after the fact or not), Lord F was the motivating factor behind the Sphere itself. Not New Avalon as a city but the Zeta Cygni Sphere.

That almost makes sense, actually. Lord F seems like someone who would have had the almost-insane vision for the Sphere but Gryphon, eccentric soul that he is, would almost be required for the city. If I remember correctly, the headquarters for the WDF was based out of the yards for a while, right?