A building or edifice is an enclosed
structure with a
roof
A roof (: roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of tempera ...
,
walls and
windows, usually standing permanently in one place,
such as a
house or
factory.
Buildings come in a variety of
size
Size in general is the Magnitude (mathematics), magnitude or dimensions of a thing. More specifically, ''geometrical size'' (or ''spatial size'') can refer to three geometrical measures: length, area, or volume. Length can be generalized ...
s,
shapes, and functions, and have been adapted throughout history for numerous factors, from
building materials available, to weather conditions, land prices, ground conditions, specific uses,
prestige, and aesthetic reasons. To better understand the concept, see ''
Nonbuilding structure
A nonbuilding structure, often referred to simply as a structure, is any built structure or construction structure that is not a building, i.e. not designed for continuous human occupancy. The term is particularly used by architects, st ...
'' for contrast.
Buildings serve several societal needs – occupancy, primarily as shelter from weather, security, living space, privacy, to store belongings, and to comfortably live and work. A building as a shelter represents a physical separation of the
human habitat (a place of comfort and safety) from the ''outside'' (a place that may be harsh and harmful at times).
buildings have been objects or canvasses of much
artistic expression. In recent years, interest in
sustainable planning and
building practices has become an intentional part of the
design process of many
new buildings and other structures, usually
green buildings.
Definition
A building is 'a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place';
"there was a three-storey building on the corner"; "it was an imposing edifice". In the broadest interpretation a
fence or wall is a building. However, the word ''structure'' is used more broadly than ''building'', to include natural and human-made formations and ones that do not have walls; ''structure'' is more often used for a fence.
Sturgis' Dictionary included that differs from
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...
in excluding all idea of artistic treatment; and it differs from
construction in the idea of excluding scientific or highly skillful treatment."
''Structural height'' in technical usage is the height to the highest architectural detail on the building from street level. Spires and masts may or may not be included in this height, depending on how they are classified. Spires and masts used as antennas are not generally included. The distinction between a low-rise and high-rise building is a matter of debate, but generally three stories or less is considered low-rise.
History
There is clear evidence of homebuilding from around 18,000 BC. Buildings became common during the
Neolithic period.
Types
Residential
Single-family residential buildings are most often called ''
houses'' or ''
homes''. Multi-family residential buildings containing more than one dwelling unit are called ''
duplexes'' or ''
apartment buildings''. ''
Condominiums'' are apartments that occupants
own rather than
rent. Houses may be built in pairs (
semi-detached) or in terraces, where all but two of the houses have others on either side. Apartments may be built round
courtyards or as rectangular blocks surrounded by plots of ground. Houses built as single dwellings may later be divided into apartments or
bedsitters, or converted to other uses (e.g., offices or shops).
Hotels, especially of the extended-stay variety (
apartels), can be classed as residential.
Building types may range from
huts to multimillion-dollar
high-rise apartment blocks able to house thousands of people. Increasing settlement density in buildings (and smaller distances between buildings) is usually a response to high ground prices resulting from the desire of many people to live close to their places of employment or similar attractors.
Terms for residential buildings reflect such characteristics as ''function'' (e.g.,
holiday cottage (vacation home) or
timeshare if occupied seasonally); ''size'' (
cottage or
great house); ''value'' (
shack or
mansion
A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...
); ''manner of construction'' (
log home or
mobile home); ''architectural style'' (
castle
A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
or
Victorian); and ''proximity to geographical features'' (
earth shelter,
stilt house,
houseboat, or floating home). For residents in need of special care, or those society considers dangerous enough to deprive of
liberty, there are
institutions (
nursing homes,
orphanages,
psychiatric hospitals, and
prisons) and group housing (
barracks and
dormitories).
Historically, many people lived in communal buildings called
longhouses, smaller dwellings called
pit-houses, and houses combined with barns, sometimes called
housebarns.
Common
building materials include brick, concrete, stone, and combinations thereof. Buildings are defined to be substantial, permanent structures. Such forms as
yurts and
motorhomes are therefore considered ''
dwellings'' but not ''buildings''.
Commercial
A commercial building is one in which at least one
business
Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...
is based and people do not live. Examples include
stores,
restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...
, and
hotels.
Industrial
Industrial buildings are those in which
heavy industry is done, such as
manufacturing. These edifices include
warehouses and
factories.
Agricultural
Agricultural buildings are the
outbuildings, such as
barns located on
farms.
Mixed use
Some buildings incorporate several or multiple different uses, most commonly commercial and residential.
Complex

Sometimes a group of inter-related (and possibly inter-connected) builds are referred to as a complex – for example a
housing complex, educational complex, hospital complex, etc.
Creation
The practice of designing, constructing, and operating buildings is most usually a collective effort of different groups of
professionals and
trades. Depending on the size, complexity, and purpose of a particular building project, the project team may include:
* A
real estate developer who secures
funding for the project;
* One or more financial institutions or other investors that provide the funding
* Local planning and code authorities
* A
surveyor who performs an ALTA/ACSM and construction surveys throughout the project;
*
Construction managers who coordinate the effort of different groups of project participants;
* Licensed
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
s and
engineers who provide
building design and prepare
construction documents;
* The principal design Engineering disciplines which would normally include the following professionals:
Civil,
Structural,
Mechanical building services or HVAC (heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) Electrical Building Services, Plumbing and drainage. Also other possible design Engineer specialists may be involved such as Fire (prevention), Acoustic, façade engineers, building physics, Telecoms, AV (Audio Visual), BMS (Building Management Systems) Automatic controls etc. These design Engineers also prepare construction documents which are issued to specialist contractors to obtain a price for the works and to follow for the installations.
*
Landscape architects;
*
Interior design
Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...
ers;
* Other consultants;
*
Contractors who provide
construction services and install building systems such as
climate control,
electrical
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
,
plumbing,
decoration,
fire protection
Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of potentially Conflagration, destructive fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, Compartmentalization (fire protection), compartmentalisation, suppression and inve ...
,
security
Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercion). Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be persons and social groups, objects and institutions, ecosystems, or any other entity or ...
and
telecommunications
Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...
;
* Marketing or
leasing
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...
agents;
*
Facility managers who are responsible for operating the building.
Regardless of their size or intended use, all buildings in the US must comply with
zoning ordinance
In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...
s,
building code
A building code (also building control or building regulations) is a set of rules that specify the standards for construction objects such as buildings and non-building structures. Buildings must conform to the code to obtain planning permis ...
s and other regulations such as
fire code
Fire safety is the set of practices intended to reduce destruction caused by fire. Fire safety measures include those that are intended to prevent wikt:ignition, the ignition of an uncontrolled fire and those that are used to limit the spread a ...
s,
life safety codes and related standards.
Vehicles—such as
trailers
Trailer may refer to:
Transportation
* Trailer (vehicle), an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle
** Baggage trailer, a large flatbed baggage trolley
** Bicycle trailer, a wheeled frame for hitching to a bicycle to tow cargo or passen ...
,
caravans,
ship
A ship is a large watercraft, vessel that travels the world's oceans and other Waterway, navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally disti ...
s and passenger
aircraft
An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...
—are treated as "buildings" for life safety purposes.
Ownership and funding
*
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law (legal system), civil law jurisdictions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners t ...
*
Real estate developer
Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to other ...
Environmental impacts
Building services
Physical plant
Any building requires a certain general amount of internal infrastructure to function, which includes such elements like heating / cooling, power and telecommunications, water and wastewater etc. Especially in
commercial building
Commercial may refer to:
* (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services
** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money
* a dose of advertising ...
s (such as offices or factories), these can be extremely intricate systems taking up large amounts of space (sometimes located in separate areas or double floors / false ceilings) and constitute a big part of the regular maintenance required.
Conveying systems
Systems for
transport
Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...
of people within buildings:
*
Elevator
An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...

*
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase which carries people between floors of a building or structure. It consists of a Electric motor, motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track which cycle on a pair of tracks which keep the st ...
*
Moving sidewalk
Moving or Movin' may refer to:
Moving of goods
* Relocation (personal), the process of leaving one dwelling and settling in another
* Relocation of professional sports teams
* Relocation (computer science)
* Structure relocation
Music Album ...
(horizontal and inclined)
Systems for transport of people between interconnected buildings:
*
Skyway
A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways very often take the form of Cover ...
*
Underground city
An underground city is a series of linked subterranea (geography), subterranean spaces that may provide a defensive refuge; a place for living, working or shopping; a transit system; mausoleum, mausolea; wine or storage cellars; cisterns or dra ...
Building damage
Buildings may be damaged during construction or during maintenance. They may be damaged by accidents involving storms, explosions, subsidence caused by mining, water withdrawal or poor foundations and landslides. Buildings may suffer
fire damage
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products.
Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion reaction when the fuel ...
and flooding.
They may become dilapidated through lack of proper maintenance, or alteration work improperly carried out.
See also
*
Autonomous building
An autonomous building is a hypothetical building designed to be operated independently from infrastructure, infrastructural support services such as the electric power grid, gas grid, municipal water systems, sewage treatment systems, storm dr ...
*
Commercial modular construction
Commercial Modular Buildings are code-compliant, non-residential structures that are 60% to 90% completed offsite in a factory-controlled environment. They are then transported or shipped to a final destination where the modules are then erected ...
*
Earthquake engineering
*
Float glass
Float glass is a sheet of glass made by floating molten glass on a bed of molten metal of a low melting point, typically tin, although lead was used for the process in the past. This method gives the sheet uniform thickness and a very flat surfa ...
*
Hurricane-proof building
Tornadoes, cyclones, and other storms with strong winds damage or destroy many buildings. However, with proper design and construction, the damage to buildings by these forces can be greatly reduced. A variety of methods can help a building survi ...
*
List of largest buildings
Buildings around the world listed by usable space (volume), footprint (area), and floor space (area) comprise single structures that are suitable for continuous human occupancy. There are, however, some Nonbuilding structure#Exceptions, exception ...
*
List of tallest buildings
This is a list of the tallest buildings. Tall buildings, such as skyscrapers, are intended here as enclosed structures with continuously occupiable floors and a height of at least . Such definition excludes non-building structures, such as tow ...
*
Lists of buildings and structures
This is a list of list of buildings and nonbuilding structures.
By type
* List of abbeys and priories
* List of amphitheatres (contemporary)
* List of amphitheatres (Roman)
* List of ancient Greek theatres
* List of ancient pyramids
* ...
*
Natural building
Natural building or ecological building is a discipline within the more comprehensive scope of green building, sustainable architecture as well as sustainable and ecological design that promotes the construction of buildings using sustainab ...
*
Natural disaster
A natural disaster is the very harmful impact on a society or community brought by natural phenomenon or Hazard#Natural hazard, hazard. Some examples of natural hazards include avalanches, droughts, earthquakes, floods, heat waves, landslides ...
and
earthquake
An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
*
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...
*
Steel building
A steel building is a metal structure fabricated with steel for the internal support and for exterior cladding, as opposed to steel framed buildings which generally use other materials for floors, walls, and external envelope. Steel buildings a ...
*
Tent
A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using g ...
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Authority control