In
architecture,
construction,
engineering and
real estate
development the word building may refer to one of the
following:
- Any human-made
structure used or intended for supporting or
sheltering any use or continuous
occupancy,
or
- An act of
construction (i.e. the activity of building, see also
builder)
In this article, the first usage is generally
intended unless otherwise specified.
Buildings come in a wide amount of shapes and
functions, and have been adapted throughout history for
a wide number of factors, from building materials
available, to weather conditions, to land prices, ground
conditions, specific uses and aesthetic reasons.
Buildings serve several needs of society –
primarily as shelter from weather and as general living
space, to provide privacy, to store belongings and to
comfortably live and work. A building as a shelter
represents a physical division of the
human habitat
(a place of comfort and safety) and the outside
(a place that at times may be harsh and harmful).
Ever since the first
cave paintings,
buildings have also become objects or canvasess of
artistic expression. In recent years, interest in
sustainable
planning and building practices has also become part of
the design process of many new buildings.
-
The act of constructing, erecting, or establishing.
-
The art of constructing edifices, or the practice of
civil architecture.
-
That which is built; a fabric or edifice
constructed, as a house, a church, castle, arena/
stadium, etc
-
The act of constructing or building something;
"during the construction we had to take a detour";
"his hobby was the building of boats"
-
The commercial activity involved in constructing
buildings; "their main business is home
construction"; "workers in the building trades"
-
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"
-
The occupants of a building; "the entire building
complained about the noise"
To differentiate buildings in the usage of this article
from other buildings and other structures that are
not intended for continuous human
occupancy,
the latter are called
non-building structures
or simply structures.
Structural height
in technical usage is the height to the highest
architectural detail on building from street-level.
Depending on how they are classified, spires and masts
may or may not be included in this height. Spires and
masts used as antennas are not generally included.
The definition of a low-rise vs. a high-rise
building is a matter of debate, but generally three
stories or less is considered low-rise.[citation
needed]
History
The first shelter on Earth constructed by a relatively
close ancestor to humans is believed to be built 500,000
years ago by an early ancestor of
humans,
Homo erectus.[1]
Types
Main article:
List of building types
A
timber framing house
in
Marburg,
Germany.
Residential
Residential buildings are called
houses/homes,
though buildings containing large numbers of separate
dwelling units are often called apartment buildings /
blocks to differentiate them from the more 'individual'
house.
Building types may range from one-room wood-framed,
masonry, or
adobe
dwellings to multi-million dollar high-rise buildings
able to house thousands of people. Increasing settlement
density in buildings (and closer distances between
buildings) is usually a response to high ground prices
resulting from many people wanting to live close to work
or similar attractors.
Multi-storey
Some of
Denver's
multi-storey buildings.
A multi-storey building is a building that has multiple
floors
above ground in the building.
Multi-storey buildings aim to increase the area of the
building without increasing the area of the land the
building is built on, hence saving land and, in most
cases, money (depending on material used and land prices
in the area).
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:
Regardless of their size or intended use, all buildings
in the US must comply with
zoning ordinances,
building codes
and other regulations such as
fire codes,
life safety codes
and related standards.
Vehicles—such as
trailers,
caravans,
ships
and passenger
aircraft—are
treated as "buildings" for life safety purposes.
Ownership and funding
Planning and design
[edit]
Building services
[edit]
Physical plant
Main article:
Physical plant
Any building requires a certain amount of internal
infrastructure to function, which includes such elements
like heating / cooling, power and telecommunications,
water and wastewater etc. Especially in commercial
buildings (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.
[edit]
Conveying systems
Systems for
transport
of people within buildings:
Systems for transport of people between interconnected
buildings:
Building damage
A building in
Massueville,
Quebec,
Canada
engulfed by
fire.
Buildings may be damaged during the construction of the
building or during maintenance. There are several other
reasons behind building damage like accident.[2]
Buildings also may suffer from
fire damage
in special
circumstances.[3]
See also
Architecture
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