A building is a structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one

place, such as a house or factory.[1] Buildings come in a variety of sizes, 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. To better understand the term building compare the list of
nonbuilding structures.

Buildings serve several societal needs – 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 division of the human habitat (a place of comfort and safety) and the
outside (a place that at times may be harsh and harmful).

In recent years, interest in sustainable planning and building practices has also become an
intentional part of the design process of many new buildings.

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 many people wanting to live
close to work or similar attractors. Other common building materials are brick, concrete or
combinations of either of these with stone.

Residential buildings have different names for their use depending if they are seasonal include
holiday cottage (vacation home) or timeshare; size such as a cottage or great house; value such as a
shack or mansion; manner of construction such as a log home or mobile home; proximity to the
ground such as earth sheltered house, stilt house, or tree house. Also if the residents are in need of
special care such as a nursing home, orphanage or prison; or in group housing like barracks or
dormitories.

Buildings are defined to be substantial, permanent structures so other dwelling forms such as
houseboats, yurts, and motorhomes are dwellings but not buildings.

Sometimes a group of inter-related builds are referred to as a complex – for example a housing
complex,[10] educational complex,[11] hospital complex, etc.

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, facade engineers,building
physics,Telecomms, 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.

Contractors who provide construction services and install building systems such as climate control,
electrical, plumbing, Decoration, fire protection, security and telecommunications;

Buildings may be damaged during the construction of the building or during maintenance. There are
several other reasons behind building damage like accidents[12] such as storms, explosions,
subsidence caused by mining, water withdrawal[13] or poor foundations and landslides.[14] Buildings
also may suffer from fire damage[15] and flooding in special circumstances. They may also become
dilapidated through lack of proper maintenance or alteration work improperly carried out.

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.

Building design refers to the broadly based architectural, engineering and technical
applications to the design of buildings. All building projects require the services of a building
designer, typically a licensed architect or structural engineer. Smaller, less complicated
projects often do not require a licensed professional, and the design of such projects is often
undertaken by building designers, draftspersons, interior designers (for interior fit-outs or
renovations), or contractors. Larger, more complex building projects require the services of
many professionals trained in specialist disciplines, usually coordinated by an architect.