Building

A building or edifice 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 non-building structures.
Buildings serve several needs of society 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).
Ever since the first cave paintings, buildings have also become objects or canvasses of
much artistic expression. In recent years, interest in sustainable planning and building
practices has also become an intentional part of the design process of many new
buildings.

The Hotel de Ville, building in Paris, France

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 storeys or less is considered low-rise.
Types of building :

A list of structural building types and forms of architectures are given below:
1 Agricultural buildings
2 Commercial buildings
3 Residential buildings
4 Educational buildings
5 Government buildings
6 Industrial buildings
7 Military buildings
8 Parking structures and storage
9 Religious buildings
10 Transport buildings
11 Infrastructure
12 Power stations/plants

Agricultural buildings :
These buildings shall include :

Barn

Chicken coop or chickenhouse

Cow-shed

Farmhouse

Granary, Hrreo

Greenhouse

Hayloft

Pigpen or sty

Root cellar

Shed

Silo

Stable

Storm cellar

Well house

Commercial buildings :
These buildings shall include :

Automobile repair shop

Car wash

Convention center

Forum

Gas station

Hotel

Internet cafe

Market

Market house

Skyscraper

Shop

Shopping mall

Supermarket

Warehouse

Restaurant

Temple

Residential buildings :
These buildings shall include :

Apartment block

Asylum

Condominium

Dormitory

Duplex

House - see List of house types

Nursing home

Townhouse

Villa

Bungalow

Unit

Educational buildings :
These buildings shall include :

Archive

College
o Classroom
o Gymnasium
o Students' union

School

Library

Museum
o Art gallery

Theater (building)
o Amphitheater
o Concert hall
o Cinema
o Opera house

Boarding schools

Government buildings :
These buildings shall include :

Capitol

City hall

Consulate

Courthouse

Embassy

Fire station

Meeting house

Moot hall

Palace

Parliament

Police station

Post office

Prison

Hospitals

Industrial buildings :
These buildings shall include :

Brewery

Factory

Foundry

Power plant

Mill
o Milling
o Smelting

Military buildings :
These buildings shall include :

Arsenal

Barracks

Bunker
o Blockhouse

Castle

Citadel

Fortress

Parking structures and storage:

These buildings shall include :

Boathouse

Garage

Hangar, of aircraft or spacecraft

Storage silo

Religious buildings :
These buildings shall include:

Church
o Basilica
o Cathedral

Duomo

o Chapel
o Oratory
o Martyrium

Mosque
o Mihrab
o Surau

Imambargah

Monastery

Mithraeum

Fire temple

Shrine

Synagogue

Temple

Pagoda

Gurdwara

Hindu temples

Transport buildings :
These buildings shall include:

Airport terminal

Bus station

Metro (subway, underground) station

Taxi station

Railway station (or, primarily in US, Railroad station)

o Signal box

Lighthouse

Parking garage

Infrastructure :

Data centre

Power stations/plants:

Fossil-fuel power station

Nuclear power plant

Geothermal power

Biomass-fuelled power plant

Waste heat power plant

Renewable energy power station

Others :

Apartment

Bakery

Beauty salon

Bookstore or bookshop

Clinic

Community hall

Department store

Eatery

Fast-food restaurant

Film studio

Floristry

Folly

Food court

Gym

Hospice

Hospital

Hut

Igloo

Hypermarket

Low-energy buildings

Mini market

Office building

Pizzeria

Plant nursery

Pub

Bathhouse

Skyscraper

Stall

Sport club

Vet

Wet market

Workshop

World trade centre

Building services :

Building services engineering, technical building services, architectural engineering,

building engineering, or facilities and services planning engineering refers to the
implementation of the engineering for the internal environment and environmental
impact of a building.
Building services engineers are responsible for the design, installation, operation and
monitoring of the mechanical, electrical and public health systems required for the safe,
comfortable and environmentally friendly operation of modern buildings. The term
building services engineering is widely used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada
and Australia, but in the United States of America, the field is also known as
architectural engineering or building engineering, though these terms can also have
other meanings, even in the United States. In India the engineers are known as facilities
planners.
A building services architect is an engineer with experience in the integration of building
services.
Building services are the systems installed in buildings to make them comfortable,
functional, efficient and safe.
Building services might include:

Building control systems.

Energy distribution.

Energy supply (gas, electricity and renewable sources such as solar, wind,
geothermal and biomass).

Escalators and lifts.

Facade engineering (such as building shading requirements).

Fire safety, detection and protection.

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC).

Information and communications technology (ICT) networks.

Lighting (natural and artificial).

Lightning protection.

Refrigeration.

Security and alarm systems.

Water, drainage and plumbing (including sustainable urban drainage systems

(SUDS)).

Carbon emissions calculations and reduction.

Building services engineering comprises mechanical engineering, electrical engineering

and plumbing or public health (MEP) engineering, all of which are further sub-divided
into the following:

Communication lines, telephones and IT networks (ICT)

Energy supply - gas, electricity and renewable sources

Escalators and lifts

Fire detection and protection

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)

Lightning protection

Low voltage (LV) systems, distribution boards and switchgear

Natural lighting and artificial lighting, and building facades

Security and alarm systems

Ventilation and refrigeration

Water, drainage and plumbing

Building services engineers work closely with other construction professionals
such as architects, structural engineers and quantity surveyors. They influence
the architecture of a building and play a significant role on the sustainability and
energy demand of a building.

Design: designing layouts and requirements for building services for residential
or commercial developments.

Construction: supervising the construction of the building services,

commissioning systems and ongoing maintenance and operation of services.

Environmental: developing new energy saving methods for construction,

designing new and improved energy conservation systems for buildings.

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC): specialising in the design,

development, construction and operation of HVAC systems.

Electrical technology: specialising in the design and development of electrical

systems required for safe and energy sustaining operation of buildings.

Building Services Engineering is all about making buildings meet the needs of
the people who live and work in them. do more than provide shelter from the heat
and cold, or from sun wind and rain; they must also provide a safe and
healthy environment in which people can live, work and achieve.They creatively apply
scientific principles to design the buildings we need and to do so they focus on aspects
of buildings such as:

Safety

Daylight and artificial lighting

Escalators and lift

Ventilation and refrigeration

Security and alarm systems

Fire detection and protection

Efficiency

Energy supply and use

Communications networks

Facade engineering

Comfort

Heating and ventilating

Water, drainage and plumbing

Air conditioning and refrigeration

Building Services Engineers are helping to create a low carbon future for us all.
Classification of Building Services:
Building services are mainly divided into :
1.Mechanical system
2.Electrical system
3.Building Operation system
They all are very important part of planning,designing and construction of a building.

Mechanical systems:

HVAC system:

Stands for heating, ventilating and air conditioning and includes a variety active
mechanical/electrical systems to provide thermal control on buildings.

Site Drainage
Gas Supply
Plumbing

Fire protection

Electrical systems:

Electrical power:
Normal,standby,emergency power supply and distribution.
Lighting:
Interior,exterior and emergency light.
Auxiliary:
Telephone, data ,audio and video sound.

Building Operation systems:

Transportation
Processing
Automation

Basic Components of a Building:

A building consists of following basic components.

1. Foundation
A foundation is necessary to evenly distribute the entire building load on the soil in such a
manner that no damaging settlements take place. Hence, the foundations need to be constructed
on good/solid ground.

2. Plinth
A plinth is normally constructed just above the ground level and immediately after the
foundation. It raises the floor above the ground level and herewith prevents surface water from
entering the building.

3. Damp proof course (DPC)

Damp proof course is a layer of water proofing material such as asphalt or waterproof cement.
Walls are constructed above the damp proof course.
Damp proof course prevents surface water from rising into the walls.

Dampness reduces the strength of the walls and creates unhealthy living conditions. Also it
affects the paint and plaster and increasing the cost of maintenance.
Damp proofing layer is not required where a plinth beam is constructed, because the plinth beam
already performs like a DPC.

Basic Components of a Building

4. Plinth beam
A plinth beam is constructed depending upon the type of the structure of the building and nature
of the soil. It provides additional stability in regard to settlements of the building and earthquake
damages.

5. Floor
This is the surface on which we do most of our activities. Floorings is laid over the filling of the
plinth and on subsequent floors.
Flooring can be done with different materials, but care must be given that the ground below the
floor is well compacted. Flooring is done to prevent dampness from rising to the top and to have
a firm platform that can be kept hygienic and clean.

6. Walls
Walls are the vertical elements on which the roof finally rests. They can be made of different
materials like bricks, stones, mud, concrete blocks, lateritic blocks etc. If the walls are very long,
columns can be provided to carry the roof.
Walls provide privacy and enclosure. Walls also provide security and protection against natural
elements such as wind, rain and sunshine.
Openings are to be provided in wall for access and ventilation.

7. Openings
Openings are normally provided in the walls as door, windows and ventilators.
Doors provide access; windows and ventilators provide light and ventilation.
Lintels are constructed just above the openings. It is normally a stone slab or a concrete slab.
Sill is the part of the wall that is just below the window.
Lintels are constructed to hold up the walls above the openings. In earthquake prone areas a
continuous lintel beam is provided all over the walls.

8. Stairs
A stair is a sequence of steps and it is provided to afford the means of ascent and descent
between the floors and landings.
The apartment or room of a building in which stair is located is called staircase. The space or
opening occupied by the stair is called a stairway.
There are different kind of stairs are used in buildings, like RCC stair, wooden stair, metal stair,
brick stair etc.

9. Roof
The roof provides protection for the building and the people living in it. The roof rests on the
walls and requires proper anchoring so that wind and other mechanical impact cannot destroy it.
A roof can have different shapes but it is always either flat or sloping.
Roof is typically made of RCC, stone slab, tiles etc.

10. Surfaces / Finishes

External finishes are the outer most layer of protection, which protect the structure from
weathering. Internal finishes are the layers given on internal faces. They give durability and
pleasing appearance to the inside.

11. Columns:
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that
transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural
elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. The term column
applies especially to a large round support (the shaft of the column) with a capital and a
base or pedestal[1] and made of stone, or appearing to be so.

12. Parapet:
External walls of a building are extended above the roof slab which is known as parapet. The
sole purpose of parapet is to retain water from its entrance in to the walls and a safety protection
for people who use the roof of a building.
There are following three types of parapets;
1. American Type
2. Setback Type
3. Cornice Type

13. Sun Shade :

Sun shade is a slab that is cast on the top of doors and windows. Sun shade protects doors and
windows from sun and rain. Sun shade is cast monolithically with the lintel.