Types of building

The word ‘building’ is commonly considered to refer to an enclosed structure within which people can perform activities. See our introductory article: Building.

There are many ways of classifying types of building, including:

• Construction type.
• Use class.
• Size.
• Style.
• Period.
• Design (for example, form, structure, etc).
• Performance (for example, energy consumption, accessibility, etc).
• Legal definition.
• Nature of occupancy/ownership.

This article presents a list of common types of building alphabetically (rather than by any one type of classification) with links to articles providing further information. To add to the list, click ‘Edit this article’ above.

• A frame house.
• Abbey.
• Air-supported structure.
• Affordable housing.
• Airport.
• Apartment.
• Assembly and recreation building.
• Bandstand.
• Bank.
• Barn.
• Bungalow.
• Bus shelter.
• Bus station.
• Cafe.
• Canteen.
• Casino.
• Castle.
• Cathedral.
• Cave.
• Chapel.
• Church.
• Cinema.
• Cluster accommodation.
• Commercial building.
• Commonhold.
• Complex buildings.
• Condominium.
• Conservatory.
• Cottage.
• Convenience store.
• Council housing.
• Custom build home.
• Data centre.
• Detached.
• Double fronted building.
• Duplex.
• Dwelling.
• Earth building (see also Earthen construction).
• Extension.
• Fabric structure.
• Factory.
• Farm buildings.
• Ferry terminal.
• Fire engineered buildings.
• Fire station.
• Flat.
• Freehold.
• Gallery.
• Garage.
• Geodesic dome.
• Greenhouse.
• Groundscraper.
• High-rise building.
• Hospital.
• Hostel.
• Hotel.
• Household.
• Houses in multiple occupation.
• Housing association.
• Hut.
• Industrial building.
• Inflatable building.
• Institution.
• Intermediate housing.
• Kit house.
• Lean to.
• Leasehold.
• Leisure centre.
• Library.
• Lighthouse.
• Live/work unit.
• Low-rise.
• Mall.
• Manse.
• Maisonette.
• Meanwhile use.
• Medium-rise.
• Megastructure.
• Megatall.
• Minor development.
• Mixed use development.
• Modern building.
• Modular building.
• Mosque.
• Multi-storey building.
• Museum.
• Non-residential institution.
• Office.
• Outbuilding.
• Pavilion
• Penthouse.
• Permanent building.
• Petrol station.
• Police station.
• Portable building.
• Portaloo.
• Portakabin®.
• Post office.
• Power station.
• Pub.
• Pumping station.
• Prefab bungalow.
• Public building.
• Railway station.
• Residential building.
• Residential institution.
• Retail building.
• Retail warehousing.
• School.
• Secure residential institution.
• Self build home.
• Semi-detached / Semi.
• Shack.
• Shed.
• Shelter.
• Sheltered housing.
• Shop.
• Shopping centre.
• Single-storey building.
• Simple premises.
• Skyscraper.
• Smoking shelters.
• Social housing.
• Specialist accommodation for older people.
• Specialist premises.
• Speculative development.
• Stable
• Stadium.
• Star building.
• Stately home.
• Storage building.
• Student accommodation.
• Sui generis.
• Supermarket.
• Super-slender.
• Supertall.
• Supported housing.
• Surgery.
• Swimming pool.
• Synagogue
• Temporary building.
• Temporary demountable structure.
• Terminal / terminus.
• Terraced house.
• Theatre.
• Toilet.
• Tower.
• Town hall.
• Traditional building.
• Train station.
• Twisting building.
• Venue.
• Warehouse.
• Windmill.
• Workplace.
• Yurt
• Zero carbon building.
• Ziggurat.

See also: Architectural styles and Use class.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

• Ancillary uses of buildings.
• Architectural styles.
• Building.
• Construction works.
• Nineteenth century building types.
• Non-domestic building.
• Premises.
• Types of construction.
• Types of development.
• Types of dwelling.
• Types of room.
• Types of structure.
• Types of wall.
• Use class.