List of building types


This is a list of building types. It is sorted by broad category: residential buildings, commercial buildings, industrial buildings, and infrastructural buildings.

Residential

Single-family detached

Examples of single-family detached house types include:
, generally, are buildings used by businesses to sell their products to consumers.

Office

are generally categorized by size and by quality
  • Office buildings by size
  • *Low-rise
  • * Mid-rise
  • *High-rise, including skyscrapers
  • Office buildings by quality
  • * Trophy or 5-star building: A landmark property designed by a recognized architect
  • * Class A or 4-star building: Rents in the top 30-40% of the local market; well-located; above-average upkeep and management; usually older than a trophy/5-star building
  • * Class B or 3-star building: Rents between Class A and Class C; fair-to-good locations; average upkeep and management
  • * Class C or 2-star building: Rents in the bottom 10-20% of the local market; less-desirable locations; below-average upkeep and management
  • *1-star building: Does not meet the needs of typical tenants; may be obsolete and/or in need of significant renovation

    Retail

buildings are categorized by their configuration and size
  • Non-freestanding
  • *Super-regional shopping center: enclosed space; 800,000+ sqft; 5+ anchor stores with other tenants that sell a very large variety of goods
  • *Regional shopping center: enclosed space; 400,000–800,000 sqft; 1–5 anchor stores with other tenants that sell a large variety of goods
  • *Community shopping center: open space; 125,000–400,000 sqft; provides general merchandise and commodities
  • *Neighborhood shopping center: open space; 3,000–125,000 sqft; provides commodities to nearby neighborhoods
  • *Strip or convenience shopping center: open space; less than 30,000 sqft; located along suburban transportation arteries on shallow land parcels; a strip may be configured in a straight line, or have an "L" or "U" shape
  • *Lifestyle center: "Main Street" concept with pedestrian circulation in core and vehicular circulation along perimeter; upscale national chain specialty stores, dining or entertainment
  • Freestanding: any stand-alone retail structure that is not part of a complex
  • *Big box: freestanding category-dominant retailer; 50,000+ sqft
  • *Power center: among the largest types of retail properties; 3+ big box anchor stores; multiple large buildings with parking lot in front and loading in back; smaller retailers usually clustered in a community shopping center configuration
  • *Retail outlet: manufacturers' outlet stores; 50,000–400,000 sqft
  • *Pop-up retail: a retail location designed to only be in a location temporarily

    Hotels

  • Full service hotel
  • Travelers' hotel
  • *Motel
  • *Choultry
  • *Caravanserai
  • Extended stay hotel
  • Boutique hotel
  • Casino
  • Resort
  • Bunkhouse

    Special-purpose

  • Theme or amusement park
  • Aquarium
  • Bar
  • Bowling alley
  • Car wash
  • Funeral home
  • Marina
  • Movie theater
  • Self-storage
  • Theater
  • Zoo

    Industrial

s are primarily used for the production and storage/distribution of goods, among other uses.
  • Factory
  • *Physical plant
  • Mill

    Manufacturing

  • Light manufacturing
  • Heavy manufacturing

    Warehouse/distribution

  • Warehouses
  • *Bulk
  • *Ice house
  • *Cold/cool/refrigerator/freezer storage
  • *High-cube
  • *Warehouse store
  • Distribution/fulfillment centers
  • *Container terminals

    Flex space

  • Office building
  • Laboratory
  • Data center
  • Call center
  • Showroom
  • Tension fabric building

    Infrastructure

s house equipment and facilities related to public infrastructure.
  • Composting
  • Desalination plant
  • Waste transfer
  • Power generation
  • *Power plant
  • *Thermal power plant
  • *Fossil-fuel power station
  • *Nuclear power plant
  • *Geothermal power
  • *Biomass power plant
  • *Renewable energy power station
  • Electric power distribution
  • *Substation
  • *Converter hall
  • *Rotary converter plant
  • Transmitter building
  • Dams
  • Pump house
  • Fake building

    Agricultural

  • Abattoir
  • Barn
  • Chicken coop or chickenhouse
  • Cow-shed
  • Farmhouse
  • Granary, Hórreo
  • Greenhouse
  • Hayloft
  • Pigpen or sty
  • Root cellar
  • Shed
  • Silo
  • Slaughterhouse
  • Stable
  • Storm cellar
  • Well house
  • Crib
  • Windmill
  • Workshop

    Institutional

  • Medical
  • *Hospital
  • *Nursing homes
  • *Mental hospital
  • *Sanatorium
  • Educational
  • *Academy
  • *Archive
  • *College
  • *Elementary schools
  • *Middle school
  • *Orphanage
  • *Secondary School
  • *School
  • *University
  • *Nursery school
  • Civic
  • *Arena
  • *Library
  • *Mudhif: a traditional reed house made by the Madan people of Iraq
  • *Museum
  • *Observatory
  • *Community hall
  • *Research institute
  • **Think tank
  • Religious Facilities
  • *Church
  • **Basilica
  • **Cathedral
  • ***Duomo
  • **Chapel
  • **Oratory
  • **Martyrium
  • *Imambargah
  • *Monastery
  • *Mithraeum
  • *Shrine
  • *Synagogue
  • *Temple
  • *Pagoda
  • *Gurdwara
  • *Hindu temple
  • *Mosque
  • Government
  • *Town hall
  • **Guildhall
  • *Consulate
  • *Courthouse
  • *Embassy
  • *Fire station
  • *Meeting house
  • *Moot hall
  • *Parliament house
  • *Police station
  • *Post office
  • *Assembly
  • Military
  • *Arsenal
  • *Barracks
  • *Bunker
  • *Blockhouse
  • *Citadel
  • *Missile launch facility
  • Transport
  • *Airport
  • *Bus station
  • *Metro station
  • *Taxi station
  • *Railway station
  • **Signal box
  • *Lighthouse
  • *Shipyard
  • *Spaceport
  • *Hovercraft
  • *Passenger terminal
  • *Boathouse
  • *Parking garage
  • *Hangar
  • Historical
  • *Communal oven
  • Other
  • *Aul
  • *Bathhouse
  • *Film studio
  • *Folly
  • *Gym
  • *Pavilion
  • *Shelter

    Other

  • Bakehouse
  • Tent