Building (structure)
A roofed structure with walls, designed to shelter people, activities, or stored goods. Buildings range from small dwellings to large facilities.
Foundation: The part of a structure that transfers its loads to the ground. It anchors the building and carries its weight into the soil or rock.
Load-bearing wall: A wall that supports structural loads from floors, roofs, or other parts of a building. It can carry weight as well as divide and enclose interior spaces.
House: A building designed primarily as a dwelling for one or more households. It is the familiar small-scale case where shelter and domestic life shape design.
Bridge: A structure that carries a route over an obstacle such as water, a valley, or another road. Unlike a building, it primarily supports passage across space rather than enclosing occupied rooms.
Structural system: An arrangement of elements that supports loads and keeps a structure stable. Its beams, columns, walls, and connections determine how the building stands.
Beam: A structural member that primarily resists loads acting across its length. Beams transfer floor and roof loads toward columns or walls.
School building: A building designed to support teaching, learning, and related school activities. Classrooms, shared facilities, and circulation must serve students and staff.
Tower: A tall, relatively narrow structure used for observation, communication, storage, or other purposes. Some towers are buildings, but many lack the roofed, walled occupied spaces typical of buildings.
Building envelope: The physical boundary separating a building’s interior from its exterior. Walls, roofs, windows, and doors regulate weather, air, and heat at the boundary.
Column: A vertical structural member that carries compressive loads. Columns provide concentrated paths for loads moving down through a building.