10 Different Types Of Buildings Used Throughout The World

In this post, you’ll learn about different types of buildings used throughout the world.

So, if you want to know:

• What are the types of buildings?

• Uses of different types of buildings, and

• Purpose of constructing different types of buildings.

Then you’ll love this post.

Before discussing the building types, let’s first see…

What Is A Building?

Regardless of its purpose, a building is a structure constructed using any type of material or combination of materials.

Now, the question is:

Which type of structure can you call a building?

The structures that have the following components can be defined as buildings:

• Foundation

• Plinth

• Walls and piers in the superstructure

• Ground, basement, and upper floors

• Doors and windows

• Sills, Lintels, and weather shades

• Roofs

• Steps and stairs

• Finishes for walls

• Utility fixtures

With that, let’s see what are the…

Different Types Of Buildings

Depending on their usage, design and height, safety standards, and other features, buildings are categorized into the following types:

• Residential Buildings

• Commercial Buildings

• Educational Buildings

• Institutional Buildings

• Assembly Buildings

• Business Buildings

• Mercantile Buildings

• Industrial Buildings

• Storage Buildings

• Hazardous Buildings

Now, we’ll see the purpose, and uses of different types of buildings below.

Residential Buildings

A building that provides more than half of its floor area for dwelling purposes is defined as a residential building.

This type of buildings is used for normal residential purposes.

And, It should facilitate the following activities:

• Sleeping, living, and cooking

• One or more family residences, apartments, flats, and private garages.

With that, now see the…

Various Types Of Residential Buildings

Residential buildings are divided into the following types:

• Single-family detached (Example: Bungalow, Cottage, Log house)

• Small multi-family (Example: Duplex, Triplex, Quadplex, Townhouse)

• Large multi-family (Example: Retirement home, Nursing home, Dormitory, Prison)

Commercial Buildings

This type of buildings is used by businesses to sell their products or services.

Types Of Commercial Buildings

• Retail (Mall, shopping center, etc.)

• Office (Office building, Medical office suit)

• Hotels (Resorts, Motel, Casino, etc)

Educational Buildings

This type of buildings is affiliated and recognized by an appropriate board to use for educational purposes.

And, it normally has the following facilities:

• Proper residential facilities for essential staff.

• A hostel exclusively to the institute either within its premises or outside.

The examples of this type of buildings are:

• School

• College

• University

• Technical institute, etc.

Institutional Buildings

These types of buildings are normally constructed by government or semi-government organizations.

And they are built for specific purposes. Such as:

• Treatment of physical or mental illness

• Children’s hospitals

• Old age homes

• Centers for the care of orphans or abandoned women

• Auditoriums or complexes meant to be used for cultural or allied activities

• Religious accommodation facilities such as Dharamshala

• Jails, detention centers, juvenile reformatories, etc.

Assembly Buildings

These are the types of buildings where groups of people assemble or gather for amusement; recreation, social, religious, patriotic, or other similar purposes.

For example:

• Theatres,

• Cinema halls,

• Museums,

• Gymnasiums,

• Restaurants,

• Dance halls,

• Passenger stations,

• Public transportation services,

• Open-air theatres,

• Swimming pools etc.

Business Buildings

A business building is any building or part of a building that is used for the purposes of business transactions, keeping accounts and records, bookkeeping or managing other types of records, etc.

These types of buildings are:

• Offices,

• Banks,

• Courthouses, etc.

Mercantile Buildings

This type includes any building or part of a building that is used for shops, stores, or showrooms where display and sale of wholesale goods, retail goods, or merchandise are carried out.

These buildings should accommodate office, storage, and service facilities essential for the business which should be located in the same building.

Industrial Buildings

These buildings are constructed for the purpose of manufacturing or assembling products or materials.

And, these buildings include:

• Manufacturing units,

• Assembly plants,

• Factories and Mills,

• Power plants,

• Oil refineries,

• Gas plants,

• Dairy plants,

• Laboratories, etc.

Storage Buildings

This type includes those buildings which are primarily used for the storage of goods, commodities, merchandise, etc.

The examples of this type of buildings are:

• Warehouses,

• Cold storages,

• Grain storage units,

• Barns,

• Stables,

• Freight depot,

• Transit shed,

• Hangars,

• Truck terminals,

• Public garages, etc

Hazardous Buildings

This type includes those building structures which are used for the storage, handling, manufacture, or processing of materials that are liable to burn with extreme rapidity and prove hazards to health, the building or building contents.

Hazards may be due to fire; poisonous fumes or gases, explosions, ignitions, etc from materials subjected to various operations.

Buildings used for storage of gases under high pressure or for storage and handling of highly flammable liquids or explosives, fireworks, etc are included in this type.

Conclusion:

So, these are the types of buildings used throughout the world.

You may find some other types of buildings in the area where you reside.

Now It’s Your Turn:

I have mostly constructed the residential types of buildings.

And I love to work in that type.

Now, I would like to hear from you:

Which types of buildings did you work the most?

Or maybe you have a question about something you read.

Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below right now.