A building, or edifice, is an enclosed
structure with a
roof
A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of temp ...
and
wall
A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including:
* Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the su ...
s standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a
house or
factory
A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with t ...
(although there's also portable buildings).
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, land prices, ground conditions, specific uses,
prestige, and aesthetic reasons. To better understand the term ''building'' compare the list of
nonbuilding structure
A nonbuilding structure, also referred to simply as a structure, refers to any body or system of connected parts used to support a load that was not designed for continuous human occupancy. The term is used by architects, structural eng ...
s.
Buildings serve several societal needs – 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 painting
In archaeology, Cave paintings are a type of parietal art (which category also includes petroglyphs, or engravings), found on the wall or ceilings of caves. The term usually implies prehistoric origin, and the oldest known are more than 40,00 ...
s, buildings have also