{
  "id": "building.structure",
  "term": "building",
  "sense": "structure",
  "pos": "noun",
  "status": "review",
  "level": 16,
  "arena": "building",
  "domain": "everyday",
  "style": null,
  "definition": "A structure that an arrangement of matter makes to create a sheltered space.",
  "folk_gloss": null,
  "emergence": {
    "components": [
      "structure.arrangement",
      "matter.substance",
      "arrangement.spatial",
      "home.shelter",
      "make.verb",
      "space.extent",
      "work.effort",
      "create.production",
      "shelter.protection"
    ],
    "interaction": "Arrangement of matter and effort transforms energy and materials into a persistent spatial configuration that provides shelter.",
    "novel_properties": [
      "persistent enclosed space",
      "human-intended function",
      "structural integrity under use"
    ]
  },
  "examples": [
    {
      "text": "The Burj Khalifa in Dubai stands 828 meters tall, held together by steel and concrete arranged to enclose habitable space.",
      "domain": "engineering"
    },
    {
      "text": "Termite mounds in Namibia regulate internal temperature through precisely angled tunnels and living chambers.",
      "domain": "biology"
    },
    {
      "text": "The 16th-century granary in Al-Balda, Yemen, stores grain in thick stone walls that resist heat and erosion.",
      "domain": "institutions"
    }
  ],
  "relations": [
    {
      "id": "structure.arrangement",
      "note": "is-a",
      "type": "enables"
    },
    {
      "id": "home.shelter",
      "note": "enables",
      "type": "enables"
    }
  ],
  "used_by": [
    "airport.transport",
    "bank.financial",
    "church.religious",
    "court.legal",
    "inn.lodging",
    "institute.organization",
    "invasive.system"
  ],
  "forms": [
    "build",
    "building",
    "buildings",
    "builds",
    "built"
  ],
  "closed": true,
  "provenance": {
    "author": "openrouter:openai/gpt-oss-120b",
    "date": "2026-07-29",
    "confidence": 0.6,
    "reconciled": {
      "by": "openrouter:qwen/qwen3-235b-a22b-2507",
      "date": "2026-07-31",
      "changed": "components",
      "note": "Added 'create.production' and 'shelter.protection' to components, as the definition relies on 'create' and 'shelter' not fully covered by existing components. Definition remains accurate and concise."
    }
  },
  "canonical": "https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-building.structure"
}