# building (structure)

A structure that an arrangement of matter makes to create a sheltered space.

- Computed level: L16 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: everyday  ·  Arena: building

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [structure](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-structure.arrangement), [matter](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-matter.substance), [arrangement](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-arrangement.spatial), [home](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-home.shelter), [make](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-make.verb), [space](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-space.extent), [work](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-work.effort), [create](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-create.production), [shelter](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-shelter.protection)

**Through:** 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
- The Burj Khalifa in Dubai stands 828 meters tall, held together by steel and concrete arranged to enclose habitable space. *(engineering)*
- Termite mounds in Namibia regulate internal temperature through precisely angled tunnels and living chambers. *(biology)*
- The 16th-century granary in Al-Balda, Yemen, stores grain in thick stone walls that resist heat and erosion. *(institutions)*

## Used by
- [airport](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-airport.transport) (L17)
- [bank](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-bank.financial) (L17)
- [church](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-church.religious) (L17)
- [court](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-court.legal) (L17)
- [inn](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-inn.lodging) (L17)
- [institute](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-institute.organization) (L17)
- [invasive](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-invasive.system) (L17)

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*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-building.structure*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-building.structure.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*