This is a list of building types. It is sorted by broad category: residential buildings, commercial buildings, industrial buildings, and infrastructural buildings.
Residential
Single-family detached
Examples of single-family detached house types include: Bungalow Central-passage house (North America) Chattel house (Caribbean) Cottage (various) Courtyard house (various) Konak (Asia) Log house (various) Mansion (various) Housebarn (various) Split level home (various) Upper Lusatian house (Europe)
Single-family attached (small multi-family)
Duplex, semi-detached, double-decker, or two-family
Triplex, triple-decker or three-family
Quadplex, quadruple, or four-family
Townhouse or terraced house
Large multi-family (apartments/flats/condos)
Garden or walk-up apartments: 1–5 stories, 50–400 units, no elevators
Mid-rise apartments/condos: 5–9 stories, 30–110 units, with elevators
High-rise apartments/condos: 9+ stories, 100+ units, professionally managed
Special-purpose group housing
Retirement home
Nursing home
Dormitory
Public
Official residence
Palace
Archbishop's Palace
Bishop's Palace
Electoral Palace
Episcopal Palace
Presidential palace
Residenz
Commercial
Commercial buildings, generally, are buildings used by businesses to sell their products to consumers.
Office
Office buildings are generally categorized by size and by quality (e.g., "a low-rise Class A building")
Office buildings by size
Low-rise (less than 7 stories) Mid-rise (7–25 stories) High-rise (more than 25 stories), including skyscrapers (over 40 stories) Office buildings by quality Trophy or 5-star building: A landmark property designed by a recognized architect Class A or 4-star building: Rents in the top 30-40% of the local market; well-located; above-average upkeep and management; usually older than a trophy/5-star building Class B or 3-star building: Rents between Class A and Class C; fair-to-good locations; average upkeep and management Class C or 2-star building: Rents in the bottom 10-20% of the local market; less-desirable locations; below-average upkeep and management 1-star building: Does not meet the needs of typical tenants; may be obsolete and/or in need of significant renovation
Retail
Retail buildings are categorized by their configuration and size
Non-freestanding (also known as shopping malls) Super-regional shopping center: enclosed space; 800,000+ sqft; 5+ anchor stores with other tenants that sell a very large variety of goods Regional shopping center: enclosed space; 400,000–800,000 sqft; 1–5 anchor stores with other tenants that sell a large variety of goods Community shopping center: open space; 125,000–400,000 sqft; provides general merchandise and commodities (e.g., supermarket, discount department store) Neighborhood shopping center: open space; 3,000–125,000 sqft; provides commodities to nearby neighborhoods (e.g. drug store) Strip or convenience shopping center: open space; less than 30,000 sqft; located along suburban transportation arteries on shallow land parcels; a strip may be configured in a straight line, or have an "L" or "U" shape Lifestyle center: "Main Street" concept with pedestrian circulation in core and vehicular circulation along perimeter; upscale national chain specialty stores, dining or entertainment (e.g. The Grove, Los Angeles, CA; Americana at Brand, Glendale, CA) Freestanding: any stand-alone retail structure that is not part of a complex Big box: freestanding category-dominant retailer; 50,000+ sqft (e.g. The Home Depot, Target, Walmart) Power center: among the largest types of retail properties; 3+ big box anchor stores; multiple large buildings with parking lot in front and loading in back; smaller retailers usually clustered in a community shopping center configuration Retail outlet: manufacturers' outlet stores; 50,000–400,000 sqft Pop-up retail: a retail location designed to only be in a location temporarily (e.g., a retail store that only opens during a holiday season)
Hotels
Full service hotel
Travelers' hotel
Motel
Choultry
Caravanserai
Extended stay hotel
Boutique hotel
Casino
Resort
Special-purpose
Theme or amusement park
Aquarium
Bar (establishment) Bowling alley Car wash Funeral home Marina Self-storage Theater Zoo
Industrial
Industrial buildings are primarily used for the production and storage/distribution of goods, among other uses.