Well before finding the characteristics of a good building we should first establish the fact that what do we mean by a good building.
But wait; you can’t just start pinning down the set of feature immediately as this is completely dependent on different perspectives.
For me, if I am evaluating my home I would say comfort, safety and physical appearance would be the deciding factors for a good or bad home.
So in a nutshell we can say that for a building to be good; the judge must know the type of the building as well as its purpose for which it was actually build.
5+ Characteristics of a Good building to Watch
For readers in a hurry i can outline the characteristics of a good building below. So a good building is:
- A building that has a good appearance
- has a good design both interior and exterior
- structural safe and workable means it is serviceable.
- A good building matches with the surrounding
- Sustainable and environmental friendly
Lets discuss them now in detail;
But this also doesn’t mean that there is a difference of one hundred percent from building to building there are a lot of common parameters and considerations that shared among different structures.
So in this guide I would like to explore for you those factor that are common and not specific because that will require a detailed analysis of your project or building.
As we all know that a building is a structure having a roof and walls that provides enclosure to the occupants. It can be a house or a factory as well as a hospital or an institute.
Good Appearance
Appearance matters “a lot” – as we all know that first impression is the last impression and that is true for even in buildings.
Although it is completely your viewpoint how much importance you give to appearance but a good building is a one that has an iconic architecture. According to a well-known architect Marcus Vitruvius there are three primary criteria of a good architecture: durability, convenience and beauty.
An architecture overdone would be difficult to preserve and thus sustainability would be endangered. So keep it simple-and-straight by following the trends prevailing in your community.
If you are judging your owned home – then there is a very famous Chinese tradition called Feng Shui who believe that good luck, wealth and happiness would only come to your home if you have an attractive appearance.
But if you are evaluating a commercial building like a shopping plaza or some residential apartment even than appearance is the first thing your client and customers would look into.
Commercial value of your building and your business is directly linked with the appearance. If it has a good appearance than your business would flourish and vice versa.
A good Building has a good Design
We spent almost 80 to 80 percent of our daily time in buildings i.e. in our homes and offices. This simple revelation reveals how important a building’s design really is.
A structure should not merely provide shelter from the elements; it should uniquely cater to the needs of its inhabitants in a manner that promotes creativity, health and happiness.
If you are evaluating a headquarter or your office block than a good building for you would be the one that enhances the worker productivity, boost scores, decrease sick time and promote physical activity.
If you would try to save some bucks and introduce a cheap design for your building than my fellow you are actually overlooking benefits that could be yield by a good design in near future.
A structurally safe and sound building
Well this is the factor you can never compromise on; a structurally safe building is a primary need and major criteria for a good building.
Structural engineers uses a word called serviceability – this is a criteria kept in mind while designing beams and columns of a building. Serviceability means that the structure should be useable and should serve the intended purpose.
From structure point of view it means that if you are sitting in a room and you saw cracks in the ceiling slab; what you would do?
You would immediately vacate the room despite of assurance from structural engineer that it is safe and is not going to fall.
Although the structural requirements are satisfied here but still the building was not serviceable.
So a good building is a building that is serviceable and thus serves its intended purpose.
A good building matches with the Surroundings
Whenever a new building is constructed it is metaphorically a newcomer, a stranger, an intruder. The buildings surrounding the new arrival are older to various extents and consideration has to be given to them, in whichever way is required.
This might be with regard to the new structure’s minimum distance from the property boundary, as laid down by law, or its scale and massing, or its shape and the façade composition.
A good building is the one that fits in with its surroundings or sets itself apart may depend as much on underlying parameters.
Sustainable and Environmental Friendly
After getting involved in enormous disruption to the environment and facing problems like air pollution, water scarcity, carbon emissions and global warming; concepts like energy efficient buildings and environmental friendly buildings has emerged.
Local bylaws were made by the environmental protection agencies for the buildings to limit and minimize the disruption caused to the environment.
So a good building is a one that is environmental friendly and energy efficient. An energy efficient building is a one that has a lower carbon emissions and that saves energy and utilizes the natural energy sources.
Although often overlooked, it’s very likely that mould and condensation in certain areas of a house could be the cause bronchial issues. Likewise drafts or poor ventilation could also be the root cause of a variety of medical ailments.
Closing Notes
A general rule, a good building needs to feel alive – and to stay that way for as long as possible. We, the occupants affect the building and building affects us too. So after above discussion we can say that although different people have different aspects but a good building would be the one that cater for a range of interests for the long term.
