Building layer

The building layer represents the footprint of the building as a set of Polygons or MultiPolygons in 2D coordinates.

Name	Type	Constaints	Definition
the_geom	POLYGON	X Y dimensions	Geometry
id_building	INTEGER	Primary Key	Unique Identifier
id_source	VARCHAR	not null	Identifier of the feature from the input data source
id_zone	VARCHAR	not null	Studied zone identifier
height_wall	FLOAT	not null; > 0	The (corrected) height of the building in meters. Height of the building measured between the ground and the gutter (maximum altitude of the polyline describing the building). (expressed in meters)
height_roof	FLOAT	not null ; > 0 ; >= height_wall	The maximum height of a building is the distance between the top edge of the building (including the roof, but excluding antennas, spires and other equipment mounted on the roof) and the lowest point at the bottom where the building meets the ground. (expressed in meters)
nb_lev	INTEGER	not null; > 0	Number of levels (have to be greater than 0)
type	VARCHAR	not null ; in type list	Value allowing to distinguish the type of building according to its architecture. These values are listed in the BUILDING_use_and_type section.
main_use	VARCHAR	in type list	Main use of the building. The use of a building corresponds to a de facto element, relating to what it is used for. These values are listed in the BUILDING_use_and_type section.
zindex	INTEGER	not null ; >-4 ; 4<	Defines the position with respect to the ground. 0 indicates that the object is on the ground. 1 to 4 indicates that the objects above the ground surface. -4 to -1 value indicates that the object is underground.

type and main_use column values

List of all possible values for the type and the main_use attributes, in the BUILDING layer. We consider that a same value can be used to qualify a type or a main_use.

Term	Definition	Source
building	Used to qualify any kind of feature that is a building	1
house	A single dwelling unit usually inhabited by one family	2
detached	A free-standing residential building usually housing a single-family.	3
residential	A building used primarily for residential purposes	4
apartments	A building arranged into individual dwellings, often on separate floors. May also have retail outlets on the ground floor.	5
bungalow	A small, single-storey detached house in the form of a bungalow	6
historic	Any buildings of historical interest	7
monument	A memorial object, which is especially large, built to remember, show respect to a person or group of people or to commemorate an event.	8
ruins	House that is an abandoned (but still a building)	9
castle	Various kinds of structures, most of which were originally built as fortified residences of a lord or noble	10
agricultural	A building, machinery, facilities, related to agricultural production.	11
farm	A farmhouse is the main building of a farm	12
farm_auxiliary	A building on a farm that is not a dwelling	13
barn	An agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace	14
greenhouse	A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse) is a building in which plants are grown. It typically has a roof and walls made of clear glass or plastic to allow sunlight to enter.	15
silo	A storage container for bulk material, often grains such as corn or wheat	16
commercial	A building where non-specific commercial activities take place	17
industrial	A building where some industrial process takes place	18
sport	Buildings, constructions, installations, organized areas and equipment for indoor and outdoor sport activities.	19
sports_centre	Building that is designed for sports, e.g. for school sports, university or club sports	20
grandstand	Building for the main stand, usually roofed, commanding the best view for spectators at racecourses or sports grounds	21
transportation	Buildings, constructions, installations, organized areas and equipment for transportation	22
train_station	A train station building	23
toll_booth	Toll roads charge money for some or all traffic	24
terminal	An airport passenger building	25
healthcare	All places that provide healthcare	26
education	All places that provide education	27
entertainment_arts_culture	All places that provide entertainment, arts and culture	28
sustenance	Buildings, constructions, installations, organized areas and equipment of any food commodity or related food products. ex : bar, pub...	29 , 30
military	Buildings, constructions, installations necessary to the performance of military activities, either combat or noncombat.	31 , 32 , 33
religious	Unspecific religious building	34
chapel	Religious building, often pretty small. One can enter in it to pray or meditate	35
church	A building that was built as a church	36
government	Building built to house government offices	37
townhall	Building that may serve as an administrative center, or may be merely a community meeting place	38
office	Office block typically houses companies, but offices may be also rented by any other kind of organization like charities, government, any NGO etc.	39