Typology of buildings

A feature thesaurus presents a typology of geographical features.These categories of geographic places thus help express the general nature of a given place. Overall, the VCP thesaurus constitutes a hierarchical array of conceptual categories that show the relationship between different types of places. It is centered on buildings, mostly in urban areas

. This feature thesaurus is under constant development and will soon be turned into a databse. For reference purposes, we have here pulled together some of the feature typologies that we use.

This is the typology used for the designation of the buildings in the GIS database. It shall be used to characterize the attributes of all buildings in each city. It is based on the Alexandria gazetteer and the classification system (industries) of the French INSEE (Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques), with the addition of items pertaining to the history and structures of China and Vietnam.

Anyone can add items, but no one can change the level 1-3 categories. You can enrich Level 3 and above categories (see below how to proceed). If you feel the typology does not meet your needs for Level 1 & 2, consult with Christian before any change. Any major reshuffling of the typology will have a strong impact on all the data already entered in the GIS server.

As it is quite complex to modify the typology on line, if you have proposals about additions or modifications, simply download the Excel file attached here, make all proposed changes and mark each modified cell with a highlighted color. Then email the modified file to virtualshanghai(at)tge-adonis.fr

typology_buildings.xls

Please beware that there are 8 levels in this typology. On the wiki page, only the first five levels are visible. To see the three supplementary levels, use the moving bar at the bottom of the page (or download the Excel file above).

LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 4 LEVEL 5 LEVEL 6 LEVEL 7 LEVEL 8
agricultural site
dairy
farm
orchard
nursery
field
administrative facility
court house
municipal court
provincial court
city halltown hall
district city hall
neighborhood office (jiedao banshichu)
municipal service
county seatxian magistrate
xiang
police
police station
police sub-station
dormitory
fire brigade
firemen station
customs
post office building
post office
telegraph
diplomatic representation
embassy
consulate
foreign agency
ministry
foreign affairs
Local office
military facility
military base
air force base
naval base
camps (military)
barrack
military installations
artillery range
shelter
maneuver area
Ammunition depot
arsenal
headquarters
officers' residence
secret service
Commercial establishment
finance
modern bank
traditional bank
qianzhuang
pawnshop
service
office building
insurance company
property insurance
liability insurance
auction company
real estate agency
maritime agency
customs
transport company
rail transport
sea transport
air transport
road transport
Tramway
import-export company
warehouses
leisure
sports
riding school
film company
health service
physician
dentist
legal service
lawyer
retail business
marketmarketplace
shopping mallshopping center
storeshop
food shop
butcher
bakery
beverage
textile
clothing
cotton goods
silk shop
tailor
body accessory
jewelry
shoe
body care
hairdresser
beauty parlor
public bath
pharmacy
Western-style
Chinese-style
laboratory
cultural product
bookshop
stationary
antique shop
photography
music
houseware
furniture
occidental furniture shop
Chinese furniture shop
funeral store
restaurant & bar
restaurant
bar
brewery
winery
tavern
teahouse
coffee shop
lodging
guesthouse
hotel
boarding house
craftsmen
cobbler
stone-cutter
car repair
prosthesis
industrial site
factoryplants (industrial)
Chemical Industry
cosmectics
wax & soap
matches
paint
laundry (industrial)
other chemicals
Coal & Mineral Processing
Coal
Coal briquette
Stone
Brick
Electric Equipment
Instrument & Meter
Medical instrument
Camera
Electronic Optical & Telecommunications Equipment
Food Industry
Food
Oil mill
Rice flour mill
Wheat flour mill
Canned food
Sugar mill
Slaughterhouse
Beverage
Beer
Mineral water
Wine
Soya milk
Soda
Juice
Furniture Manufacturing
Leather & Shoe Industry
Leather
Shoe
Machinery Manufacturing
Machine maintenance
Metal Product
surgical instrument
Metallurgy
furnace;forge;foundary;furnace;
Nonmetal Mineral Product
Glassware
Porcelain
Gas lamps
Paper Making
paper mill
paper box
Petroleum Processingoil refinery;gas-oil separation plant
Pharmaceutical Industry
Printing
Rubber & Plastic Product
Rubber product
Plastic product
Cultural & Sports Good
TextileTextile factory
Cotton mill
Silk Filature
Silk weaving
Wool textile
Rug factory
Deying factory
Clothing
Garment factory
Uniform factory
Knitting factory
Timber Processing
Sawmill
Furniture
Tobacco Processing
Transportation Equipment
Ricksha
Automobile & Truck
Train
Shipyardships
Other industry
Umbrella
Thermos bottle
Gas lamps
Gramophone
Storage
warehousestorehousesgodown
cold storage
Gas lamp
Public utility
power generation site
gas works
gas tower
power plant
nuclear plant
waterworks water plant
water treatment plant
filtration plant
sewage treatment plant
water tank
water well
water tower
refuse disposal sitewaste disposal site
incinerator
landfilldump
sanitary landfill
wrecking yard
scrap yard
slag heap
institutional site
welfare facility
home
orphanage
old-people home
women's refuge
refugee camp
correctional facility
detention camp
laojiao camp
juvenile facility
labor camplaogai camp
penal farm
prison
reformatory
educational facility
school
private school
religious school
kindergarden
Catholic
Protestant
Buddhist
Jewish
Muslim
primary school
Catholic
Protestant
Buddhist
Jewish
Muslim
secondary school
Catholic
Protestant
Buddhist
Jewish
Muslim
junior high school
senior high school
vocational school
Catholic
Protestant
Buddhist
seminary
Catholic
secular school
kindergarden
primary school
secondary school
vocational school
benevolent school
kindergarden
primary school
secondary school
vocational school
guild school (including school by professional association)
primary school
secondary school
vocational school
public school
military school
municipal school
provincial school
primary school
secondary school
junior high school
senior high school
vocational school
agricultural school
technical school
training centers
academy
association
university
private university
religious university
Catholic university
Protestant university
secular university
public university
national university
municipal university
college (dazhuan)
campus
medical facility
asylum
hospital
Chinese-style hospital
Western-style hospital
clinic
sanatorium
dispensary (medical)
Maternity
infirmary
nursing home
convalescent center
physician
Chinese-style physician
Western-style physician
laboratory
dentist
library building
archives
library
museum building
art gallery
museum
research facility
laboratory
observatory
research center
weather station
religious facility
church
Catholic
Protestant
Orthodox
Anglican
convent
Catholic
Buddhist
Daoist
monastery
Catholic
Buddhist
Daoist
mosque
synagogue
temple
Buddhist
Daoist
Shinto
Folk religion
Confucian
pagoda
Buddhist
Mission headquarter
Catholic
Protestant
residential site
apartment building
high-rise building
dormitory
lilong
slumsbarracks
hut
palace
rowhouse
villa
community facility
native-place association
guilds (huiguan)
tongxianghui
gongsuo
benevolent association
religious
secular
guild charity
association
literary association
art association
religious association
political association
sport association
civic association
Masonic lodge
professional association
chamber of commerce
trade union
trade association (tongye gonghui)
professional union
street association
political party
recreational facility
indoor facility
casino
gambling den
amusement parks
club (recreational)
fitness center
youth center
bowling hall
outdoor facility
park
botanical garden
commemorative area
garden
nursery
zoo
playground
fairground
performance site
movie theater
concert hall
opera house
shuchang
recital hall
theater
dancing hall
night club
amusement center
sports facility
aquatic center
athletic complex
ballgame field
sports field
golf course
gymnasium
racecourse
stadium
swimming pool
tennis court
Sites of memory
cemetery
burying groundgrave site
gravegraveyardtomb
memorial garden
coffin repository
funeral parlor
coffin repository
guild repository
historical site
battle site
massacre site
historical landmark
historical park
execution ground
ruin
city wall
archaeological site
war zone
monuments
cairn
memorial
shrine
statue
clock
tower
Information and communication
Press
newspaper
magazine
Broadcasting
radio station
television station
Communication
Phone company
Telegraph company
communication center
transportation feature
roadway
highway
intersection
parkway
streetroads
pedestrian street
alley (lilong, hutong)
traffic circle
public toilet
bridge
railroad feature
metrorail station
railroad station
railroad yard
railway
subway station
tramway
tramway station
tunnel
bridge
overpass
harbor
anchorage
mooring
boatyard
wharfquay
jetty
dockyard
dry dock
marine terminal
river
canal
drainage canal
irrigation canal
navigation canal
airport
heliport
seaplane base
parking site
garage
parking lot