Nonbuilding structure

Golden Gate Bridge

Electricity pylon

Hungerford Bridge seen from the London Eye

Nonbuilding structure, also referred to simply as structure, refers to a body or system of connected parts used to support a load not designed for continuous human occupancy. The term is used by architects, structural engineers, and mechanical engineers to distinctly identify structures that are not buildings.

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Examples of nonbuilding structures:

• Aerial lift pylon
• Boat lifts
• Bridges and bridge-like structures (aqueducts, overpasses, trestles, viaducts, etc.)
• Building canopies
• Chimneys and smokestacks
• Cranes
• Dams
• Water towers
• Electric power transmission towers
• Ferris wheels and observation wheels
• Monuments
• Parking structures
• Offshore oil platforms (except for the production and housing facilities)
• Piers
• Roller coasters
• Retaining walls
• Sewers^{[citation needed]}
• Structures designed to support, contain or convey liquid or gaseous matter, including
  • Cooling towers
  • Pipelines^{[citation needed]}
  • Distillation equipment and structural supports at chemical and petrochemical plants and oil refineries
  • Storage tanks
• Television and radio masts and towers
• Tunnels^{[citation needed]}
• Wharves

Exceptions

Dulles Airport control tower

Some structures that are occupied periodically and would otherwise be considered nonbuilding structures are categorized as "buildings" for life and fire safety purposes:^{[citation needed]}

• Aviation control towers
• Factories
• Kiosks
• Lighthouses
• Power stations
• Refineries
• Vehicles such as watercraft and aircraft
• Warehouses

See also

• Architectural structure