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A building in China

A building and skybridge in Munich, Germany.

Example of a religious building: the Great Mosque of Kairouan (also called the Mosque of Uqba), founded in 670, dates in its present state principally from the 9th century. The Great Mosque of Kairouan is located in the city of Kairouan, Tunisia.

Rivers Towers building under construction. Cúcuta, Colombia.

In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:

1. Any human-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy, or
2. An act of construction (i. e. the activity of building, see also builder)

In this article, the first usage is generally intended unless otherwise specified.

Buildings come in a wide amount of shapes and functions, and have been adapted throughout history for a wide number of factors, from building materials available, to weather conditions, to land prices, ground conditions, specific uses and aesthetic reasons.

Buildings serve several needs of society – primarily as shelter from weather and as general living space, to provide privacy, to store belongings and to comfortably live and work. A building as a shelter represents a physical division of the human habitat (a place of comfort and safety) and the outside (a place that at times may be harsh and harmful).

Ever since the first cave paintings, buildings have also become objects or canvasess of artistic expression. In recent years, interest in sustainable planning and building practices has also become part of the design process of many new buildings.

Definitions[link]

Building is defined in many aspects as:

• As a Civil Engineering structures such as a house, worship centre, Factories etc. that has a foundation,wall,roof etc. that protect human being and their properties from direct harsh effect of weather like rain,wind,sun etc.
• The act of constructing, erecting, or establishing.
• The art of constructing edifices, or the practice of civil architecture.
• That which is built; a fabric or edifice constructed, as a house, a church, castle, arena/ stadium, etc.
• The act of constructing or building something; "during the construction we had to take a detour"; "his hobby was the building of boats"
• The commercial activity involved in constructing buildings; "their main business is home construction"; "workers in the building trades"
• A structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place;^[1] "there was a three-storey building on the corner"; "it was an imposing edifice"
• The occupants of a building; "the entire building complained about the noise"

To differentiate buildings in the usage of this article from other buildings and other structures that are not intended for continuous human occupancy, the latter are called non-building structures or simply structures.

Structural height in technical usage is the height to the highest architectural detail on building from street-level. Depending on how they are classified, spires and masts may or may not be included in this height. Spires and masts used as antennas are not generally included.

The definition of a low-rise vs. a high-rise building is a matter of debate, but generally three storeys or less is considered low-rise.^[2]

History[link]

The first shelter on Earth constructed by a relatively close ancestor to humans is believed to be built 500,000 years ago by an early ancestor of humans, Homo erectus.^[3]

Types[link]

A timber framing house in Marburg, Germany.

Residential[link]

Residential buildings are called houses/homes, though buildings containing large numbers of separate dwelling units are often called apartment buildings or apartment blocks to differentiate them from the more 'individual' house.

Building types may range from one-room wood-framed, masonry, or adobe dwellings to multi-million dollar high-rise buildings able to house thousands of people. Increasing settlement density in buildings (and closer distances between buildings) is usually a response to high ground prices resulting from many people wanting to live close to work or similar attractors.

Multi-story[link]

Some of Denver's multi-story buildings.

A multi-story building is a building that has multiple floors above ground in the building.

Multi-story buildings aim to increase the area of the building without increasing the area of the land the building is built on, hence saving land and, in most cases, money (depending on material used and land prices in the area). The building with the most stories is the Burj Khalifa, with 162.

Creation[link]

The practice of designing, constructing, and operating buildings is most usually a collective effort of different groups of professionals and trades. Depending on the size, complexity, and purpose of a particular building project, the project team may include:

• A real estate developer who secures funding for the project;
• One or more financial institutions or other investors that provide the funding
• Local planning and code authorities
• A Surveyor who performs an ALTA/ACSM and construction surveys throughout the project;
• Construction managers who coordinate the effort of different groups of project participants;
• Licensed architects and engineers who provide building design and prepare construction documents;
• Landscape architects;
• Interior designers;
• Other consultants;
• Contractors who provide construction services and install building systems such as climate control, electrical, plumbing, Decoration, fire protection, security and telecommunications;
• Marketing or leasing agents;
• Facility managers who are responsible for operating the building.

Regardless of their size or intended use, all buildings in the US must comply with zoning ordinances, building codes and other regulations such as fire codes, life safety codes and related standards.

Vehicles—such as trailers, caravans, ships and passenger aircraft—are treated as "buildings" for life safety purposes.

Ownership and funding[link]

• Mortgage loan
• Real estate developer

Building services[link]

Physical plant[link]

The BB&T Building in Macon, Georgia is constructed of aluminum.

Any building requires a certain amount of internal infrastructure to function, which includes such elements like heating / cooling, power and telecommunications, water and wastewater etc. Especially in commercial buildings (such as offices or factories), these can be extremely intricate systems taking up large amounts of space (sometimes located in separate areas or double floors / false ceilings) and constitute a big part of the regular maintenance required.

Conveying systems[link]

Systems for transport of people within buildings:

• Elevator
• Escalator
• Moving sidewalk (horizontal and inclined)

Systems for transport of people between interconnected buildings:

• Skyway
• Underground city

Building damage[link]

A building in Massueville, Quebec, Canada engulfed by fire.

Buildings may be damaged during the construction of the building or during maintenance. There are several other reasons behind building damage like accident.^[4] Buildings also may suffer from fire damage and flooding in special circumstances.

See also[link]

• Autonomous building
• Building material
• Earthquake engineering
• Famous buildings
• Float glass
• Green building
• Hurricane-proof building
• List of building types
• List of largest buildings in the world
• Natural building
• Natural disaster and earthquake
• Nonbuilding structure
• Skyscrapers
• Steel building
• Commercial modular construction

Architecture portal

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Buildings

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Building.

Looptroop Rockers
Looptroop Rockers performing in 2006
Background information
Origin	Västerås, Sweden
Genres	Hip hop
Years active	1991–present
Labels	David Vs Goliath Burning Heart Records Bad Taste Records
Website	Official website
Members
Promoe Supreme Embee Cos.M.I.C

Looptroop Rockers is a hip hop group from Västerås, Sweden. The members are rappers Promoe (Mårten Edh), Supreme (Mathias Lundh-Isen), DJ/Producer Embee (Magnus Bergkvist) and CosM.I.C (Tommy Isacsson). In February 2007 CosM.I.C, who had been a member of the group since the beginning in 1993, decided to focus on designing and maintaining looptrooprockers.com and not to be an active member of the group. He however rejoined the group in 2010 as Promoe announced at a concert in Helsinki on May 19, it was officially announced on their website ^[1] on May 21. On their fourth album, Good Things, the group changed its name from Looptroop to Looptroop Rockers, a name they've used unofficially for some years prior to the change.

Biography[link]

Looptroop was formed in 1991 by Promoe and Embee. The two had met while attending school in Västerås and were still in their teens at the time of the group's inception. Cos.M.I.C joined shortly thereafter and in 1993 the group independently released their cassette-only debut EP Superstars, which was followed in 1995 by Threesicksteez. By the time they released their third cassette, From The Wax Cabinet (1996), long-time associate and frequent collaborator Supreme had become a permanent member of the group. It was in the pre-DVSG time when Promoe and Cos.M.I.C were also part of a group of graffiti writers called the "BIF" (Babylon Is Falling) crew in Västerås.

In 1998, Looptroop started their own record label, David Vs. Goliath (commonly referred to as DVSG), and with distribution handled by the Swedish punkrock label Burning Heart Records they released their full-length debut album Modern Day City Symphony in 2000. The album managed to sell reasonably well despite limited media exposure and spawned the underground hit single "Long Arm of the Law," which took a critical stance towards the Swedish police force and has since become one of Looptroop's signature songs.

In 2001, Promoe became the first member of the group to launch a solo career, with his debut solo album, Government Music. In 2002 Looptroop released their second album The Struggle Continues.

Embee's solo album Tellings From Solitaria was released in 2004 and featured contributions from several notable Swedish artists, including José González, Timbuktu and Daniel Lemma. The album was critically acclaimed and won a Swedish grammy award for best hiphop/soul in 2004.

Their third full-length studio album, Fort Europa, was released in 2005. On the track "Fort Europa," the group takes a particularly critical tone towards their country's immigration policy. In the video, an image of a TV screen reading "Welcome SWE" is smashed by a golf club as the beat drops. In the first verse, Promoe compares immigration policy to the Berlin Wall.^[2]

On February 9, 2007 Cos.M.I.C announced that he was leaving the group indefinitely. He stated that there had been no falling-out between him and the rest of the group and mentioned that the group's busy schedule, which prevented him from spending time with his family, prompted this decision. Cos.M.I.C then contributed to two songs on the group's 2008 album "Good Things". After Cos.M.I.C left the group, they have also officially changed the group name from Looptroop to Looptroop Rockers!

Looptroop Rockers released their fourth album Good Things on 23 April 2008. Cos.M.I.C is featured on one of the tracks on the album. 2008 was also the year that DVSG was celebrating its 10th anniversary. Looptroop Rockers worked with artists like Rakaa Iriscience of the Dilated Peoples, Cunninglynguists, Timbuktu and Adam Tensta for this album.

On 21 May 2010 Looptroop Rockers announced on their website ^[3] that they were working on a new album. Promoe said it to be slated for a February 2011 release at a gig in Helsinki on May 19. On the same occasion it was announced that Cos.M.I.C. rejoined the group as a full member working on the new album.

In March 2011, the group released their fifth album "Professional Dreamers".

Discography[link]

Looptroop[link]

Main Albums

• Superstars (1993)
• Threesicksteez (1995)
• From the Waxcabinet (1996)
• Punx Not Dead (1998)
• Modern Day City Symphony (2000)
• The Struggle Continues (2002)
• Fort Europa (2005)
• Good Things (2008)
• Professional Dreamers (2011)

Singles

• Fort Europa/Looptroop Radio (2005)
• Naive /w Timbuktu (2008)
• Professional Dreamers (2011)

12" vinyl

• Ambush in the night (1999)
• Long arm of the law (2000)
• Fly Away (2002)
• Looptroopland (2002)
• Don't Hate The Player (2003)
• Fort Europa.(2005)
• The Building" (2008)

EP's

• From the Wax Cabinet EP (1996)
• Fuck A Record Deal (Looptroop/Headtag) (1996)
• Unsigned Hype (1997)
• From beyond K-line (With Kashal Tee & Dj Erase) (1998)
• Heads or Tails EP (1998)
• Schlook From Birth (1998)
• Sedlighetsroteln (2000)
• TBA (2011)

Solo Albums and Side Projects[link]

Promoe

• Off the Record (single) b/w It's Promoe/Poor Lonesome Homeboy (1999)
• Government Music (2001)
• The Long Distance Runner (2004)
• White Man's Burden (2006)
• Standard Bearer (2007)
• Kråksången (2009)
• Bondfångeri (2009)
• Never Follow [EP] (2010)

Embee

• From The Way Beyond Mixtape (1998)
• Embeetious Art EP (2000)
• Tellings From Solitaria (2004)
• Mash Hits (2006)
• The Mellow Turning Moment (2010)

The Casual Brothers (Embee and Cos.M.I.C)

• The Casual Brothers (2001)
• Customer's Choice (2003)

See also[link]

• Swedish hip hop
• Hip hop music

References[link]

1. ^ website
2. ^ YouTube - looptroop - fort europa
3. ^ website

External links[link]

• Official website
• Looptroop Rockers On Reapet Album:Professional Dreamers 2011
• [1]

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Tagged since July 2009. Its lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. Tagged since November 2009.

Raymond Paul "Ray" Mears (born 7 February 1964) is an English woodsman, instructor, author and TV presenter. His TV appearances cover bushcraft and survival techniques, and he is best known for the TV series Ray Mears' Bushcraft, Ray Mears' World of Survival, Extreme Survival, Survival with Ray Mears, Wild Britain with Ray Mears and Ray Mears Goes Walkabout.

Early life[link]

Mears grew up in Kenley, Greater London, and the North Downs, where he discovered a countryside abundant with wildlife. Educated at Reigate Grammar School, a co-educational independent school in Reigate, Surrey, he learned to track foxes in the forest at a young age. As a boy, he desired to sleep out on the trail, but unable to afford camping equipment, he resorted to setting up camp using what he could find in his surroundings.

Interests[link]

Mears's enthusiasm for his subject, combined with his broad knowledge of survival and the uses which may be made of plants, trees and other natural materials found in woodland, forest or desert, have made him a popular figure in TV broadcasting in the UK.^{[citation needed]} He has travelled extensively across the world for his TV series and has learned survival techniques from the indigenous peoples he has met. In his programmes he demonstrates his knowledge of the wild, how to find food from seeds, berries, roots and other growing things, and how to survive by constructing temporary shelters, fires and canoes from natural materials.

Mears has practiced Judo for many years. He once proudly on TV when challenged as a guest wrestled the then winner of a 6 player bushmans tournament. Mears emerged victorious after a strenuous and competitive match. The bush community were most impressed.

Mears is particularly interested in the survival of groups of resistance fighters and partisans for extended periods during the Second World War, such as the Norwegian heavy water plant saboteurs (see The Real Heroes of Telemark^[1]) and the Bielski brothers in Belarus (see Extreme Survival).

Personal life[link]

Mears met his partner, Rachel, in 1992 when she attended one of his five day survival courses. The couple lived in East Sussex with her two adult children, and married in 2005, after Rachel was diagnosed with breast cancer. Rachel died from cancer in 2006, aged 50, and her ashes are scattered in the Ashdown forest near their home.^[2]

While filming a documentary in Wyoming in 2005 Mears was involved in a serious accident. The helicopter in which he and his camera crew were travelling struck the ground during a steep low level turn, and broke apart, rolling to a stop. The fuel tank was ruptured in the accident, and escaping fuel covered Mears and the crew. No fire occurred, and Mears was able to escape the wreckage and assist in the rescue and first aid of one of the crew who was badly injured. Mears escaped uninjured.^[3]

Non-television work[link]

Mears started his bushcraft company aged 19. Mears' first book, The Survival Handbook, was published in 1990. Mears has continued to publish books, both standalone works, and as accompaniments to his TV series.

In September 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Oxford Brookes University, and in the same year he began to deliver public lectures across the United Kingdom on his experiences in front of and behind the lens.

In July 2010, Mears was asked by Northumbria Police to help them track fugitive killer Raoul Moat, after he fled his temporary tent-based shelter in the village of Rothbury.^[4]

Television[link]

Mears has made a number of series for BBC television, visiting various parts of the world and covering such topics as bushcraft and survival skills, the traditional culture of indigenous peoples, and the achievements of noted explorers.

In 2009 he was approached by ITV to present a planned revival of its long-running nature documentary series Survival.^[5] The resulting three-part series was rebranded Survival with Ray Mears and broadcast on ITV1 in 2010. Each episode followed Mears as he used his tracking skills to locate bears, wolves and leopards. In a Radio Times interview to promote the series, Mears complained of being typecast by the BBC.^[6] This series was followed by Wild Britain with Ray Mears, also broadcast by ITV.

Series[link]

• Wild Tracks (BBC, 1994)
• Tracks (BBC, 1994–97)
• Ray Mears' World of Survival (BBC, 1997–98, 2 seasons of 6 episodes each)
• Ray Mears' Country Tracks (BBC, 1998, 2002–03)
• The Essential Guide to Rocks (BBC Education, 1998)
• Ray Mears' Extreme Survival (BBC, 1999–2002, 3 seasons of 6 episodes each)
• Ray Mears' Adventure Special (BBC, 2001) – Mears takes Ewan McGregor into the Honduran jungle on the trail of the prehistoric people of the Mosquito Coast.
• Ray Mears' Real Heroes of Telemark (BBC, 2003)
• Ray Mears' Bushcraft (BBC, 2004–05, 2 seasons of 5 episodes each)
• Ray Mears' Wild Food (BBC, 2007, 5 episodes)
• Ray Mears Goes Walkabout (BBC, June 2008, 4 episodes)^[7] – Mears tours the Australian outback. An accompanying hardcover book was published in the UK by Hodder and Stoughton in March 2008. In the series Mears meets one of his heroes: Les Hiddins (aka "The Bush Tucker Man"). He also heads to the Kimberley region to meet the reputed aboriginal artist and bush guide Ju Ju Wilson.
• Ray Mears' Northern Wilderness (BBC Two, Autumn 2009, 6 episodes) – Mears follows in the footsteps of pioneers who opened up Canada, such as Samuel Hearne, John Rae and David Thompson.
• Survival with Ray Mears (ITV, Spring 2010, 3 episodes)
• Wild Britain with Ray Mears (ITV, Autumn 2010, 6 episodes) - To be followed in 2011 by extended 60 minute episodes with exclusive additional content to be broadcast on UKTV's natural history channel Eden.

Books[link]

• The Survival Handbook (1990)
• The Outdoor Survival Handbook (1992)
• Ray Mears' World of Survival (1997)
• Bushcraft (2002)
• Essential Bushcraft (2003)
• The Real Heroes of Telemark: The True Story of the Secret Mission to Stop Hitler's Atomic Bomb (2003)
• Ray Mears' Bushcraft Survival (2005)
• Wild Food by Ray Mears & Professor Gordon Hillman (2007)
• Ray Mears Goes Walkabout (2008)
• Vanishing World - A Life of Bushcraft (2008)
• Northern Wilderness (2009)

Quotations[link]

Quotations by Ray Mears include:

• "Bushcraft is what you carry in your mind and your muscles."
• "The great thing about bushcraft is that wherever you go, the skills go with you."
• "One of the great things about bushcraft is that skills you learn in your back garden can be used all over the world." ^[8]
• "Knowledge is the key to survival and the best thing about that is: it doesn't weigh anything."
• "You cannot underestimate the importance of preparation."
• "As far as I'm concerned, these people are just showmen." On Bear Grylls^[9]

See also[link]

• Les Hiddins
• Mors Kochanski
• Lofty Wiseman
• Richard Proenneke
• Les Stroud
• Bear Grylls
• Rüdiger Nehberg
• Bruce Parry
• Lars Monsen

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Ray Mears on Myspace
• Ray Mears at the Internet Movie Database
• Ray Mears Woodlore on Facebook
• Ray Mears Bushcraft's channel on YouTube
• Ray Mears' Survival shows on Dave (UKTV)
• Photographs of 2005 helicopter accident
• Wild Britain on itvWILD