In its simplest form, a building is a structure with a roof and walls and stays put. It never moves. It is built for humans for shelter. Constructing such a structure is called building. Some complex buildings such as hospitals regulate temperature, light, bacteria movement, gas content, pressure and other activities.

Humans have been creating buildings since they've been on earth. Some are aesthetically pleasing and functional. It takes the efforts of a team of architects and engineers to build big, complicated structures in cities around the world. Small houses built by people for simple living do not require extensive work by engineers.

Inside a building, people can install elevators, moving sidewalks, escalators and other modes of transportation to move around. It is nearly impossible for us to think life without these accessories that not only help us but also beautify high-rise buildings.

Autonomous buildings have few or no networks with the outside world. Almost all almost all the modern buildings have electricity, sewerage services, telephone, drains and roads. Autonomous buildings use native resources instead to cover up all of these services excluding telephone and road services. Those who cannot afford the material and maintenance of autonomous buildings, go in for techniques like green buildings or sustainable trade practices.

Autonomous buildings are planned to be sustainable housings with modern conveniences. These are different from the conventional housing systems because they provide comfortable and safe surroundings for living as the system used in them are less harmful. The advantage of having autonomous buildings is that they cut down the network and transport expenses. In-house food production is an integral part of some autonomous homes. Others stick to just vegetable gardening. Some highly sophisticated autonomous buildings have added fish farms and hydroponics too.

A grey-water system is another interesting part of autonomous buildings. The water used for washing is also used for other things. They do not throw it out. Instead, it can be used to flush toilets and water gardens and lawns. The goal is to protect us from the harmful outside world.