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Building Data Codebook

Field-by-field reference for apps/frontend/src/data/buildingTypes.ts, buildings.json, and tags.tsx.

Building data tree

Where to find each piece of information on an exported Building object:

Building
├─ id                  string
├─ name                string
├─ media
│  ├─ mainImage        string
│  ├─ icon?            string
│  ├─ photos[]
│  │  ├─ link          string
│  │  └─ description   string
│  └─ floorPlans[]
│     ├─ link              string
│     ├─ description       string
│     ├─ category          "roomType" | "floor"
│     └─ virtualTourLink?  string
├─ amenities
│  ├─ roomTypes        RoomType[]
│  ├─ bathrooms
│  │  ├─ types         BathroomType[]
│  │  └─ details?      string
│  ├─ ac
│  │  ├─ level         ACLevel
│  │  └─ details?      string
│  ├─ kitchen
│  │  ├─ scope         KitchenScope
│  │  └─ details?      string
│  ├─ laundry
│  │  ├─ location      LaundryLocation
│  │  └─ details?      string
│  ├─ commonAreas
│  │  ├─ hasLounge     boolean
│  │  └─ details?      string
│  ├─ gym
│  │  ├─ available     boolean
│  │  └─ details?      string
│  └─ genderHousing    GenderHousing
├─ accessibility
│  ├─ wheelchairAccessible   boolean
│  ├─ serviceAnimalFriendly  boolean
│  ├─ groundFloorRooms       boolean
│  └─ strobeAlarm            boolean
├─ atmosphere
│  ├─ socialness?      number (1-5)
│  └─ noiseLevel?      number (1-5)
├─ location
│  ├─ latitude?        number
│  ├─ longitude?       number
│  ├─ closeBuildings[] string (building ids)
│  └─ note?            string
└─ editorialTags?[]    string

Enums

All enums below are plain numeric TypeScript enums (no explicit string values). The # column is the value stored in buildings.json and returned by the enum at runtime.

RoomType

#MemberMeaning
0TradSingleTraditional-style single, shared hallway bathroom.
1TradDoubleTraditional-style double, shared hallway bathroom.
2TradTripleTraditional-style triple, shared hallway bathroom.
3SemiSuiteSingleSemi-suite single, bathroom shared with an adjacent suite.
4SemiSuiteDoubleSemi-suite double, bathroom shared with an adjacent suite.
5SemiSuiteTripleSemi-suite triple, bathroom shared with an adjacent suite.
6SemiSuiteQuadSemi-suite, four occupants.
7ApartmentTripleApartment-style triple.
8StudioApartmentSingleStudio apartment, single occupant.
9StudioApartmentDoubleStudio apartment, two occupants.

BathroomType

#MemberMeaning
0CommunalShared per floor/wing, traditional style.
1SharedSuiteShared with one adjacent suite, semi-suite style.
2PrivateTruly en-suite / in-room, apartment style only.

ACLevel

#MemberMeaning
0NoneNo AC.
1ByNecessityAccommodation, triple, or lottery-only AC.
2WindowWindow units, not central.
3CentralFull central AC.

LaundryLocation

#MemberMeaning
0NoneNo laundry.
1BasementBasement only.
2EachFloorLaundry on every floor.
3InUnitIn-unit washer/dryer.

KitchenScope

#MemberMeaning
0NoneNo kitchen access.
1SharedCommunal, building or floor level; details says which.
2InUnitKitchenette in the room (“en suite kitchen”).

Floor-vs-building distinctions for Shared live in the details string, not as a separate enum value.

GenderHousing

#MemberMeaning
0CoEdCo-ed housing.
1WomenOnlyWomen only.
2MenOnlyMen only.
3GenderInclusiveGender-inclusive housing.

“Value + details” wrapper pattern

Bathrooms, AirConditioning, Kitchen, Laundry, CommonAreas, Gym all follow one pattern: a comparable/filterable value (enum, array, or boolean) plus an optional details string for a freeform human blurb. Every attribute that needs to be both compared and described gets this shape.

  • Bathrooms.types is an array so a building with more than one bathroom style lists all of them.
  • CommonAreas.hasLounge backs the “Common areas” filter.
  • Gym.available is a plain boolean for filtering; details carries the description.

Grouped types

  • AmenityData holds everything the filter/survey/comparison UI reads: room types, bathrooms, AC, kitchen, laundry, common areas, gym, gender housing.
  • Accessibility holds wheelchairAccessible, serviceAnimalFriendly, groundFloorRooms, strobeAlarm (strobe fire alarm & doorbell). Filled in per building as data becomes available.
  • Atmosphere holds socialness / noiseLevel, 1-5 scales matching the survey sliders and review table. Both are optional since a building may not have data yet.
  • Location holds latitude/longitude for a “distance from landmark” filter (no distance value is stored on the building itself), closeBuildings (a list of building ids for the “Closest Buildings” detail card), and an optional note for a human-written blurb.
  • GalleryImage is link + description, one per photo.
  • FloorPlan is link + description + category ("roomType" | "floor") + optional virtualTourLink, which points to a walkthrough for that specific floor plan.
  • Media holds mainImage, optional icon, photos[], and floorPlans[].
  • Building is the top-level shape: id, name, media, amenities, accessibility, atmosphere, location, and optional editorialTags for hand-authored tags with no structured source.

Tag derivation

deriveTags(building) in tags.tsx computes a building’s tag ids from its structured fields, so a tag can never drift out of sync with the data it is based on:

Tag idDerived from
noKitchenamenities.kitchen.scope === KitchenScope.None
limitedACamenities.ac.level === ACLevel.ByNecessity
noCentralACamenities.ac.level is neither None nor Central
basementLaundryamenities.laundry.location === LaundryLocation.Basement
gymAccessamenities.gym.available
girlsOnlyamenities.genderHousing === GenderHousing.WomenOnly
lgbtqInclusiveamenities.genderHousing === GenderHousing.GenderInclusive

editorialTags on a building are appended as-is, for a tag with no structured backing.

Data loading

buildings.ts imports buildings.json and casts it to Building[]. buildingTypes.ts holds every type and enum above, and is the single import source for the context, filter, survey, and comparison consumers.