Building
Build Mode lets you construct entirely new buildings on empty plots or modify existing ones. As Cultivator you design the layout and structure; Seedlings do the construction. To enter Build Mode, your Seedling needs the right to build on that plot: owning it personally, or holding a role granted building authority by the owning organization. On society-owned plots, building is typically reserved for the Housing Manager, the Mayor, or a custom role.
How to Enter Build Mode
Right-click an owned plot and select "Create New Building", or
Right-click an owned building and select "Build Mode", or
Open the Land Planner, select the plot, and click the construction icon, or
Use the Properties Panel or Business Panel: select the plot or building, then click "Open Builder".
Designing
In Build Mode you place walls, floors, doors, windows, elevators, and more, and customize lighting and room layouts. The bottom-left menu selects elements; the bottom-middle panel previews the material or object; the bottom-right panel lists the materials your design needs.
Every floor needs proper access: higher floors require elevators (ground floor to first floor, first to second, and so on).
The building must have at least one main entrance.
Notifications above the right UI panel tell you when the design is ready to complete.
Construction
Click "Confirm Building Design": a blue hologram appears, awaiting the required materials in the construction site's inbox. Materials vary with your design and are listed in the inspector panel (right-click > Inspect). Purchase them from the Marketplace or move them from another inventory. Then use Direct Control to assign a Seedling to construct (or set Construct as a Scheduler priority; business employees can also be assigned via job tasks). Buildings under construction show a blue ring. Hover or right-click to see progress and missing materials.
Cancelling: you can cancel construction at any time, but materials already moved to the inbox are permanently lost. If you're only editing an existing building, inbox materials remain, but materials already used are not returned.
Homes vs Business Branches
There are two types of player-created buildings. Homes are owned by a Seedling; the first building your Seedling owns or rents automatically becomes their home (switchable later in the Properties Panel). Business Branches are owned by your business, with advanced management tools (Employment, Services, Crafting, etc.). To acquire a home: browse the Real Estate Market for buildings or plots for sale or rent; buying with the Seedling's personal wallet makes them the owner. You can invite other Seedlings to live with you, but anyone with access to the building also has access to its inventories.
Renting
Buildings (not plots) can be rented from other Cultivators; renting requires a role granting the right to rent (typically the default Adult role). Rent listings are created through the Properties Panel with a daily SeedCoin price (a building can't be listed for rent and sale at once). The paying wallet determines the administrator (personal wallet = your Seedling; business wallet = the business). Assign your Seedling as a resident after renting if they'll live there. Rent is paid automatically daily. Either side can terminate with a 3-day notice period (tenant keeps paying and retains access); a missed payment allows immediate eviction. When a rental ends, furniture stays, residents are removed, and for businesses: employees fired, postings cleared, market orders cancelled, contracts force-terminated, the service location closed, and room access reset to public.
Rooms
Every floor is one room by default; separate floors into rooms via Build Mode > Internal > Room Blocks. Room quality affects Seedlings:
Sound: rooms have Volume (Loud/Moderate/Low) and are Harmonious (ambience, music) or Dissonant (machines). If loud machinery drives Seedlings crazy, add harmonious break rooms. Inspect a building to see a room's sound score and contributing objects.
Cleanliness: Clean > Acceptable > Dirty > Filthy. Clean rooms boost Seedlings; dirty ones penalize. Dirt accumulates daily (faster with sickness or accidents). Seedlings clean when scheduled ("Cleaning" priority), when a room turns Filthy (emergency), or when direct-controlled onto a dirt patch.
Aesthetics: Neutral > Cozy > Lovely. Beautiful furniture raises the score; heavy machinery lowers it (never below zero). Matching Furniture Sets give a multiplier bonus.
Lighting: Darkness > Low Light > Medium > Bright. The sun shines from 6:00 to 20:00; windows light whole rooms during the day (smaller rooms need fewer windows), artificial lights (lamps, candles, campfires, streetlamps) work 24/7 within a radius. A Seedling in Darkness gets the "In Darkness" effect: −25% Dexterity, −50% Perception, making failures and injuries much more likely. Keep bedrooms darker though, as bright light interrupts sleep.
Unknown Buildings and Discovery
Seedlings only know about buildings they've learned of. Undiscovered buildings show an "Unknown" label in Society View. Choose "Open in Map View" from its context menu to check it out. A Seedling knows about a building by visiting it, owning it, or having permissions over it. In the first tiers everyone has permissions in the society, so all buildings are visible, and governors always know about every building. This knowledge is per Seedling.
Special Building Attachments
Attachments are objects added onto the outside of buildings (roof, outer walls). Two notable ones: the Campus Residence Billboard (Marketplace, hefty price) converts a building into a public residence for all Seedlings without a home, great for welcoming new arrivals; and the Delivery HQ Antenna turns a building into a Delivery HQ that uses drones.