Should buildings have standing?

Fifty years after Stone's "Should Trees Have Standing?", this article examines granting legal rights to buildings. Drawing on ecocentric legal theories, it argues that buildings – human-made artefacts and integral components of urban ecosystems – warrant consideration as rights holders. This challenges anthropocentric paradigms in architecture, urban planning, heritage planning and environmental law, advocating frameworks beyond human-centred values. Contextualised within precedents like recognising rivers as legal persons, it emphasises the buildings' intrinsic values, as well as, the instrumental and relational values for non-human stakeholders. Granting legal rights could fundamentally revolutionise urban conservation, fostering more equitable, resilient, and sustainable cities.