I created Key:building:name - OpenStreetMap Wiki where I describe it as unwanted and not needed and bad mapping.
Is there any case where it is useful or is it something clearly unwanted and fine to be marked as status=deprecated ?
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Just saying I’ve only ever added a ‘name’ for buildings that has one with addr:housename IIRC. Don’t remember if it’s rendered and at what zoom, so will check in a moment… so checked one I knew was tagged with addr:housename and it renders fine
Good point, added " addr:housename=* can and should be used if building name is part of the address"
(though I would not use ‘is it rendering’ check too strongly…)
I agree building:name is bad mapping, it only would make sense if you had a building and another thing mapped to the same OpenStreetMap object, which is not desirable at least if you are going to add additional information that applies only to some. In this case you should rather have distinct objects in OpenStreetMap
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I support the idea of marking building:name=* as deprecated.
In the US there are buildings that have names independent of their current use or occupants. For example, the Flat Iron Building. Many of the smaller towns and cities will also have some buildings with names that are independent of their current occupants and street address. And the names are used in giving directions, etc.
If we cannot use building:name=* for those what tagging should we use?
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Tag used in cases where POI such as shop or museum and building were mapped as one object despite being two different objects, even with different names (violating One feature, one OSM element). In such cases this objects should be rather mapped as two separate objects.
In general, offices/shops/museums in a building and building should be mapped as separate objects. Especially if both have separate names. And where there are multiple POIs in one building, or when POI takes space only of single floor etc.
See One feature, one OSM element - OpenStreetMap Wiki
See Way: Flatiron Building (264768896) | OpenStreetMap for building and Node: T-Mobile (10177726834) | OpenStreetMap for likely one of many POIs there.
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building:name sounds bad indeed if it can be replaced with addr:housename or simple name. On building polygon and not on amenity one of course :d
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There are many buildings having a specific name which is not part of the official adress (like the Flat Iron Building in NYC) which can be tagged by simply adding name=* to the building (+1 to @jimkats ) which is consistent to the use of the “name” tag for hundreds of other objects.
My support for the deprecation of building:name.
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