Definition of "Atrium"

The best atrium definition is that of a room with a roof open displaying the sky, but as with most things architecture (or even art) the atrium definition has changed with the passing of time.

Originally, the atrium definition was that of an open roof to the sky in a rectangular shape, acting as the central, most important room in Roman architectural home design. By the third century B.C. the atrium house had become overwhelmingly popular in Italy, but its use gradually declined under the Roman Empire, when it was replaced by garden houses in everyone’s hearts.

Because of that, the atrium definition got a little broader: people started to refer to any open roof as an atrium; not only the rectangular shaped ones. Soon there were circular atriums and even odd shapes like stars for the ones with a more esoteric taste.

Cut to the twentieth century and atrium make its comeback because of two factors: shopping malls and ecological awareness. Looking to save up on energy costs, many shopping malls have atriums on their roof to bring in natural light and avoid having to light up the place with electric lights, and green architecture has catered to Off the Grid Homes by increasingly using atriums and other glass structures to improve natural lighting inside houses and reduce carbon emissions and the need to depend on the power grid and power companies.

Real Estate Tips:

Open an atrium to your ideas and bring some light to your home buying process with a real estate agent by your side!

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Measures looking at the past, current a future direction of the economy. They may have an impact on the real estate market. Each month government bodies, including the Federal Reserve ...

A clause in a document forbidding an individual from selling or transferring the subject property to another. Frequently, nonalienation clauses are used in a trust where the grantor of the ...

A stated of years. The length of time something is effective, such as a two-year rental. A condition specified in an agreement. An example is that the tenant must not have a cat in ...

Commissions received by a syndicator when real property is sold. The fees typically occur after the investors receive their initial investment plus the specified return. ...

English-style home. It is usually 2-stories high. The roof is of a hip type. The chimney is on the side of the home. ...

Arches, either roofed or open, mounted on a series of pillars to form a passageway or walkway. ...

Wood panels on a wall. ...

A ground lease that includes only the cost of leasing the land for a period of years. Normally, a land lease is valid for an extended period of time anticipating that improvements will be ...

A group of investment bankers underwriting and distributing a new or outstanding issue of securities of a real estate business. a professionally managed limited partnership investing in ...

Popular Real Estate Questions