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

Identifying marker of a company. Attesting to something such as the validity of an instrument used in real estate. ...

The term lock-in clause is used in an agreement that prescribes a period of time within which either of the parties that signed a contract cannot terminate the contract. In case one of the ...

Passageway providing public access from a building interior to an exit. Long interior passageway providing access to rooms. ...

Properties that about and actually touch and share a common border. Properties B and C are contiguous. Property A is adjacent to properties B and C, but it is not contiguous. ...

Individual corporation, and so on permitted by law to own property and engage in business. Here, two or more companies operate under common control. Separate economic unit subject to ...

Certificate usually granted by a jurisdictions building department certifying a specified premise has satisfactorily complied with all zoning and building ordinances. This certification is ...

Period of time during which a complainant in a real estate transaction can seek a financial recovery from a licensed real estate broker or agent. The time period is determined by state ...

Right of any government agency to enact and enforce certain regulations to provide for the health and safety and general welfare of the public. ...

A lower phase of a business cycle in which the economy is deteriorating, coupled with a declining rate of business investment and consumer spending. Real Estate prices are typically ...

Popular Real Estate Questions