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.
Open an atrium to your ideas and bring some light to your home buying process with a real estate agent by your side!
Popular Real Estate Terms
Same as term government rectangular survey: Way in which the U.S. government uses to subdivide public land. Land is designated as either a base line (East-West) or principal meridian line ...
Street terminating at one end with only one outlet. A dead end street is not a through street. See also cul de sac. ...
Interior building trim surrounding windows, doors, and baseboards. Interior trim is both decorative and functional. It comes in several different styles and serves to finish the adjoining ...
Lien prior to another lien taking precedence over it. A senior lien may not necessarily be a first lien. ...
Doing business as, or DBA, means an official moniker for your enterprise or company. Regularly, a DBA is a state certificate serving as a registration name and issued under a ...
Dividing a lot into two or more parcels. Normally a variance would have to be obtained to permit a lot split. The lot cannot be split unless they meet minimum area zoning requirements ...
Early American architecture modeled after the English Georgian architecture having two or three stories with a rectangular design and ample ornamentation often including a widow's walk. ...
Request of a local government's planning body to alter the zoning requirements based on a justifiable reason. ...
Real estate, home and life insurance use numerous ambiguous terms you should know because you can significantly benefit from them. Let’s discover what the word boot usually applies to ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.