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

Individual who attempts to maximize his or her profitability by investing which the anticipation that a particular investment will go up in value. A speculator will generally be willing to ...

Large room at the entrance to a building designed for people to converse or move about freely. ...

The willingness of a lender to give a mortgage to a mortgagor. A mortgage commitment will give a time period the mortgage will be given and an indication of the interest rate to be charged ...

Also called "Grey Shell, "Bare Shell," and "Artic Shell," a Cold Shell could be described as the more radical version of a Vanilla Shell. So, what does precisely the Cold Shell definition ...

Written statements about a person or business that are malicious, unfounded, and damaging. It is the basis for legal action. ...

When we discuss loans, it is essential to know that there can be many types of loans and there also are open-end loans and closed-end loans. In regards to closed-end loans, these often work ...

Monthly fixed rental payment. ...

(1) Occupancy rate at which rental income of a property pays for operating expenses and debt service, leaving no residual cash flow. (2) The level of sales of a real estate business where ...

Selling price for a property less assumed mortgages by the buyer. For tax purposes, the computation of the contract price is critical. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions