| Atrium (architecture) |
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]] In Architecture , an atrium (plural atria) is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within an Office Building and usually located immediately beyond the main entrance doors. Atria are popular with companies because they give their buildings "a feeling of space and light", but have been criticised by fire inspectors as they could allow fire to spread to a building's upper stories more quickly. HISTORY The Latin word ''atrium'' referred to the open central court, from which the enclosed rooms led off, in the type of large Ancient Roman house known as a Domus . The Impluvium was the shallow pool sunken into the floor to catch the rainwater. Some surviving examples are beautifully decorated. The opening in the ceiling above the pool called for some means of support for the roof. And it is here where one differentiates between five different styles of atrium. TYPES OF ATRIA Galleria and reflexive library (pictured) feature a modern atrium tetrastylum with four support columns and open roof.]]
As the centrepiece of the house the atrium was the most lavishly furnished room. Also it contained the little chapel to the ancestral spirits (lararium), the household safe (arca) and sometimes a bust of the master of the house. TALLEST ATRIUM As of 2007, Dubai 's Burj Al-Arab Hotel, the world's tallest hotel, has the tallest atrium as well. Burj al-Arab was built to impress and to iconize the urban development in the city of Dubai, and currently it is considered to be the most significant landmark of the city. GLAZED ATRIUM One of the main Public Spaces at Federation Square , Melbourne , Australia is called The Atrium and is a street-like space, 5-stories high with glazed walls and roof. The structure and glazing pattern follow the system of Fractals used to arrange the panels on the rest of the facades at Federation Square. GALLERY |
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