Glossary

Terms for Architecture, Green Building & Energy

This glossary includes more than 300 solar terms, as well as hundreds of additional sustainable design and construction terms.

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Atrium

Definition: A large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors. Atria's primary benefits are that they can provide a thermal buffer against external conditions and increase the amount of daylight entering a space. Atriums can also be use to collect solar heat for distribution into a building, and can be used to enhance airflow through a building using similar principles to a solar chimney. The incorporation of photovoltaics can allow the atrium to generate electricity and provide shading. Atriums should not be mechanically heated or cooled.