Atria in Skyscrapers
High-rise construction has been an integral part of global architecture for two centuries in a row. Today it is hardly possible to imagine skyscrapers without spectacular covered areas that fill their internal space with light and air. The variety and beauty of atria are dazzling.
The ‘high-altitude race’ of the new age added various means to the range of artistic and technical tools of creating spectacular interiors of public areas in skyscrapers. That said, besides the image-bearing and aesthetic objective atria carry out solely practical goals. They are the meeting places, the key points for people moving around the building; they can accommodate additional points of sale or representative areas as well as contribute to the interaction of the external urban environment with the internal public area of the building. Thus, atria are objectively one of the most important elements of the three-dimensional layout of a modern high-rise structure that contribute to its unique character and originality.
That is why today interesting and spectacular atria can be found in skyscrapers of almost any typology. They are sought after as part of the spatial concept for both residential complexes and office towers, and are essential in hotels and shopping malls. Even more so, they seem an indispensable element of any multifunctional skyscraper.
How did this structural type of a building evolve? It is believed that “the idea of using atria in the three-dimensional concept of a skyscraper was initially developed and realized by John Portman during the construction of the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta, USA in 1976” (R. Saxon “Atrium Buildings”, Moscow, Stroyizdat, 1987). However, is it really so? Was it indeed technically impossible and unnecessary to use the interior space of a skyscraper in this way? After all, in the reconstruction projects of numerous historic skyscrapers in the States one sees beautiful grand atria and believes that initially they were incorporated into the structure since a more seamless and natural solution simply could not exist!
The historical prototype of the modern atrium was an open courtyard of a Greek house that was surrounded with a colonnade. There was a hearth located inside and its smoke would go out through a hole in the center of the roof. Later on instead of the hearth there appeared a small pool (impluvium). The water that ran off the eaves would gather in the pool. In Roman houses the pool would be used to manage the interior climate since the water got cooler overnight and contributed to moistening of the adjoining rooms during the day. The atrium would also provide natural lighting and ventilation to the house.
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Text by MARIANNA MAEVSKAYA