The atrium constitutes a structural typology which can be identified in constructions from ancient times until today. It’s main characteristic is the perimetrical organization of the concrete bulk and the creation of space in it’s interior. A space though, with historical, social, functional and constructional plenitude.
It contains timeless values for the human being and functions in a way that can apply to any different place, time and structure. From public administration, education, cultural or religious structures to personal residence and collective housing complexes .The atrium has been used from the times of ancient Greece to the Byzantine era, the Turkish occupation era, neoclassical architecture ,the modern movement and contemporary architecture .It constitutes a space typology molded from external factors(climate, historical tradition, society and religion) and human needs(privacy, isolation, introversion, security, transition and communication).
This project presents a historical evolution of the atrium in Greek construction and organizes the various examples by scale. It attempts to identify the special characteristics of this set up, and especially the atrium’s unique profile, which renders it timeless throughout the evolution of Greek construction. Also it follows a morphological and typological investigation of the atrium and explores it’s usage in various applications and it’s consequences in the incorporation of everyday life in the residential and public building, and also in the town itself. Finally, this project studies the decisive contribution of metal structure propagation in the configuration of atrium containing buildings, the capabilities of energy saving which has led to it’s reuse, and the parameters of bioclimatic design so that it can be used according to it’s advantages.