Atria

An atrium is a planted or garden area within, or surrounded on four sides by, a home or other building.  It evolved from the ancient Roman custom of constructing a villa around a central landscaped courtyard.  It can be either open to the sky or covered with screen, lath, glass or other material to provide appropriate lighting and environmental conditions.  It can be either for the display of plants and/or animals only, like a large vivarium, or can be accessible by people to enjoy, like a private interior garden.  It can be either naturalistic or formally decorated.  It is best to plan for an atrium during the design of the home or other building, and incorporate it into the new construction or remodeling.