The atria history passes through over the centuries. This construction element has been largely used in ancient Rome buildings, mainly in the upper-classes’ ones. It consisted of an open-air area and its roof opening was called compluvium, and below it, there was a shallow pool with the same proportions called impluvium, which was used to capture the rain that would fall from the opening.
That was one of the most important rooms of those houses, where the lavish furniture was located. There were little chapels and frescos to decorate it. In other civilizations, there were similar rooms, but they had a different use, while in Rome they were the center of that family life.
In the 19th century, the use of atrium is associated with huge construction, which was possible because of the Industrial Revolution. The production of steel and windows on large scale permitted the incorporation of those materials in construction. The use of an area that would receive natural light and people agglomeration is related to the current use of atrium in recent buildings.
Today they’re applied to establish a relation between indoors and outdoor, becoming a place of contemplation or even, for ecological reasons, the sustainable use of sunlight.
In the 19th century, many public areas had an atrium in their indoors. The courtyards could also protect the users from weathering. For the same reason, the nowaday’s buildings also use huge window glasses instead of having an opening in the roof. So atria use was relocated from private use to a communitarian use.