Architectural Aspects of Atrium

Buildings with atrium can be found everywhere in big cities among which Hong Kong is one of the examples. The evolution of this building type should be traced back to explore the reason why it has been a popular design throughout these years. It was found originated about two hundred years ago, with changes in terms of configurations and functions occurred. After centuries of development, benefits and detriments of atrium could be clearly identified in architectural, environmental and economic aspects respectively, which are discussed in this paper. To get around the demerits brought about by the atrium design in new projects, some design considerations are proposed to be taken into account. Some of the famous local atrium buildings are reviewed to give a clearer picture on the application and design of the building feature. Other than the problems of those aspects mentioned above, fire safety problem is more serious comparatively since human life is involved. The potential fire hazards are discussed. According to local fire codes, atrium buildings are usually installed with sprinkler systems which are used to protect in a wide range of building types. However, with the unique characteristics of large internal open space and high headroom, sprinkler systems can give certain adverse effects where further considerations are essential to ensure fire safety and safeguard occupants’ lives.