My home has an inner courtyard – Espaciel (2024)

FAQs

What is a house with an inner courtyard called? ›

The central courtyard of a refurbished riad in Marrakesh. In the old towns of Morocco, known as medinas, courtyard houses have always been the standard form of housing. The traditional houses are called riads, riad being the name of interior gardens in Moorish architecture.

An inner courtyard can quickly become an obstacle to natural light and plunge a living space into darkness. The disadvantages of a courtyard can be the height of the walls which block the sun's rays if it is surrounded by buildings.

As the primary purpose of an internal courtyard is as a light well, we tend to maximise that light with a palette of pale materials and reflective surfaces, such as big mirrors, to reflect light back into the house.

Interior courtyards are mostly found in homes in warmer climates, where they help create a connection to the outdoors while bringing more light and air inside. Adding trees and green plants to the courtyards make for decorative spaces that also function as sheltered miniature gardens.

Internal courtyards can serve multiple purposes, from a quiet refuge to a spacious area for family entertaining. They can be covered, semi-covered, or have an adjustable roof and are surrounded by windows, walls or screens.

(kɔːʳtjɑːʳd ) countable noun. A courtyard is an open area of ground which is surrounded by buildings or walls.

Courtyards, being central open-air areas enclosed by buildings, are crucial in creating opportunities for natural ventilation driven by wind and buoyancy-induced forces, thus serving as a microclimatic regulator.

That said, courtyard homes aren't inexpensive to build. The form of the home must be carved up into an L- or C-shape. That means you will have more perimeter walls to finish and insulate, and exterior materials are more expensive than sheetrock used indoors.

The benefits a courtyard provide include increasing natural ventilation and daylight in the middle of a house. They are also great for introducing an outdoor area to the interior of your home.

In the courtyard plants and fountains are used to cool the air through evaporations. In hot humid regions courtyard plans are good for encouraging through ventilation. In northern climates the courtyard archetype is used to allow sunlight to penetrate into the house.

What is the purpose of a courtyard in a house? ›

Courtyards in architecture function as a unique way to bring the outside in. Courtyards are outdoor spaces typically enclosed on three or four sides and are open to the sky. Unlike a backyard, courtyards can be located within the footprint of a building to provide an alternate form of recreation space.

An enclosed courtyard, also known as a cloister or an atrium, is a space that is surrounded by walls or buildings on all sides.

Courtyards are often nestled between buildings, or tucked away behind them. For nearly as long as people have built houses and buildings, courtyards have existed — although in the past, they were used for keeping animals, cooking over an open fire, and sometimes even sleeping.

Typically, interior courtyards can be accommodated in houses sized 3,500 sq ft and above. An 8x8 ft or 10x10ft space can be set apart for the courtyard.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a courtyard is 'an area of flat ground that is partly or completely surrounded by the walls or a building' suggesting it is sited in a pocket amongst a series of buildings, or a single building that features a courtyard to the center.

A courtyard is an unenclosed space. Courtyards possess an "outdoor" or exterior character and are not covered by roofs. A lightwell is strictly a utilitarian space-not a useable space-and is intended to fulfill light and ventilation requirements.