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Atrium
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[[File:HagiaEireneConst'opleFloorplan.png|right|thumb|250px|Floor plan of Hagia Eirene in ancient Constantinople showing the [[atrium]] at the West entrance.]]
The word '''atrium''' is a Latin architectural term that referred to an open courtyard, that is without a roof, in large Roman houses from which are extended the enclosed rooms of the house (‘‘domus’‘). A shallow pool, impluvium in Latin, may be sunken in the floor of the atrium. In modern usage, atrium is used to describe a large open space, often several stories high, in large, mainly office, buildings that provide a feeling of space and light.