115. Courtyards which live

Modern courtyards are often dead. They tend to fail due to the ambiguity between indoor and outdoor and are too enclosed with not enough doors opening into the courtyard. Courtyards should have a view out to a larger open space, doors into the courtyard with natural paths to connect them, and a roofed veranda or porch. (Alexander 1977)

Cloister del paradiso

Amalfi, Italy

Oriental style intertwined Arabic arches supported by 120 slim columns. This peristyle with a Mediterranean garden was used as a graveyard for noble families.

House of vettii

Pompeii, Italy

Entry to the house was from the east into a peristyle atrium with fluted Doric columns. In the centre was a stone-lined basin for collecting rainwater. Interior room open onto a roofed porch to gain views of the courtyard.

1. Courtyard
​2. Atrium