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Sometimes architects will take two tall (say 8-10 storey) buildings that happen to be near each other, and build a glass roof between them.
Down on ground, the area which originally would have been a street, or alleyway or something, now becomes a quasi-outdoor, courtyard type space where people can hang out and look up a roof/ceiling many storeys in the air.
What is the name for a space like this?
I think there are many terms which are used to describe this architectural feature. I just know there is one term in particular that - to me - describes it really well. So for example if you said to a friend

"I'll meet you at the __________ between the two buildings"

the friend would know where you meant.
I keep thinking "atrium" or something like that?

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  • Like this? l7.alamy.com/zooms/c145cf827d9042a0bf257350756f9181/…
    – user66974
    Commented Jul 24, 2016 at 10:29
  • @Josh61 , nice find! yes.
    – the_velour_fog
    Commented Jul 24, 2016 at 10:33
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    If you are okay with shops on the sides it might be an arcade 1.1
    – Helmar
    Commented Jul 24, 2016 at 10:35
  • @Helmar yes, from looking around I think there are many terms which are used to describe this architectural feature. I just know there is one term in particular that - to me - describes it really well. So for example if you said to a friend "I'll meet you at the __________ between the two buildings" the friend would know where you meant.
    – the_velour_fog
    Commented Jul 24, 2016 at 10:38
  • Okay, so a more general designation for that architectuarl feature. It might be good to enter that example sentence in your question to clarify it for people who do not follow the comments.
    – Helmar
    Commented Jul 24, 2016 at 10:40

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If you google images of covered courtyard, you get many images like this:

enter image description here

Many of these images show an area between two large buildings, with a latticed glass roof. Maybe this is enough to convince you that covered courtyard works as a description.

More specifically, such a glass-covered courtyard is called an atrium, which is probably why this word sprang to your mind. Many of the spaces depicted in the linked images might be called atriums.

Further, if you google "atrium between buildings" you get many results which depict spaces like the ones you describe. This should convince you that atrium is, if not the perfect word, a very good one.

The following photo, for instance, shows an atrium between the IBM Building and Trump Tower:

enter image description here

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  • thanks. yes the non technical term "covered courtyard" works nicely. But as embarassing as this is to admit - atrium is the term I was "looking" for and you were 100% right. atrium wikipedia article - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrium_(architecture)
    – the_velour_fog
    Commented Jul 24, 2016 at 20:25
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    This is very interesting to me. I would never call such a structure an atrium—and I wouldn’t have imagined anyone else would, either. An atrium to me is inside a building, or at least enclosed on all sides by building(s). I would be quite confused if you were talking about this type of arcade-like structure and calling it an atrium: I’d start wondering what place exactly you were talking about.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    Commented Jul 24, 2016 at 20:59

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