Alternative Home Designs - Atriums

Building a home for yourself is the American Dream. For some people, it is important to build something unique.

Alternative Home Designs

You’ve worked your rear end off and reached a financial status where you can do some dreaming. One dream is to buy some land and build a home on it. You’ve found the perfect plot, and now you’re wondering about different styles of homes. Here are some alternative designs to get the creative thoughts flowing.

A very unique home is the atrium home. An atrium home is designed to emphasize an open middle area, not an exterior appearance. If you’ve been to Europe, you’ve seen this in larger cities. You’ll be walking down a street lined with bland looking windows. You pop into one of the buildings to find a bathroom and it is like entering another world. The exterior of the building is no great shakes, but the interior is a slice of atrium heaven with an open area covered in a lattice or left wide open. The interior is a collection of sitting areas, plants and perhaps small pools for

Haghia Sophia
Being built in the turbulent crossroad that is Istanbul (then Constantinople), the Aya Sofya has seen good and bad times. As noted in the brief chronology above, there have been three basilicas built on this site, all bearing the Haghia Sophia name. Two were destroyed by fire. The one that stands now is thanks to Emperor Justin who ordered all of the provinces of his empire to send their best arti...
First Bosphorus Bridge
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Firuz Ağa Mosque
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Fountain of Ahmed III
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Fountain of Kaiser Wilhelm II
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Galata Bridge
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Galatasaray University
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Galata Tower
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Garanti Bankasi - Bahcekapi Branch
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Garanti Bankasi - Headquarters
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Gelirler Kontrolorleri Istanbul Group Headquarters
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Grand Bazaar
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Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (Istanbul)
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HSBC Istanbul Headquarters
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Isbank Tower 1
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Isbank Tower 2
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Isbank Tower 3
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Iskele Mosque
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Istanbul Technical University
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Tokyo Sky Tree
Tokyo returns to the world's architectural stage with this massive broadcasting tower, scheduled for completion in 2011. It will rise above what was the Tobu Railway Company's rail yard in Sumida Ward. Discussions about a new broadcast tower have been ongoing for years, but it wasn't until 2006 that Tokyo's major broadcasting companies and the national broadcaster, NHK, agreed ...

fish. Not a bad idea, eh?

Taking the to its full scope, the home is designed…underground. The can be done in a variety of ways, but it is built below ground to take advantage of geothermal concepts. The primary idea is to use the constant temperature of the ground to regulate the climate in the home. The top of the roof is flush with the level of the ground and everything else is below level. For practically purposes, picture an oasis in the desert, but dug into the ground.

In these modern times, the below ground has some excellent energy options. You can put solar panels across the top of the roof to generate power and most people will be none the wiser. By being out of the wind, you also cut down on wasted energy.

Going below ground with your atrium home is a pool of creative opportunity. As long as you take care of drainage issues, the parameters are pretty much wide open.

When space is at a premium or privacy is vital, atrium homes are often the answer. In a large city, an atrium can help you create an oasis from the noise and madness of daily life.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit our page on building your own home to read more articles on underground homes.