Lightwell

In architecture

Architecture

For a topical guide to this subject, see Outline of architecture. Architecture is the art and science of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures for human shelter or use....

 a lightwell is an open space reaching from a glazed

Glazing

Glazing is a transparent part of a wall, usually made of glass or plastic . Glazing also describes the work done by a professional "glazier"....

 roof down several storeys, typically to the ground floor or basement level.

Lightwells serve to reduce the necessity for electric lighting, add a central space within the building, and provide an internal open space for windows to give an illusion of having a view outside.

In terraced or row or tenement housing, it is a term for the space between buildings beyond the adjoining front wall, to allow natural light -- and air circulation -- to the lower rear rooms of the building.

In architecture

Architecture

For a topical guide to this subject, see Outline of architecture. Architecture is the art and science of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures for human shelter or use....

 a lightwell is an open space reaching from a glazed

Glazing

Glazing is a transparent part of a wall, usually made of glass or plastic . Glazing also describes the work done by a professional "glazier"....

 roof down several storeys, typically to the ground floor or basement level.

Lightwells serve to reduce the necessity for electric lighting, add a central space within the building, and provide an internal open space for windows to give an illusion of having a view outside.

In terraced or row or tenement housing, it is a term for the space between buildings beyond the adjoining front wall, to allow natural light -- and air circulation -- to the lower rear rooms of the building. This may be known as the area, in architectural jargon

Area (architecture)

Area is the name given in architecture to an excavated, subterranean space around the walls of a building, designed to admit light into a basement, often providing access to the house for tradesmen and deliveries and access to vaults beneath the pavement for storage of coal and ash.-Function:The...

.

Ancient history

Use of the lightwell was known in ancient civilisations, including Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...

 and at the Palace of Knossos

Knossos

Knossos , also known as Labyrinth, or Knossos Palace, is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and probably the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization and culture. The palace appears as a maze of workrooms, living spaces, and store rooms close to a central square...

 on Minoan

Minoan civilization

The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization which arose on the island of Crete. The Minoan culture flourished from approximately 2700 to 1450 BC; afterwards, Mycenaean Greek culture became dominant at Minoan sites in Crete...

 Crete

Crete

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8,336 km²...

. There are also instances of lightwell use by the Romans

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

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