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A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary architects as a typical and traditional building feature. Such spaces in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court. Both of the words court and yard derive from the same root, meaning an enclosed space. See yard and garden for the relation of this set of words. In universities courtyards are often known as quadrangles.
Courtyards—private open spaces surrounded by walls or buildings—have been in use in residential architecture for almost as long as people have lived in constructed dwellings. The courtyard house makes its first appearance c. 6400–6000 BC (calibrated), in the Neolithic Yarmukian site at Sha'ar HaGolan, in the central Jordan Valley, on the northern bank of the Yarmouk River, giving the site a special significance in architectural history. Courtyards have historically been used for many purposes including cooking, sleeping, working, playing, gardening, and even places to keep animals.
Before courtyards, open fires were kept burning in a central place within a home, with only a small hole in the ceiling overhead to allow smoke to escape. Over time, these small openings were enlarged and eventually led to the development of the centralized open courtyard we know today. Courtyard homes have been designed and built throughout the world with many variations.
Courtyard homes are more prevalent in temperate climates, as an open central court can be an important aid to cooling house in warm weather. However, courtyard houses have been found in harsher climates as well for centuries. The comforts offered by a courtyard—air, light, privacy, security, and tranquility—are properties nearly universally desired in human housing. Almost all courtyards use natural elements.
The central uncovered area in a Roman domus was referred to as an atrium. Today, we generally use the term courtyard to refer to such an area, reserving the word atrium to describe a glass-covered courtyard. Roman atrium houses were built side by side along the street. They were one-storey homes without windows that took in light from the entrance and from the central atrium. The hearth, which used to inhabit the centre of the home, was relocated, and the Roman atrium most often contained a central pool used to collect rainwater, called an impluvium. These homes frequently incorporated a second open-air area, the garden, which would be surrounded by Greek-style colonnades, forming a peristyle. This created a colonnaded walkway around the perimeter of the courtyard, which influenced monastic structures centuries later.
The medieval European farmhouse embodies what we think of today as one of the most archetypal examples of a courtyard house—four buildings arranged around a square courtyard with a steep roof covered by thatch. The central courtyard was used for working, gathering, and sometimes keeping small livestock. An elevated walkway frequently ran around two or three sides of the courtyards in the houses. Such structures afforded protection, and could even be made defensible.
A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary architects as a typical and traditional building feature. Such spaces in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court. Both of the words court and yard derive from the same root, meaning an enclosed space. See yard and garden for the relation of this set of words. In universities courtyards are often known as quadrangles.
Courtyards—private open spaces surrounded by walls or buildings—have been in use in residential architecture for almost as long as people have lived in constructed dwellings. The courtyard house makes its first appearance c. 6400–6000 BC (calibrated), in the Neolithic Yarmukian site at Sha'ar HaGolan, in the central Jordan Valley, on the northern bank of the Yarmouk River, giving the site a special significance in architectural history. Courtyards have historically been used for many purposes including cooking, sleeping, working, playing, gardening, and even places to keep animals.
Before courtyards, open fires were kept burning in a central place within a home, with only a small hole in the ceiling overhead to allow smoke to escape. Over time, these small openings were enlarged and eventually led to the development of the centralized open courtyard we know today. Courtyard homes have been designed and built throughout the world with many variations.
Courtyard homes are more prevalent in temperate climates, as an open central court can be an important aid to cooling house in warm weather. However, courtyard houses have been found in harsher climates as well for centuries. The comforts offered by a courtyard—air, light, privacy, security, and tranquility—are properties nearly universally desired in human housing. Almost all courtyards use natural elements.
The central uncovered area in a Roman domus was referred to as an atrium. Today, we generally use the term courtyard to refer to such an area, reserving the word atrium to describe a glass-covered courtyard. Roman atrium houses were built side by side along the street. They were one-storey homes without windows that took in light from the entrance and from the central atrium. The hearth, which used to inhabit the centre of the home, was relocated, and the Roman atrium most often contained a central pool used to collect rainwater, called an impluvium. These homes frequently incorporated a second open-air area, the garden, which would be surrounded by Greek-style colonnades, forming a peristyle. This created a colonnaded walkway around the perimeter of the courtyard, which influenced monastic structures centuries later.
The medieval European farmhouse embodies what we think of today as one of the most archetypal examples of a courtyard house—four buildings arranged around a square courtyard with a steep roof covered by thatch. The central courtyard was used for working, gathering, and sometimes keeping small livestock. An elevated walkway frequently ran around two or three sides of the courtyards in the houses. Such structures afforded protection, and could even be made defensible.
A busy New Smyrna Beach over this previous Labor Day weekend, taken by stitching two photos together shot with a 600mm lens. Bonus appearance by LC-39B just over the horizon on the left side of the frame with SLS still on the pad, roughly 33 miles away.
Standing proudly at the heart of Lisbon, between Rossio Square and the grand Avenida da Liberdade, the Hotel Avenida Palace is one of Portugal’s most exquisite architectural landmarks. Designed by José Luís Monteiro and completed in 1892, this Belle Époque masterpiece has witnessed over a century of political, cultural, and social transformation—all while retaining its opulent charm and original elegance.
The hotel’s façade is a study in neoclassical symmetry and Parisian influence, a deliberate reflection of Lisbon’s late 19th-century aspiration to join the ranks of Europe’s great cosmopolitan capitals. The central pediment, framed by paired Corinthian pilasters and crowned with sculptural ornamentation, draws the eye upward toward the rooftop sign—its glowing letters spelling “Hotel Avenida Palace” like a promise of timeless luxury. Arched windows, wrought-iron balconies, and stone-carved details balance precision with grandeur, while the red mansard roof provides a warm contrast against the pale limestone.
Inside, the Avenida Palace transports visitors into another era. The interior still features original furniture, marble columns, gilded mirrors, and crystal chandeliers, echoing the elegance of fin-de-siècle Europe. This was a hotel built not merely for travelers but for royalty, dignitaries, and writers—its guest list includes King Edward VII, Eça de Queiroz, and numerous Portuguese intellectuals who gathered here to exchange ideas beneath frescoed ceilings.
The building’s location at the intersection of the Rossio train station and Avenida da Liberdade symbolizes the meeting of two worlds: the traditional and the modern, the local and the cosmopolitan. It was constructed during Lisbon’s expansion under the Marquês de Pombal’s urban vision—a time when the city embraced wide boulevards, formal façades, and French-style architecture as markers of progress. Today, the Avenida Palace remains a living piece of that architectural dialogue, bridging 19th-century splendor with contemporary hospitality.
Captured in soft morning light, this photograph highlights the hotel’s delicate balance between ornament and order. The cobblestone plaza in front, polished by generations of footsteps, enhances the building’s quiet dignity. Even amid Lisbon’s ongoing evolution, the Avenida Palace endures as a symbol of heritage architecture, representing both the city’s resilience and its enduring sense of refinement.
The Blue Liberdade Hotel in Lisbon, Portugal, stands proudly along the elegant Avenida da Liberdade, where 19th-century grandeur meets modern sophistication. Its striking façade of cobalt-blue azulejos—Portugal’s signature glazed ceramic tiles—makes the building a luminous presence amid the white-stone and pastel façades of central Lisbon. The rhythmic repetition of tall French windows with wrought-iron balconies, crowned by a red-tiled mansard roof, reflects the city’s unique fusion of Parisian and Portuguese architectural influences.
Originally part of a residential block built during Lisbon’s late-19th-century urban expansion, the structure was restored and adapted into a boutique hotel that blends tradition with contemporary comfort. The blue tiles shimmer differently throughout the day, catching Lisbon’s famous Atlantic light—from soft morning silver to the deep ultramarine tones of dusk. This dynamic play of color against the hotel’s crisp white trim and black balcony railings gives the building a timeless yet fresh character.
Inside, the Blue Liberdade embraces understated luxury, offering a tranquil refuge in the heart of the capital. Its interiors carry echoes of the street’s architectural rhythm—clean lines, polished wood, and a palette of blue and neutral tones that nod to the façade outside. Guests can step directly from its doors into the pulse of Lisbon: the grand boulevard of Avenida da Liberdade lined with jacaranda trees, designer boutiques, and the soft sounds of fado spilling from nearby cafés.
The hotel also sits just steps away from Restauradores Square, one of Lisbon’s most recognizable plazas, and within view of the Elevador da Glória, which climbs toward the Bairro Alto. The nearby Pinoquio restaurant, visible at street level in this photograph, is a beloved local spot known for its seafood and convivial outdoor seating—one of many small details that anchor the Blue Liberdade within Lisbon’s everyday life rather than apart from it.
As the city continues to evolve, the Blue Liberdade Hotel embodies Lisbon’s commitment to honoring its architectural past while embracing its cosmopolitan future. It’s not simply a building painted blue—it’s a reflection of Lisbon’s soul: colorful, layered, resilient, and endlessly welcoming.
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” - Leonardo, da Vinci
Category: Mobile Photography
Device: Samsung Note 10
Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Downtown Orlando after dark, taken from the parking garage at the Orlando Regional Medical Center - July 20, 2020.
Abandoned structures in Miami, Florida. These buildings actually made an appearance in the 2006 remake of Miami Vice, but in a much better state.
"I rarely used to pay any attention to the stars, but after taking this photo I swore to myself that I would escape the world and revisit their beauty as much as possible. Now I spend my nights away from the monotonous routines and businesses of life, and instead I sit in the dark, looking up, absorbed. The universe is such a powerful, mysterious thing."
- Jason
*This photo was taken at the now dormant Rancho Seco Nuclear Plant near Sacramento, CA.
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