Rediscovering the Courtyard: The beauty of common gathering spaces
We have always been sensitive and susceptible to our environments, as beings accustomed to activity and movement. Our collective spaces of engagement are usually divided between the private and the public, here exemplified by domestic courtyard houses (patio, riad, haveli) and the common marketplace (souk). Historically, courtyard homes are responses to community values (social, cultural, and religious) and the ways in which people gathered were influenced by trade relations that led to exchange of socio-cultural aspects of different communities. The boundaries of traditional dwellings are somewhat blurred or allow overlapping, thereby reconfiguring these social gathering spaces.
Typical Courtyard
Typical courtyard plans establish a main point of entry, a foyer, a sectioned living area along the perimeter, and an interior courtyard that serves as a private outdoor space for the residence. The perimeter includes extended living areas and sleeping quarters. Spatial hierarchy is revealed through the concentric floor plan, as the emphasis is on the courtyard, which is easily accessible from all sides and can be used in conjunction with the rest of the space. This blending of indoor and outdoor works well in hot arid climates and also in regions that place emphasis on the family unit. The courtyard offers privacy from the street level, protection from heat through ventilation, and an abundance of natural light. The courtyard is often used as an extension of the domestic private space, blurring the transition between interior and exterior.
The dissolving of a threshold reveals the versatility of the space - an open-air living room, a garden oasis, an internal refuge from the outer world. The central courtyard is used at all times of the day for all activities, becoming the circulation core and strategically linking all adjacent rooms. The exposed air courtyard is used by all members of the family, whether it be the elders cooking during the day, children playing along the perimeter, or multiple generations relaxing with steaming cups of chai in the evenings beneath the overhangs. The shared overlap creates zones of meeting and congregations, transforming spaces into platforms for conversations, rituals, and religious ceremonies.
Because the existence of courtyards is linked so closely to geographical, socio-economic, and cultural factors, the evolution of human spaces and the fast emergence of urban areas disturbed their organic beauty and relevance. Cities began to be overpopulated, killing the luxury of open spaces that provided leisure and respite. Families too shifted from large, joint structures to decentralized, nuclear identities that transformed the manner in which members of the family interacted, socialised, and lived.
Courtyards by region: Mexico, Morocco, India
Patio
Patio, the Spanish term for courtyard, is a common part of traditional Spanish dwellings. Typically built out of clay and natural materials, it features a tall perimeter wall that faces the streetside for protection and a central interior plan. The patio dwellings of Mexico include interior gardens, with greenscapes such as agave, cactus, and marigolds.
Riad
Riad, meaning garden in Arabic, refers to a dwelling centered around an inner courtyard that is usually divided into four parts with a fountain in the center.
Geometrically arranged gardens are a common feature found in Persian and Mughal architecture, known popularly as char bagh. Char baghs appear frequently in royal palace gardens, which consist of immaculate landscaping and complex irrigation systems. The riad style dwellings were common in Morocco as early as the 12th century CE. Riads have a symbiotic relationship with water as lush greenscapes with natural flora were integral to them. In modern times, the central courtyard would typically feature stone tiles and a fountain placed in the center. Zellij mosaic tilework adorns the fountain and floor, all radiating from the center. The ambience of low floor seating, bright textiles, and the sound of flowing water create an inviting and relaxing environment.
Haveli
Haveli, originating from the Arabic hawali (meaning partition) is a mansion traditionally built around an inner courtyard. Havelis in India continue to be the abodes of erstwhile royal families and nobility. In these structures, the courtyard becomes a lightwell and natural ventilation system suitable for the warm climate. Havelis are revered for their detailed frescoes, archways, and jharokhas (balconies). Geometric patterns border the perimeter as a colonnade on either sides of the inner void guide circulation around the middle courtyard. A variant haveli style includes two courtyards - an outer one for men that extended the threshold and an inner, more private courtyard for women with an alternate entrance. Havelis feature arched and recessed window frames, delicate latticework, and fine material inlays.
Ornately constructed jaalis, made with undulating brick patterns in repeated motifs, provide shade, ventilation, and refuge from heat. Even during more still and stagnant days, one can feel the cool breeze flow in through smal, upper windows, effectively manipulating wind patterns through tunnel effect and beating down the heat. Similarly, the practice of using natural materials such as marble or stone aid in cooling down the interiors, creating effective microclimates.
Upholding the Liminal
Courtyards continue to be an important spatial feature in many cultures, predominantly in villages and countrysides where traditional structures and ways of living have not yet disappeared fully. They offer interesting grounds of socialising and celebrating, blurring stringent boundaries between the public and the private such and nourishing hyperlocal economies that enhance community strength and identity. The idea of the courtyard home - the patio, riad, and haveli - fall define spatial poetics that encourage unbound social exchanges, regardless of utilitarian purposes. The courtyard is quite simply an architectural equivalent of pause, bringing in rest and the joy of company.