Is atrium an ideal form for daylight in buildings?

This paper aims to review the achievements of previous studies addressing the capability of atriums for providing adequate levels of daylight and visual comfort. This study also performs several simulations using Radiance IES-VE software predominantly with the target to support the literature review results. The analysis discusses ways of daylight transmission through different atrium structures. Findings underline the promising potentials of atriums in reinforcing social life, supporting the psychological well-being of individuals, and enhancing the sense of place among people living in a particular area. Furthermore, it is found out well-designed atriums can reduce buildings’ energy usage in both cold and warm climates through supplying daylight and natural ventilation to interiors. Nevertheless, the results show the improper design of atriums may lead to increasing energy consumption or occurring visual and thermal discomfort. This paper suggests certain measures to effectively improve the daylighting performance of atriums in different climates.