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50-447: 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

100-599: A bed. Many inns were simply large houses that had extra rooms for renting. In 14th-century England, the courtyards of the inns were often not paved or cobbled but rather flattened earth or mud. These inns would be made of two-story timber framed buildings with steep shingle roofs. Stable boys were in charge of stabling horses at the rear yard of the inn where they are watered and fed. Usual foods served included pottage, bread and cheese with ale for drinking. In some towns, innkeepers are only allowed to offer food and drinks to guests. The better managed inns would place fresh rushes on

150-400: A central patio , a miniature version of an open courtyard, sometimes covered with glass or a translucent material. Central patios provide natural light to common areas and space for potted outdoor plants. In Gilgit/Baltistan, Pakistan, courtyards were traditionally used for public gatherings where village related issues were discussed. These were different from jirgahs, which are a tradition of

200-554: A courtyard can also can be used to separate a home into wings ; for example, one wing of the house may be for entertaining/dining, and the other wing may be for sleeping/family/privacy. This is exemplified by the Hooper House in Baltimore, Maryland. A courtyard apartment building type appeared in Chicago in the early 1890s and flourished into the 1920s. They are characterized primarily by

250-426: A courtyard—air, light, privacy , security, and tranquility—are properties nearly universally desired in human housing. Almost all courtyards use natural elements. Courtyards were widely used in the ancient Middle East . Middle Eastern courtyard houses reflect the nomadic influences of the region. Instead of officially designating rooms for cooking, sleeping, etc., these activities were relocated throughout

300-445: A low height, a structure along three sides of a rectangular or square lot, and an open court extending perpendicular to the street. The courtyards are generally deeper than they are wide, but many finer ones are wider than they are deep. Influenced by the privacy and domesticity of a standalone house as much as by strict health codes , the architectural style provided outdoor access and ventilation unseen in earlier multi-unit housing in

350-445: A rural hotel which provided lodging, food and refreshments, and accommodations for travelers' horses. To capitalize on this nostalgic image many typically lower end and middling modern motor hotel operators seek to distance themselves from similar motels by styling themselves "inns", regardless of services and accommodations provided. Examples are Comfort Inn , Days Inn , Holiday Inn , Knights Inn , and Premier Inn . The term "inn"

400-455: A siheyuan are normally positioned along the north–south and east–west axis. The building positioned to the north and facing the south is considered the main house ( 正房 , zhèngfáng ). The buildings adjoining the main house and facing east and west are called side houses ( 廂房 , xiāngfáng ). The northern, eastern and western buildings are connected by beautifully decorated pathways ( 抄手游廊 , chāoshǒu yóuláng ). These passages serve as shelters from

450-428: A siheyuan, the location of the casket depends on the status of the deceased, but all caskets are oriented so that the head of the deceased points south while the feet point north. If the deceased is the head of the household or his wife, then the casket would be on the center line in the main house. If the deceased was the concubine of the head of the household, her casket would remain in the main house, but could not be in

500-406: A single courtyard receive different amounts of sunlight. The northern main building receives the most, thus serving as the living room and bedroom of the owner or head of the family. The eastern and western side buildings receive less, and serve as the rooms for children or less important members of the family. The southern building receives the least sunlight (it is the most shaded by the walls of

550-509: A spacious siheyuan would be occupied by a single, usually large and extended family, signifying wealth and prosperity. Today, remaining siheyuan are often still used as subdivided housing complexes, although many lack modern amenities. Siheyuan is a courtyard surrounded by buildings on all four sides. It also appears in English translation as courtyard houses and, less often, as Chinese quadrangles . Siheyuan dates back as early as

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600-485: A time. A courtyard surrounded by 12 houses, for example, would provide a shared park-like space for those families, who could take pride in ownership of the space. Though this might sound like a modern-day solution to an inner city problem, the grouping of houses around a shared courtyard was common practice among the Incas as far back as the 13th century. In San Francisco , the floor plans of "marina style" houses often include

650-430: A villa product in large scale planned residential communities of China. These new siheyuan are located in new housing development areas of Beijing. In the historic center of Beijing modern siheyuans have been constructed in the period since 2005 using the courtyard concept and ostensibly many of the features of the traditional Beijing house, but using modern techniques and concrete blocks with 'faux' brick facing instead of

700-452: Is a place of privacy and tranquility, almost always incorporating a garden and water feature. In some cases, houses are constructed with multiple courtyards that increase in privacy as they recede from the street. Strangers would be received in the outermost courtyard, with the innermost ones being reserved for close friends and family members. In a more contemporary version of the Chinese model,

750-586: Is also retained in its historic use in many laws governing motels and hotels, often known as "innkeeper's acts", or refer to hôteliers and motel operators as "innkeepers" in the body of the legislation These laws typically define the innkeepers' liability for valuables entrusted to them by clients and determine whether an innkeeper holds any lien against such goods. In some jurisdictions, an offense named as " defrauding an innkeeper " prohibits fraudulently obtaining "food, lodging, or other accommodation at any hotel, inn, boarding house, or eating house"; in this context,

800-407: Is no longer a formal distinction between an inn and several other kinds of establishments: many pubs use the name "inn", either because they are long established and may have been formerly coaching inns , or to summon up a particular kind of image. Inns were like bed and breakfasts , with a community dining room which was also used for town meetings or rented for wedding parties. The front, facing

850-606: Is the person who runs an inn. Inns in Europe were possibly first established when the Romans built their system of Roman roads 2,000 years ago. Many inns in Europe are several centuries old. In addition to providing for the needs of travelers, inns traditionally acted as community gathering places. Historically, inns provided not only food and lodging, but stabling and fodder for the travelers' horses, as well. Famous London examples of inns include The George and The Tabard . However, there

900-473: Is usually at the southeastern corner. Normally, there is a screen wall ( 影壁 , yǐngbì ) inside the gate for privacy. Superstition holds that it also protects the house from evil spirits. A pair of stone lions are often placed outside the gate. Some large siheyuan compounds would have two or more layers of courtyards and even private gardens attached to them. Such is a sign of wealth and status in ancient times. The courtyard dwellings were built according to

950-550: The United Nations Human Settlements Programme in 2008 estimates that there are still about 400,000 residential courtyards remaining in Beijing. The sales market of siheyuan has also been booming in recent years. A report in 2005 finds there are usually around 7,000 to 9,000 residential siheyuans that are on the market for sale, and many are generally priced at 7,000 to 10,000 yuan per square meter. However,

1000-714: The Western Zhou period, and has a history of over 2,000 years. They exhibit outstanding and fundamental characteristics of Chinese architecture. They exist all across China and are the template for most Chinese architectural styles. Siheyuan also serves as a cultural symbol of Beijing and a window into its old ways of life. Modern Beijing's population boom has made housing one of city's biggest challenges. Siheyuan today are typically used as housing complexes, hosting multiple families, with courtyards being developed to provide extra living space. The living conditions in many siheyuan are quite poor, with very few having private toilets . In

1050-779: The 1990s, systematic demolition of old urban buildings took place in Beijing under rapid economic development. Many siheyuan are being torn down to address the problem of overcrowding, and have been replaced by modern apartment blocks. According to the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage, there are over 500 historic courtyards preserved in the Cultural and Historical Conservation Areas as important cultural monuments. Many of these are public museums, and preserved historical siheyuans include Lu Xun Memorial, Guo Moruo Memorial, Mao Dun Memorial, Mei Lanfang Memorial, Lao She Memorial and many others. A study by

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1100-515: The United States. More and more, architects are investigating ways that courtyards can play a role in the development of today's homes and cities. In densely populated areas, a courtyard in a home can provide privacy for a family, a break from the frantic pace of everyday life, and a safe place for children to play. With space at a premium, architects are experimenting with courtyards as a way to provide outdoor space for small communities of people at

1150-447: The center. If the deceased is a younger male, then his casket is placed on the center line of the courtyard. If the deceased is a younger female, her casket is placed in the courtyard but cannot be on the center line. Though from antiquity, a siheyuan is a practically sound, engineered structure. Northwestern walls are usually higher than the other walls to protect the inside buildings from the harsh winds blowing across northern China in

1200-571: 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

1250-473: The city center, around which were built grand railway hotels . Motorcar traffic on old-style two-lane highways might have paused at any camp, cabin court, or motel along the way, while freeway traffic was restricted to access from designated off-ramps to side roads which quickly become crowded with hotel chain operators. The original functions of an inn are now usually split among separate establishments. For example, hotels, lodges and motels might provide

1300-421: The courtyard into several big and small spaces that are not very distant from each other. Family members talked with each other here, creating a cordial atmosphere. In Gansu , Qinghai and other northwest regions, where dust storms are very strong, courtyard walls tend to be higher. The shapes of siheyuan are also altered: in northwestern China , the north–south span of a siheyuan is generally much longer than

1350-408: The courtyards in the houses. Such structures afforded protection, and could even be made defensible. The traditional Chinese courtyard house, (e.g. siheyuan ), is an arrangement of several individual houses around a square. Each house belongs to a different family member, and additional houses are created behind this arrangement to accommodate additional family members as needed. The Chinese courtyard

1400-404: 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

1450-399: The east–west span, while in other provinces such as Sichuan , the opposite is true. In southern China, the houses are built with multiple stories. In the northeast, land is abundant but the weather is cold, so courtyards are built broad and large to increase the exposure to sunlight, and there are more open areas inside the walls. Recently, a modern version of siheyuan has been developed as

1500-462: 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

1550-399: The floor, mixed with rose petals, lavender and herbs. Lighting would be dim, as candles were made of tallow. For toilet facilities, inns would simply provide a seat and a barrel which were emptied every morning. Beds would accommodate more than one man, sometimes even a dozen. During the 19th century, the inn played a major role in the growing transportation system of England. Industry was on

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1600-403: The ground floor, with private rooms located upstairs. 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

1650-462: 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

1700-468: The periods of rule by the Seljuk and Ottoman Turks , impressive structures functioning as inns ( Turkish : han ) were built because inns were considered socially significant. These inns provided accommodations for people and either their vehicles or animals, and served as a resting place to those traveling on foot or by other means. These inns were built between towns if the distance between municipalities

1750-589: The prices vary based on the area and the market. For residential siheyuans in the Dongcheng and Xicheng districts in 2009, the prices can go up to 40,000 yuan per square meter. For siheyuans near the Houhai and Shichahai area, the prices can go up to between 100,000 and 150,000 yuan per square meter. A 2,000 square meter siheyuan near the Shichahai area was sold for 40 million yuan ($ 6 million) in 2005. The four buildings of

1800-499: 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

1850-478: The rise, and people were traveling more in order to keep and maintain business. The English inn was considered an important part of English infrastructure, as it helped maintain a smooth flow of travel throughout the country. As modes of transport have evolved, tourist lodging has adapted to serve each generation of traveler. A stagecoach made frequent stops at roadside coaching inns for water, food, and horses. A passenger train stopped only at designated stations in

1900-445: The road, was ornamental and welcoming for travelers. The back also usually had at least one livery barn for travelers to keep their horses. There were no lobbies as in modern inns; rather, the innkeeper would answer the door for each visitor and judge the people whom he decided to accommodate, it was up to the visitors to convince the innkeeper for accommodation. In some English towns, bye-laws would require innkeepers to offer all visitors

1950-402: The room to the western end of the main house. The eldest son of the family and his wife would reside in the eastern side house, while the younger son and his wife would reside in the western side house. If a grandson was fully grown, he would reside in the opposite house in the south. Unmarried daughters would always reside in the backside building behind the main house. When a funeral is held in

2000-402: The siheyuan), and usually functions as a reception room and the servants' dwelling, or where the family would gather to relax, eat or study. The backside building is for unmarried daughters and female servants: because unmarried girls were not allowed direct exposure to the public, they occupied the most secluded building in the siheyuan. A more detailed and further stratified Confucian order

2050-475: The sunshine during the day, and provide a cool place to appreciate the view of the courtyard at night. The building that faces north is known as the opposite house ( 倒座房 , dàozuòfáng ). Behind the main house, there would often be a separate backside building ( 后罩房 , hòuzhàofáng ), the only place where two-story buildings are allowed to be constructed for the traditional siheyuan. The entrance gate, usually painted vermilion and with copper door knockers on it,

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2100-578: The term is often an anachronism as the majority of modern restaurants are free-standing and not attached to coaching inns or tourist lodging. Siheyuan A siheyuan ( Chinese : 四合院 ; [sɹ̩̂.xɤ̌.ɥɛ̂n]) is a type of dwelling that was commonly found throughout China , most famously in Beijing and rural Shanxi . Throughout Chinese history, the siheyuan composition was the basic pattern used for residences, palaces , temples , monasteries , family businesses, and government offices. In ancient times,

2150-455: The traditional concepts of the five elements that were believed to compose the universe , and the eight diagrams of divination. The gate was made at the southeast corner which was the “ wind ” corner, and the main house was built on the north side which was believed to belong to “ water ”, an element to prevent fire. The layout of a simple courtyard represents traditional Chinese morality and Confucian ethics. In Beijing , four buildings in

2200-502: The traditional functions of an inn but focus more on lodging customers than on other services; public houses (pubs) are primarily alcohol-serving establishments; and restaurants and taverns serve food and drink. (Hotels often contain restaurants serving full breakfasts and meals, thus providing all of the functions of traditional inns. Economy, limited service properties, however, lack a kitchen and bar, and therefore claim at most an included continental breakfast .) The lodging aspect of

2250-407: The tribal regions of Pakistan. [REDACTED] Media related to Courtyards at Wikimedia Commons Inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging , and usually, food and drink . Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accommodation for horses . An Innkeeper

2300-469: The winter. Eaves curve downward, so that rainwater will flow along the curve rather than dropping straight down. The rooftop is ridged to provide shade in the summer while retaining warmth in the winter. A siheyuan offers space, comfort, quiet and privacy . Siheyuan walls provide security as well as protection against dust and storms. With plants , rocks, and flowers , the yard is also a garden, and acts like an open-air living room. The veranda divides

2350-580: The word inn lives on in some hotel brand names, like Holiday Inn , and the Inns of Court in London were once accommodations for members of the legal profession. Some laws refer to lodging operators as innkeepers . Other forms of inns exist throughout the world. Among them are the honjin and ryokan of Japan , caravanserai of Central Asia and the Middle East, and jiuguan in ancient China. In Asia Minor , during

2400-573: The year as appropriate to accommodate the changes in temperature and the position of the sun. Often the flat rooftops of these structures were used for sleeping in warm weather. In some Islamic cultures, private courtyards provided the only outdoor space for women to relax unobserved. Convective cooling through transition spaces between multiple-courtyard buildings in the Middle East has also been observed. In c. 2000 BC Ur , two-storey houses were constructed around an open square were built of fired brick. Kitchen , working, and public spaces were located on

2450-412: Was followed in ancient China. The main house in the north was assigned to the eldest member of the family, i.e. the head of the family, usually grandparents. If the main house had enough rooms, a central room would serve as a shrine for ancestral worship. When the head of the household had concubines, the wife would reside in the room to the eastern end of the main house, while the concubines would reside in

2500-442: Was too far for one day's travel. These structures, called caravansarais, were inns with large courtyards and ample supplies of water for drinking and other uses. They typically contained a café, in addition to supplies of food and fodder. After the caravans traveled a while they would take a break at these caravansarais, and often spend the night to rest the human travelers and their animals. The term "inn" historically characterized

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