This is a traditional architectural feature also in my home city of Toledo in Spain: [in Spanish, could not find an English version] https://es.wikipedia.org/wi

This is a traditional architectural feature also in my home city of Toledo in Spain: [in Spanish, could not find an English version] https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patios_de_Toledo https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patios_de_Toledo That was however an ancient idea, already used for example by the Roman Empire (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domus) although the typical Toledo patio is a multi-storey construction like the Chinese examples in the linked article, most similar to the islamic “wast ad-dar” [“middle of the house”]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_architecture#Courtyards https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_architecture#Courtyard... This is the abstract from a book dedicated to the subject titled “Courtyard Housing: Past, Present and Future”: > Courtyard housing is one of the oldest forms of domestic development spanning at least 2000 years and occurring in distinctive form in many regions of the world. Traditionally associated with the Middle East where climate and culture have given shape to a particular type of courtyard housing, other examples exist in Latin America, China and in Europe, where the model has been reinterpreted. This book demonstrates, through discussions on sustainability and regional identity, and via a series of case studies, technical planning and design solutions, that the courtyard housing form has a future as well as a past. — https://books.google.de/books?vid=ISBN9780415262729 https://books.google.de/books?vid=ISBN9780415262729