Atrium Gardens

I was struck how drab some of the buildings appear in Anchorage. Some downtown buildings seem to occupy an entire block, and have no landscaping (with severe winters this may be practical, but leaves some sections of the city looking bleak).

I soon learned that many of these buildings are designed as large atriums with the landscaping inside. The atriums are filled with light, planted with trees and plants that flourish in the filtered light, and routinely used by locals to meet or relax.

This is a brilliant and practical solution for handling landscaping in a cold climate - bring the garden inside! This idea that could be incorporated in the San Francisco Bay Area as well, with our cold, foggy, gray days.