courtyard complex

A courtyard complex is a ring of buildings around an open inner space that they enclose on most sides. The courtyard belongs to the complex and is not recorded as an entry of its own.

The layout is common in older European city blocks, where the street frontage and the rear wings form one perimeter, and in monastery, palace and barracks grounds.

Where the buildings stand around an open space without enclosing it, use a multi-building complex. Where the courtyard is roofed over, the result is usually a single building rather than a complex.