Looking for an architectural term

Factual Questions
1

Hi
What is the term for the area underneath the first floor/ground floor of a building supported by pillars under which you can walk or sit. I see these building in some resorts.
I don’t think “atrium” is the right term.
I look forward to your feedback.

2

I don’t know if it’s a “loggia”/“arcade” perhaps? You can walk right underneath and through. All you will see are supporting columns. You’ll see benches for people to relax on and enjoy the shade on hot, sunny days.

3

The architect Le Corbusier pioneered the use of pilotis to hold up a floor and create useful space underneath. Is that what you’re asking about?

If so, I can’t find any term for the open space underneath. In fact, it always seems to be referred to as “open space.”

4

Thanks Exapno Mapcase. That’s sounds right.

5

Yes. Here’s a building similar to what I was referring to.

http://friso.arq.br/2014/05/pilotis-o-que-e/

6

Stoa or arcade, depending on if it’s columns or arches holding up the upper stories.

7

My understanding is that pilotis creates a different type of space than the older arcade. It’s often unbounded, with openings on all four sides. Whether that formally makes it a new thing or just a variation on the older design isn’t clear to me.

8

I’d say it’s a new thing, myself. But I nominate we repurpose the old Roman term suspensura or a variant - suspensorium? Suspensadium.

9

Note that it’s similar to folk houses in Malaysia and the humid coasts (e.g., Muskitia) of Central America…in both cases, mainly so critters like snakes, pigs, and ants don’t enter the house as readily.

10

Yes, native stilt houses are found all over the world, from the Arctic to the Equator, wherever flooding is a regular danger. They were known from a number of sites in Europe so that Le Corbusier could easily have encountered them in his research. Many of them are being built today in the U.S. to counter flooding, especially in Louisiana.

But I’ve still never seen a name for the ground space.

11

Portico, perhaps?

12

Part of it, in NC coastal areas, can be called FREEBOARD, and it allows higher waves to flow under the building.

http://www.ncfloodmaps.com/pubdocs/coastal_flood_insurance_facts.pdf

My VE Zone house is elevated high above the ground on pilings. Will I qualify for a lower flood insurance rate?
The answer depends on the relation of the BFE for the area where the house is located and the height of the lowest floor system of the house. Insurance rates are discounted by an incremental amount for every foot that the lowest floor system is elevated above the BFE, up to a maximum of three feet. On the other hand, there is a steep increase in the rates if the lowest floor system is located below BFE. Rates may also increase if some or all of the area beneath the lowest floor is enclosed in some way.
Many communities require new and substantially improved structures built in AE and VE zones to be elevated an additional number of feet, above the minimum federal requirement of BFE shown on the effective FIRM (two feet is typical). This additional height requirement is called freeboard. Freeboard provides additional protection to a home and ensures that the homeowners will qualify for a substantial flood insurance premium discount. A house located in a VE Zone that is elevated two feet above BFE qualifies for a 46% premium discount on building coverage and a 62% premium discount on contents coverage*.
For your home to be properly rated, you will need to hire a licensed surveyor to determine the floor heights and other relevant details and complete an Elevation Certificate form. The Elevation Certificate provides all of the information needed by an insurance agent to properly rate your home for the flood insurance coverage you request.

13

In boating, Freeboard is the hull above the normal water line, that is kept smooth and watertight… Its the hull that is there left unused (for portals and so on) to keep out , and avoid damage from, waves and splashes.
So too the NC ground floor is the freeboard that is left “empty” to avoid damage from waves,storm surge, flood,etc
In India, they are calling them “open-ground”, because they have a reason to identify the specific type of construction that the OP wants named.

14

Suspensura seem to refer to ancient Roman bathhouses/spas. So it doesn’t apply to the buildings I saw. These were not built on wetlands, not were they in an earthquake-prone region. After comparing terms and checking photos, the terms portico,stoa,arcade, colonnade, loggia do not apply either.
That just leaves pilotis/“open space”.
Thank you all. Very helpful.