PurposeThe aim of this article is to understand the definitions, trends and gaps currently existing in the literature regarding the concept of void in the built environment.Design/methodology/approachThe method used for this article is based on a bilingual narrative literature review, the authors being fluent both in French and English. The advantage of any literature review is that it allows researchers to gather and analyse existing academic literature on a specific subject. The chosen technique gives a thorough understanding of the study and helps in identifying research gaps. The literature review was sequential, online and used ScienceDirect, Scopus and Sage Knowledge as databases.FindingsThere are three main findings regarding this literature review. The first shows that the void is lacking consensus regarding its definition and attributes, yet this is unanimously considered as an existing space in the city. The second finding shows that voids are talking to our emotions and perceptions and more studies could investigate a new planning/design approach in taking this into consideration. At last, the third findings shows that there are some gaps that need to be further researched, such as the difference between Western and Eastern cultures to use voids in architecture.Originality/valueIn compiling 35 articles focussing on the void, this article proposes a valuable source of knowledge regarding this topic, as well as delineates new research directions.