Balconies as adaptable spaces in apartment housing

SPECIAL COLLECTION:

HOUSING

ADAPTABILITY

SYNTHESIS

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR:

Terri Peters

Department of Architectural

Science, Ryerson University,

Toronto, ON, CA

T[email protected]

KEYWORDS:

adaptability; balconies;

dwelling; ﬂexible housing;

housing; multifamily

housing; social norms; spatial

adaptability; spatial use

TO CITE THIS ARTICLE:

Peters, T., & Masoudinejad, S.

(2022). Balconies as adaptable

spaces in apartment housing.

Buildings and Cities, 3(1),

pp. 265–278. DOI: https://doi.

org/10.5334/bc.191

Balconies as adaptable

spaces in apartment

housing

TERRI PETERS

SEPIDEH MASOUDINEJAD

ABSTRACT

New requirements for living, working, and learning at home due to Covid-19 have

highlighted two fundamental needs in apartment housing: (1) adaptability to ﬁt multiple

functions in a limited area; and (2) access to private outdoor space to support residents’

health and wellbeing, and to provide spatial and thermal variety in small units. The two

needs may initially appear to be disconnected: when residents have a high demand for

ﬂexibility and adaptability in apartment housing, balconies tend to be overlooked as

potential spaces to facilitate adaptability. An analysis of several international housing

projects with innovative balcony designs and unit designs is the basis for the identiﬁcation

of several typologies of balconies. Typologies of adaptable balconies and examples are

used to show how they may support housing adaptability within a dwelling. The ‘adaptable

balcony’ concept is introduced in the context of multifamily housing design, together with

a clear deﬁnition of active and passive adaptability by inhabitants.

PRACTICE RELEVANCE

Apartment balconies are often overlooked as design elements capable of inﬂuencing

housing adaptability. This paper explores how adaptable balconies could support and

improve residents’ functional use of their dwellings. The ease of adaptability, how and

to what degree residents can adapt their balcony spaces, are shown in built examples.

The ‘adaptable balcony’ concept in the context of multifamily housing can provide

developers, designers, and inhabitants with an enhanced, more ﬂexible use of domestic

spaces. Several typologies of adaptable balconies are identiﬁed and considered for how

they may support housing adaptability within a dwelling. Two notions of passive and

active adaptability in balcony design can help designers facilitate the desired levels of

adaptability in a project.

*Author afﬁliations can be found in the back matter of this article

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1. INTRODUCTION

Covid-19 has highlighted the importance of adaptable homes. In particular, there is a need to

support the various kinds of users, needs, and lifestyles. Dwellings must now accommodate

multiple functions of living, working, schooling, socializing, and relaxing (Bettaieb & Alsabban

2021; Capolongo et al. 2020; D’Alessandro et al. 2020). Adaptable housing can also ease the

adjustment to major and long-term changes such as changes in family size, as the family

expands or contacts, or residents’ physical needs, in particular as they get older or lose their

mobility (Friedman 2002; Till & Schneider 2005). Moreover, adaptable housing can enable the

variation of the ratio of outdoor–indoor spaces to meet residents’ needs on a seasonal basis.

While adaptability, ﬂexibility, changeability, and modiﬁability have been studied in buildings

generally (Gosling et al. 2013; Geraedts & Ruiterkamp 2017), these concepts need further study

in multifamily apartment housing. Furthermore, apartment balconies should be considered as

having a role in the unit’s adaptability.

Recent research on housing adaptability by Pelsmakers et al. (2020) advocated the adaptation

affordances at multiple scales including neighborhood-scale intervention. They argue for a

mixed-use building approach that is ‘loose ﬁt’ at the building scale, and the provision for ﬂexible,

multifunctional furniture in workspaces and residential environments for social activities. The

present paper extends their study, focusing on architectural examples of indoor–outdoor

connectivity by examining the role of balconies in housing adaptability. This focus is on two

fundamental needs that are typically overlooked relating to residents’ wellbeing in apartment

housing: (1) the adaptability to facilitate the varied activities and multiple functions required by

inhabitants in their increasingly smaller unit sizes; and (2) private outdoor space, i.e. balconies for

access to nature, restorative views, and psychological beneﬁts such as prospect-refuge.

Balconies are often too small to use, serving merely as horizontal facade elements introduced

for visual variety in the building massing, rather than potential amenity spaces for resident use.

Noting that future designs should focus on quality of life and health in these habitats (Peters

& Kesik 2020), the present paper discusses the idea of the ‘adaptable balcony’, i.e. how more

thoughtfully designed balconies can contribute to spatial adaptability in apartment housing.

This paper examines ways that balcony designs have been integrated with housing adaptability.

First, challenges are identiﬁed in housing adaptability. Key terms and concepts in the literature are

explored for their implications for balconies and adaptability. An analysis of several international

housing projects with innovative balcony designs and unit designs is the basis for the identiﬁcation

of a number of typologies of balconies. These typologies are considered for their capabilities

to support housing adaptability within a dwelling. The main contributions of this paper are the

framing of the ‘adaptable balcony’ concept in the context of multifamily housing design, and the

deﬁnitions and analysis of built examples in terms of balcony design and use.

2. BACKGROUND: BALCONIES AND ADAPTABLE APARTMENTS

Balconies are often a deﬁning feature in new apartment housing, and their use and qualities vary

greatly from unit to unit and building to building. Balconies can positively impact residents’ health

and wellbeing. Based on the restorative theory (Kaplan 1995), numerous studies have shown

that contact with nature at home and natural outdoor living spaces in urban housing promote

health and wellbeing in residents (Masoudinejad & Hartig 2020; Tennessen & Cimprich 1995; Kuo

2013; Kennedy et al. 2015). However, current urban apartment housing does not offer restorative

experiences for residents (Peters & Halleran 2021) and the ‘nature’ aspects that people need for

restoration are almost entirely missing. A study exploring the impact of housing and the built

environment on mental health during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis revealed that those inhabitants

without a usable balcony, limited natural light, acoustic and temperature comfort, and absence

of plants displayed moderate-to-severe and severe depressive symptoms (Amerio et al. 2020).

Balconies can improve quality of life by providing private or semi-private outdoor spaces by

extending the living spaces (Smektała & Baborska-Narożny 2022), and by offering a chance to

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have a view down the street and upwards to the sky. Depending on their design, balconies can

also have negative unintended consequences, such as thermal bridging, loss of visual privacy due

to their conﬁguration, and relationship between exposure and enclosure. In most cases, balconies

are static spaces that do not play a role in housing adaptability. Overall, the design qualities of

residential balconies in apartment housing are understudied and warrant further investigation

(Kesik et al. 2019).

The language around adaptability in buildings is challenging for architects to interpret and for

researchers to build upon precisely. Olsson & Hansen (2010) found that terms such as ‘adaptability’

and ‘ﬂexibility’ can mean one thing in one discipline or context, but something different in another.

This was also evident in the literature review discussed below. The present focus is on adaptability.

The study of designing adaptable housing and integrating outdoor spaces necessarily involves

multiple disciplines and stakeholders.

3. METHODS

Studies are identiﬁed that consider the adaptability in an architectural way, i.e. where the balcony

contributes to the overall adaptability and functionality of the unit. Two methods are used to

collect and analyze data: a review of published literature, and the identiﬁcation and analysis of

housing cases.

3.1 LITERATURE REVIEW

At the beginning of the project, a literature review was undertaken to determine what kinds of

relevant published sources are available on this topic. The goal was to locate key published studies,

to identify gaps in the literature, and to give context to the architectural examples analyzed in the

project. A scoping literature review was performed as described by Arksey & O’Malley (2007), rather

than a systematic review. This method was selected because it is suited to ﬁnding key sources and

pertinent questions in a research area. This is deemed to be appropriate given that the area of

investigation has not been reviewed comprehensively before. Grant & Booth (2009: 97) describe

some perceived weaknesses of (non-systematic) literature reviews as a method, in particular that

this method lacks an explicit intent to maximize scope or analyze data collected. This may make

the conclusions of this literature review open to bias due to the potential of omitting some relevant

literature from this search, but since this is not the main contribution of the paper, the present

authors think it was the right method to use.

The focus of the literature review search was apartment balconies and adaptability. The Scopus

database was used together with a search of selected electronic architectural journals using a

snowballing technique in two phases. The initial search yielded 80 relevant sources for title and

abstract review. The review was limited to online journal articles, conference papers and e-books

using keyword searches including: ﬂexible balcon*; ﬂexible hous*; adaptable balcon*; adaptable

hous*; loggia; and balcon*. This initial search was carried out between April and July 2021, and

restrictions from Covid-19 limited the authors to online resources. The intent was to ﬁnd studies

that reported residents’ preferences for certain balcony designs, and examples of how balconies

can improve indoor–outdoor connectivity, but the search failed to uncover much published

literature on this topic. Some papers found in the initial search focused on personalization,

resident initiatives, and building management policies, but they were not the focus of this study,

so they were excluded in the next phase. The second phase in August–September 2021 was a

full paper review of 30 sources, which were read and analyzed using annotated bibliographies

and then assigned relevant thematic keywords. For this phase, only sources were included that

foregrounded the architecture and design approaches, i.e. how the form, geometry, design,

and material of the apartments supported adaptability with an emphasis on integrated indoor–

outdoor space (

Figure 1

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3.2 IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF ADAPTABLE BALCONIES

After the literature review, examples were sought of built, multi-unit residential housing that used

balconies as a way to create adaptability and provide opportunities for outdoor space. Based on

a web search of recent housing projects, including architect websites, aggregator websites such

as Archdaily, and online publications sources including Architect magazine, Architectural Record

and other professional publications, a pool of 40 global examples of multifamily housing that

incorporate balconies were identiﬁed for consideration. This process took place between May and

September 2021. All the selected projects had been described as adaptable or ﬂexible by the

architects in the project description. The authors then used a Miro board to collaboratively and

visually sort the apartment unit designs using published ﬂoorplans and by consulting additional

published determine how the designs were adaptable according to the deﬁnitions and concepts

from the literature review.

After this initial pool of examples was determined, a second round of sorting took place.

Projects that were not yet built were excluded, and so were projects that were low-rise and had

balconies that functioned more as terraces. At this stage projects were excluded that did not

have an adaptability strategy at both the balcony and dwelling levels. Additionally, projects that

had insufﬁcient published information were excluded. The authors then redrew and annotated

the ﬂoorplans to compare how the units were adaptable. From this selection of 12, four were

excluded for being located in tropical climates. This purposely limited the examples of projects to

non-tropical locales. Eight examples were then used to test the analysis parameters and typology

categorization. The ﬂoorplans and building plans were analyzed to understand how the units

were adaptable.

Balcony design features and details of adaptation phases were documented, then analyzed.

Table 1

highlights the speciﬁc qualities and design parameters of the adaptable balconies studied.

Floorplans, photographs and text were analyzed to be able to describe the design parameters and

the open and closed phases of the adaptable functionality in these cases. These built examples

yielded results about speciﬁc design parameters for balconies that can:

• create a functional and comfortable balcony (functionality)

• allow a balcony to be adapted to residents’ needs on a daily or seasonal basis

(convertibility) and

• impact on the use of the dwelling, not just the balcony (dwelling adaptability).

Figure 1: Flow diagram of the

study.

Need for Adaptable Housing Need for Private Outdoor Space

“Adaptable Balcony” Concept

Literature Review Built Examples Analysis

The Concept Relation to

Existing Theories

The Concept Definition

Key Terms Definitions

Focus

Methods Outcomes

Context: Apartment Housing

● Functional Balcony

● Convertible Balcony

● Adaptable Dwelling

● Active Balcony

● Passive Balcony

Adaptable Balcony Parameters

Adaptable Balcony Typologies

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The ﬁrst group of parameters refers to the characteristics of the balcony as a functional space

(including size and ratio, level of enclosure, orientation, and other comfort parameters); the

second group refers to the convertibility strategy in the balcony (e.g. walls or doors that residents

can fold, slide, open and close, and materials that change the sense of enclosure); and the last

parameter refers to the adaptability strategy in the dwelling (at the level of both apartment and

room, to expand or shrink, and for indoor–outdoor integration or segregation).

PROJECT UNIT PLAN ANALYSIS PARAMETERS TYPOLOGY

FUNCTIONAL BALCONY CONVERTIBLE

BALCONY

ADAPTABLE

DWELLING

PASSIVE ACTIVE

Habitat 67, Montreal,

Canada

Moshe Safdie, 1967

Size: 4 × 4 m

Ratio: 1:1

Orientation: varies

Connection: 1 wall

Roof: no

Access: living room



Enclosure

strategy: glazed

walls

 

59 Dwellings in

Neppert Gardens,

Mulhouse, France

Lacaton & Vassal,

2015

Size: 1 × 10 m, 2 × 10 m

Ratio: 1:10, 2:5

Orientation: northwest,

southeast

Connection: sliding glazed

wall

Roof: yes

Access: all rooms



Enclosure

strategy: glazed

sliding walls

 

Boulevard Ney

Housing, Paris, France

ITAR Architectures,

2020

Size: 2 × 14 m, 3 × 5 m

Ratio: 1:7, 3:5

Orientation: varies

Connection: glazed door

Roof: yes

Access: dining area,

bedroom



Enclosure

strategy: glazed

doors

 

Grand Parc, Bordeaux,

France

Lacaton & Vassal,

2017

Size: 6 × 3 m

Ratio: 2:1

Orientation: southeast

Connection: sliding glazed

wall

Roof: yes

Access: entry and living

rooms



Enclosure

strategy: glazed

sliding walls

 

White Clouds, Saintes,

France

Poggi Architecture

2017

Size: 1 × 3 m, 3 × 3 m, 5 ×

3 m

Ratio: 1:3, 1:1, 5:3

Orientation: all but north

Connection: glazed door

Roof: yes

Access: all main rooms



Enclosure

strategy: steel

mesh

 

ZAC Claud Bernard,

Paris, France

Dietmar Feichtinger

Architectes, 2016

Size: 2 × 3 m, 1 × 5 m

Ratio: 2:3, 1:5

Orientation: SW

Connection: glazed door,

Roof: yes

Access: Living room



Enclosure

strategy:

Glazed louvers

 

(Contd.)

4. RESULTS

4.1 FINDINGS FROM THE LITERATURE REVIEW

Many concepts about housing adaptability consider the envelope as a layer that can be adapted

or changed, but often do not account for the unique beneﬁts of modifying the balcony envelope.

Alterations of the balcony envelope can do more than extend space: it can change the experience

of existing spaces by varying thermal comfort, views, and light. Groak deﬁnes adaptability as

capable of different social uses (Groak 1992) and the term ‘adaptability’ is used here as the ability

to accommodate different functions or occupancies (e.g. bedroom–ofﬁce or living room–bedroom

or dining room–ofﬁce).

Schmidt & Austin (2016: 76) deﬁne adaptability as a synthesis of:

the capacity of a building to accommodate effectively the evolving demands of its

context, thus maximizing its value through life.

This deﬁnition can be applied to the adaptable balcony. This suggests adaptability should be

measured by how well a balcony keeps up with the demands of its users, and how it enables them

to modify and customize the indoor–outdoor relationships.

4.1.1 Adaptability and the convertible balcony

The strategies of growth (add-in) and division (Friedman 2002) and expanding within (Schneider

& Till 2005). Schneider & Till (2005) emphasize the practicality of this idea for multi-occupancy

and multi-storey housing where any growth has to occur within the original frame because of

structural and legal limitations. This is achievable in a design with a separate support structure and

inﬁlls/ﬁt-out that facilitate prospect changes (Habraken 1972). Schmidt & Austin (2016: 107) refer

to the concept of convertibility and versatility as important concepts within adaptable housing.

Could convertibility and versatility be applied speciﬁcally to balconies? The majority of published

studies about balconies do not prioritize ease of user adaptability, or how often people want, or

need, to adapt their homes, e.g. seasonal adaptability. For balconies, the notion of convertibility

relates to being able to modify the level of enclosure, which could be achieved with sliding doors

and retractable overhead shading devices. The affordance given to inhabitants to be able to

open and close their balconies is named here as ‘convertible balconies’. Adaptable balconies can

function as a useful part of the living space, rather than as a separate, non-integrated facade

element. A further beneﬁt is that a convertible balcony could provide for a varied range of indoor–

outdoor connectivity (according to the season).

PROJECT UNIT PLAN ANALYSIS PARAMETERS TYPOLOGY

FUNCTIONAL BALCONY CONVERTIBLE

BALCONY

ADAPTABLE

DWELLING

PASSIVE ACTIVE

NEXT21, Osaka, Japan

Yositika Utida, Shu-

Koh-Sha, 1994

Size: 3 × 3 m

Ratio: 1:1

Orientation: east

Connection: glazed door

Roof: yes

Access: varies



Enclosure

strategy: varies

by user

 

Savonnerie Heymans,

Brussels, Belgium

MDW Architecture,

2011

Size: 3 × 3 m, 1 × 3 m

Ratio: 1:1, 1:3

Orientation: southwest

Connection: sliding glazed

doors

Roof: yes

Access: all main rooms



Enclosure

strategy: glass-

enclosed

 

Table 1: Selected housing

examples of the adaptable

balcony concept: classiﬁed as

passive and active balconies.

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The concept of ‘slack space’ (Schneider & Till 2005) involves leaving an underused internal or

external area empty to anticipates potential occupation or future enclosure (e.g. an area in the

basement, attic, or a corner of the courtyard). Friedman (2002) introduced this idea as a ‘wide

open space’ in order to provide extra spaces for future changes. According to Schneider and Till,

changes in slack spaces are mostly hard changes lasting for a long time (Schneider & Till 2005).

Their concept of slack space can be relevant to the adaptable balcony concept. The adaptable

balcony has the potential to be convertible, adapting to seasonal and even daily intervals.

In considering the slack space idea, the adaptable balcony intends to contribute to residents’

wellbeing by providing a functional and comfortable outdoor space, while such an intention is not

deﬁned for the slack space concept. The concept of convertibility and having agency over varying

the enclosure of the balcony is important, and the authors therefore evaluated it as a parameter

in the case studies.

4.1.2 Beneﬁts to inhabitants: balconies and the adaptable dwelling

Besides the economic and environmental advantages of housing adaptability through extending

the useful life of buildings (Askar et al. 2021), there is a question of how the residents beneﬁt.

Malakouti et al. (2019) found that the most inﬂuential component of ﬂexibility in quality housing is

accommodating multifunctional spaces and capacity for expansion. Residents’ desire for ﬂexibility

in their home might be due to a lack of quality in the original design, limitations in choosing a

suitable apartment, or as a result of their changing needs (Femenias & Geromel 2020). During

the pandemic, people reported higher demand for adaptability and spatial reorganization in their

homes (e.g. Alonso et al. 2021). It is obvious that residents can use spaces for various functions by

changing furniture layouts, but it is unclear how often they would actually do that. Considerations

of affordability and practicality are important. Recent studies showed a strong correlation between

(perceived) ﬂexibility and resident satisfaction (Malakouti et al. 2019). Adaptability empowers

residents in their living environment (Till & Schneider 2005) and facilitates accommodation of

cultural diversity and even changing lifestyles due to particular circumstances such as the

pandemic crisis. Affordability is another beneﬁt of adaptable design when an unﬁnished/partially

ﬁnished design can reduce the home selling price (Friedman 2000). As a relocation alternative,

the capacity of the home to adapt to changing needs and varying size of the family supports

residents’ safety and stability (Plaut & Plaut 2010). This is a certain aspect of housing adaptability

that could help ageing people stay in the comfort of their homes longer. The literature on building

adaptability tends not to address the speciﬁc challenges of certain program types, e.g. adaptability

in multifamily housing.

4.2 ACTIVE AND PASSIVE BALCONIES

Through analysis of housing examples based on the three groups of parameters (functional

balcony, convertible balcony, and adaptable dwelling) it is possible to deﬁne and categorize two

types of adaptable balconies: active and passive. The classiﬁcations are determined based on how

easy it would be for residents to adapt the balconies to suit their changing needs: the focus is on

the inhabitant’s perspective. Overall, the more functional, convertible, and adaptable parameters

that are fulﬁlled in a dwelling, the closer the balcony is to an active balcony. The less it meets these

parameters, the closer the balcony is to a passive balcony. The classiﬁcation of ‘active’ is connected

to the convertibility, and indicates that an occupant can adjust the level of enclosure. This ability is

important because it gives residents the choice and control over their home indoor–outdoor uses

and space efﬁciency. They can create a private outdoor space if they need a connection to the

outside or they can close it when they need to expand indoors or provide a buffer zone (

Table 1

4.2.1 Active balconies

Active balconies are those that allow higher levels of adaptability, where the balcony can easily be

transformed to meet different uses or needs. The pushing, pulling, and sliding of facade elements

can create new relationships between the inhabitant and the balcony, and facilitate new uses.

The inhabitant can easily and quickly modify the level of enclosure on the balcony, and may do so

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without costly renovations. With active balconies, the outdoor space can become an extension of

the living or dining spaces to suit inhabitant needs. In many cases, the balconies have sliding doors

that allow residents to open or close the space to meet their thermal comfort.

Several projects that exemplify the active balcony typology (

Figure 2

). For example, the ZAC Claude

Bernard (2016) in Paris, France, by Dietmar Feichtinger Architectes has active balconies. This

project contains a range of unit types from studios to four-bedroom units, and all apartments

are dual aspect, allowing for cross-ventilation and light from two sides. Each unit has an outdoor

space with either access to a balcony, roof, terrace, or loggia (Dietmar Feichtinger Architectes

2012). The outdoor spaces can be used to extend the living spaces and dining areas outdoors due

to their size and placement. Residents can vary the degree of enclosure by opening up the indoor

space to use the loggia, and can easily open or close the glazed louvers of the loggia. According to

the architects, the inset balconies, or loggias, are about 10 m

and designed to accommodate the

comfortable placement of a table for outside dining (Dietmar Feichtinger Architectes 2012). The

balconies are part of the adaptability strategy in that they create enlarged indoor–outdoor dining

or living spaces that can be accessed seasonally or at various times of the day as needed.

The Grand Parc housing (2017) in Bordeaux, France, by Lacaton Vassal, is a renovation to an existing

multifamily housing building, and it also has examples of active balconies. The project has several

kinds of balconies, small private balconies, and also balconies are used as new access to front

doors for the units. The new access to units provides new indoor–outdoor balcony space added

around the outside of the building (Lacaton Vassal 2021). The concept relates to the architects’

design approach of ‘plus’ or ‘more’, meaning that they aim to renovate existing buildings by

adding rather than subtracting from the building uses and from the physical building form (Druot

et al. 2007). These are examples of active balconies because people use the space in the new

covered walkway by opening their front door. This covered corridor space has a high degree of

programmatic adaptability: it is a semi-public space that can be used to chat with neighbors, share

a meal, or store bikes and shoes. It can function as a front porch or a shared terrace or courtyard

space. It has a high degree of thermal comfort adaptability as the exterior walls can be opened or

closed via sliding screens, and there is even a narrow outer balcony beyond the covered corridor.

Figure 2: Examples of active

balconies illustrating their

convertible and adaptable

properties for enabling an

adaptable dwelling.

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4.2.2 Passive balconies

Passive balconies are deﬁned here as those that restrict convertibility, or where adapting the

enclosure to suit different needs would be more expensive or difﬁcult have a lower degree of

adaptability. As with active balconies, passive balconies can be personalized by the inhabitant,

and can be re-designed and adapted to suit speciﬁc needs. A difference is that in passive balconies

the changes would happen less easily and frequently. When the convertibility and adaptability is

low, and changes by the inhabitant are less practical, these adaptable spaces are termed ‘passive

balconies’ (

Figure 3

An example of a passive balcony is White Clouds (2017) in Saintes, France, by Poggi Architecture,

which has balconies that protrude from the exterior, providing a semi-enclosed indoor–outdoor

space. These can act as a multipurpose room and be used as a garden shed, greenhouse, sitting

space, storage, or an extension of recreational indoor living spaces. The designers intended

these ‘pièces supplémentaires’, or additional rooms, to be used in different ways by residents

depending on the seasons, and to have sufﬁcient depth, size, and proportions to be useful

for people and activities, such as dining, not just storage (Poggi Architecture n.d.). The project

does not have a high degree of adaptability in balcony space because the outdoor area can be

adjusted programmatically, based on residents’ needs, but it would be difﬁcult and impractical

to adjust the level of enclosure of the balcony regularly. The protruding balconies and the metal

mesh enclosures are a deﬁning architectural feature of the building, and a way of creating a

personalized or identiﬁable facade for each unit. The window-sized opening in the mesh indicates

a view window, and adds to the experience of this being an outdoor room.

Another example of the passive balcony typology is the Habitat 67 (1967) housing in Montreal,

Canada. This housing project was designed as an exploration in both construction and typological

innovations where the traditionally ground-oriented courtyard could be combined with the multi-

unit residential building. The result is a modular framework that takes advantage of the negative

spaces in between, and on top of, units (Merin n.d.). These become residential terraces. The

Figure 3: Examples of passive

balconies illustrating their

limitations for convertibility.

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terraces, on the other hand, are adaptable because of their loose ﬁt to each unit. These terraces

offer opportunities for residents to have personalizable space that is adaptable in use, although

not in form. There are limited ways to vary the enclosure. The terraces have minimal open/close

functionality, and are accessed via sliding doors from the living area (Merin n.d.). There have been

some examples where residents have renovated the unit and added temporary and permanent

enclosure outside in this space.

5. DISCUSSION

This framing of the adaptable balcony concept adds new knowledge to this area of housing

research with a focus on analyzing the adaptability of indoor–outdoor connectivity in apartment

housing. Reimagining balconies as dynamic environments in the scenario of home adaptability

shows how they can contribute to the efﬁcient use of space in apartment housing while also

supporting residents’ mental and psychological wellbeing.

The examples given in Section 4.2 show how the balcony design can allow for user-driven

adaptability. The following discussion highlights a series of areas of enquiry that relate to balcony

design for adaptable housing.

5.1 WHAT MAKES A BALCONY MORE USEFUL FROM AN ADAPTABILITY

PERSPECTIVE?

The ﬁrst requirement for an adaptable balcony is to be functional, and the balcony should be

a useable space. This relates to the functionality parameter. Important considerations are the

size and proportions of the spaces. There has to be enough space for varying functions and

activities. According to Aydin & Sayar, this should be considered the functional performance of the

balcony and the qualities of the space relate to the usability of the balcony (Aydin & Sayar 2021).

Considerations such as orientation, ratio and the relationship with the environment must be

considered, along with understanding the purpose of the balcony, its role in daily life, and usage

hours. Another consideration is the location and placement of the balconies in relation to the

ﬂoorplan because this impacts on functionality. For example, some balconies are accessible only

from the bedroom, and thus are unable to provide extensions of the living space. An important

consideration around functionality is that the inhabitant of the space and their behavior are

central to how indoor–outdoor spaces and balconies are used. All the examples in

Table 1

were

considered in terms of their functionality. For example, the balconies at Savonnerie Heymans

housing (2011) in Brussels, Belgium, by MDW Architecture are functional and the balconies are

large, useable, and adaptable.

Convertibility is also a fundamental attribute of the adaptable balcony and it relates to how

residents are able to vary the level of enclosure to suit their needs. Climate and weather are

important factors in how and when a balcony will be used by residents. Balconies in a tropical

climate such as Singapore may be more often arranged in an open position to provide shading or

outdoor space year-round, whereas balconies in rainy Vancouver in Canada may be more often

closed off from the weather. The analysis of adaptable balconies was unable to ﬁnd clear evidence

about which enclosure types, e.g. loggia style or open-air designs, promoted adaptability. The

literature review sought papers that examined people’s comfort on balconies. However, most of

the studies on this topic were related to evaluating how a balcony impacts the thermal or visual

comfort within the dwelling, rather than the comfort of the person using the balcony. For example,

researchers have identiﬁed design parameters such as a balcony’s size and enclosure design,

its conﬁguration and location, and its internal dividers as having a great inﬂuence on inducing

air speed inside the building (Mohammadi et al. 2010), but no mention is made concerning the

thermal comfort of those using the balcony. Visual and auditory privacy, feeling overlooked or

overlooking others, and location of the balcony on the facade all impact how often and in which

ways people use their balconies. For example, the Grand Parc housing by Lacaton Vassal has easily

convertible, adaptable balconies. The indoor–outdoor spaces are functional and residents are

able to personalize the space and put things outside such as furniture, and lighting. This ability is

important for adaptability and comfort.

275Peters and Masoudinejad

Buildings and Cities

DOI: 10.5334/bc.191

5.2 BALCONIES CONTRIBUTING TO AN ADAPTABLE DWELLING

A dwelling should have a level of adaptability to facilitate the indoor–outdoor integration and

division. The relationship of the dwelling to the balcony, e.g. ease of access, such as the number of

steps up to get outside, or whether access is from a living room space or a bedroom, also impact

comfort and ease of use. The literature review did not ﬁnd studies on the relationship between the

adaptability of dwellings and speciﬁc design requirements of balconies. However, some important

practical considerations arose in the case studies of adaptable balconies. For example, a balcony

space may be used differently when it is directly connected to relevant interior spaces. The ZAC

Claude Bernard in Paris has balconies designed to provide an extension to the dining area. The

balconies are therefore accessed via the dining room and aim to be integrated into the overall

unit adaptability. The architects designed the balconies with this intention, rather than providing

a smaller balcony designed to serve as a bike storage area or a small place in which to stand or sit

(Dietmar Feichtinger Architectes 2012).

In terms of the framing of the adaptable balcony concept and its primary parameters (functionality,

convertibility, and dwelling adaptability), there is a need for new methods and language relating to

adaptable apartment housing that prioritizes outdoor spaces. According to De Paris & Lopes (2018:

90), housing must be regarded ‘as a constantly adaptable space that needs to possess ﬂexibility

to transform’. Not only are technical and material considerations important, but also cultural

issues need to be investigated more deeply, and further research is needed on the consequences

of space modiﬁcation. De Paris and Lopes argue that there is a need for a new methodology

to evaluate adaptability, which should consider the dynamics of spaces with their geometry,

accesses, infrastructure, structure, proportions, partitions, and envelopes. Schmidt & Austin (2016)

also argue that one should consider buildings as spaces designed to change over time, and in

their theory of adaptable housing the authors reﬂect on many different kinds of changes that take

place in buildings. There is a great potential to better use balconies, and to take greater care in the

design of these spaces so that they support adaptability in apartment housing.

5.3 LIMITATIONS

This study is an initial step towards deﬁning and reframing adaptable balconies in multifamily

housing. It is a preliminary study to provide the necessary theoretical foundation and area of focus

before incorporating future ﬁeldwork to visit apartment units and interview residents about their

balconies. The initial goal was to identify speciﬁc ranges for adaptable balcony design including

size, proportion, direction, privacy, and amount of enclosure, but based on this small sample of

analyzed designs, the ﬁndings are not generalizable given the wide range of balcony examples in

different climates, suiting different user needs.

There are some limitations to this study. An understanding of inhabitants’ balcony preferences

and how proximity to other buildings, views, and density impact people’s satisfaction is an area

of research that could be further explored. This study did not tackle the question of whether and

how balconies add value to dwellings. For example, the question of whether balconies should

be counted by building owners or developers as ‘saleable area’ and marketed as living space

is debatable. In some cities, enclosing existing balconies with glazing is a way to increase the

marketable size of the apartment (Geller 2019). The present study focused on balconies and

apartment units rather than the larger building and neighborhood context and therefore did not

consider the role of balconies in the larger context.

6. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK

In the wake of Covid-19 and the waves of stay-at-home orders, apartment residents have higher

expectations of their dwellings to provide multiple functions. Additionally, there is a need for

an immediate private outdoor space at home to support residents’ health and wellbeing. The

adaptable balcony can contribute to both needs. In apartment housing, balconies can provide this

outdoor space and contribute to a dwelling’s adaptability. This paper developed the adaptable

276Peters and Masoudinejad

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DOI: 10.5334/bc.191

balcony concept as a way to understand more deeply the role of this indoor–outdoor space. Based

on the analysis of built examples of balcony design and use, several balcony typologies were

identiﬁed and discussed for their ability to support housing adaptability within a dwelling.

There is a need for more research into speciﬁc design strategies for improving indoor–outdoor

connectivity in multifamily housing. In particular, future research must analyze how designers

can play more of a role in amplifying positive and adaptable design strategies to better use

balcony spaces.

Future work must also consider urban apartment balconies using an equity and inclusion lens,

since the provision of adequate outdoor space should be a requirement for all housing, and this

issue impacts certain resident groups more signiﬁcantly than others. There is a need for more social

science and building science research into which residents use which kinds of balcony spaces in

the city, to inform design guidelines for more equitable access to outdoor space. Field studies and

interviews will be an important next step for this project.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thank the editor and co-guest editors of the special issue for creating the intellectual

space for this contribution. They are grateful to the three anonymous reviewers whose insightful

comments helped to strengthen the arguments made.

AUTHOR AFFILIATIONS

Terri Peters orcid.org/0000-0001-9029-3588

Department of Architectural Science, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, CA

Sepideh Masoudinejad

orcid.org/0000-0002-1787-9547

Construction Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON, CA

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS

Initial draft, analysis, and literature review: TP and SM. SM undertook a more reﬁned analysis. TP

was responsible for managing the work, and both participated equally in revisions and production

of the latter versions of this paper.

COMPETING INTERESTS

The authors have no competing interests to declare.

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Peters, T., & Masoudinejad, S.

(2022). Balconies as adaptable

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Submitted: 17 October 2021

Accepted: 25 March 2022

Published: 20 April 2022

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