Balconies

[angelo 0]

While seeing photos of mostly north European and American apartment/loft residential buildings, I felt something was strange. Lately, I realized that this feeling was caused by the lack of balconies in those buildings.

 Why the hell don't they have balconies? Is it because of the climate? At north Europe for example, is it too cold at any time of the year for someone to have a balcony to hang out at? Or do they have them at their back side? Balconies are common in Greece where I live. Of course, it gets quite hot in the summer so we have a reason to use them. But we also use them to dry out our clothes for example.

I just got a couple of photos (from my balcony ).

It's probably a stupid question... but I'll DIE if I don't know WHY THEY DON'T HAVE BALCONIES!

[Mulefisk 15]

Well it's true that many american flats dont have balconies, but here in Norway, whis is about as north in Europe as you get, nearly all apartments have balconies. The winters here are pretty cold, so I don't think it's the climatre that decides wether or not balconies are built.

[paperboy15 4]

It's probably due to the era? Look at the first picture and compare it to the second two...which buildings look way older?

Also, traditional loft apartments were (generally) converted from some other use, so that plays a factor as well.

Balconies are very common in the States...just not as noticeable due to all the low-density housing.

[hamsterTK 93]

I think its a climate thing

In the southern us and on the west coast, balconies are more common I think

[ILL Tonkso 1,236]

A lot of UK Apartments have some sort of Balcony, around half of them in Portsmouth do.

[josefmayor 8]

Almost every building in the heart of the historic district of Tampa (Ybor) has a balcony.

[YourNickname 0]

I think it has more to do with the social dynamic of a building rather than its climate or country of origin. Apartment complexes will inevitably have balconies because people feel enclosed when they live on top of each other like that. The balcony would provide a much-needed place to breathe.

The lower levels of those buildings in the Netherlands have recently been gutted to make way for garages, or so it appears in that picture. Those were probably shops originally, and the families who owned and opperated them lived above the shop. Unrelated people probably didn't live in the same building (I have a feeling those displayed were rather affluent for the time of their construction), so the feeling of being packed in with strangers wouldn't have happened. And if it did, in place of a balcony, we see wide, floor-to-ceiling windows providing the same "ability to breathe" feeling.

Finally, if that doesn't make sense, balconies are preferrably private, and would be better suited on the backside of a building (like they are in NYC's 19th century townhouses, and where some very well might be on those Dutch buildings. I'm not an expert on 18th century Frisian architecture, but if you try to imagine balconies on the front of those buildings, they become a little odd looking.) That backside luxury is something modern apartment complexes don't have, as apartment units do not run the length of the building.