Analysing The Impact of Balcony, a private shared open space, on liveability in high density living

SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE VIJAYAWADA

Analysing The Impact of Balcony, a private shared open space, on liveability in high density living Souravi Halder, 1170100715 Department of Architecture, School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada

Abstract As the number of high rise apartment buildings significantly increases in most cities across the globe, their ability to deliver quality lifestyles for residents becomes an issue of sustainability for the community. While apartment architecture may have responded to international design trends, buildings that relate climatically and culturally to their location increase sustainability and liveability.

From medieval era to present time the role of balconies has changed in residential architecture.

Earlier, balconies were used to address the public by higher authorities and to provide a leisure view. However with time, as high density living became the major source of living style among the public, balconies played an important role in giving the user a sense of freedom and connectivity among the claustrophobic small spaces. Its impact can be felt especially during lockdown for pandemic, balcony became the only source of communication with nature and surrounding people at a distance.

Keywords: Apartments, Balcony as an element of design, Exo spatial Design, Liveability, , Private open space, Psychological territory

Introduction The number of tall apartment buildings significantly increases in most cities across the world; their ability to deliver quality lifestyles for residents becomes a problem of sustainability for the community. While apartment architecture may answer international design trends, buildings that relate culturally and climatically to their location increase sustainability and liveability.

Private open spaces in the residential environment are an extension of the home and offer residents access to the external environment with some degree of privacy and territorial control. The success with

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which residents are able to enjoy this space undisturbed, yet at the same time have the possibility of engaging visually into adjacent public space, is important and is also significantly related to the concept of "neighborhood” attachment. A sense of community is important for managing governance issues in multiresidential environments. In this sense, communal outdoor spaces in high-rise complexes are essentially places that enable residents to establish social interaction and recognition. interactional spaces that enhance human experiences must have basic spatial prerequisites for casual contacts or "neighbourliness” such as: inherent functionality; feeling of spaciousness combined with complexity, formal order and structure of enclosure (as in defined edge, screen or shelter); and aesthetic content particularly natural elements and upkeep quality.

Backyard in the sky: The Garden in the Machine’s open green areas offer play space close to home Image Source: International Journal Of High Rise Buildings by Jeanne Garg

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Comparative attributes of private open spaces (Source: Neighborhood spaces in residential environments: Lessons for contemporary Indian context)

This paper presents evidence that private outdoor spaces such as balconies are one of the most desirable features of apartment in They contribute to residents' perceptions of liveability and provide extra living space for wide number of everyday domestic activities. Residents view these spaces as important alternative spaces that provide flexibility and a feeling of spaciousness with spatial and environmental qualities distinct from the indoor living environment.

A balcony is one of the green features that could be incorporated into the design of buildings. It offers several advantages over traditional window designs. From a user’s perspective, a balcony may provide a panoramic view and a more spacious indoor environment. From an environmental standpoint, Griffiths (1999) considers a balcony an integrated "environmental filter". Its projected structure can enhance

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energy efficiency by acting as a sun-shading device, provide a planting space, and mitigate air pollution and traffic noise.

Balcony as an Extension of Home Most residents surveyed had a balcony at their current location (89%) and most (87%) considered the physical and spatial design of the balcony to be an “important” to "extremely important"influence on their experiences of everyday living functions, spaciousness, privacy and control of indoor environment comfort.

Only 16% had a private garden but most (83%) reported that this was not a priority in their choice of accommodation. The majority of residents (88%) spent, on average, one or more hours per week on their balcony and used it for a wide variety of social and non-social domestic activities. Entertaining (85%), eating meals and/or cooking meals (74%), growing and tending plants (66%) and drying laundry (62%) were the top four balcony uses. 19% also stored household goods on the balcony.

Approximately one in five (21%) of residents used their balcony areas for other activities including: reading, relaxing, studying, keeping pets, or exercising. 8% desired more space on their balcony and 3% had enclosed their balconies. A small number wanted to add a balcony. Design features that enhance resident control of indoor environment quality including thermal comfort, were very important to all participants, with 83% nominating that they were most likely to open the windows and doors when thinking about” climate control” in summer. Continuous air-conditioning was rarely desired by residents as a function of dwellings. While 78% of survey residents reported having air conditioning (a/c), 61% reported using a/c on only a few days or nights when "really needed” in summer, while 9% used a/c throughout summer.

Interviews revealed that residents were strongly aware of the links between climate-responsive design for thermal comfort, actions for energy conservation, and availability of an external mediating space such as the balcony. Residents’ knowledge of climate extended to the effect of diurnal and seasonal solar orientation on their dwelling. They desired the ability to have nuanced control over their dwellings degree of exposure to the sun’s heat and light and access to breezes, with the balcony acting as a kind of environmental buffer zone for climate modulation (capturing morning or afternoon sun in winter; excluding sun in summer; capturing and controlling prevailing breezes; managing wind effects).

Lack of a balcony was considered to be an omission in good apartment design:” Otherwise we'd want a townhouse and a (private) courtyard where you could go and sit out. Especially with the climate we’ve got here.” The affordance of natural ventilation, views and daylight were viewed as essential for the subtropical lifestyle for example: "I think it's one of the worst designs I've ever seen in my life.

Elevation and Section of the Balconies/ Jharokha illustrating the interconnectivity between two units across the street at Jaipur

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Types of balcony based upon their Coverage Image Source: International Journal Of High Rise Buildings by Jeanne Garg

There's actually no outdoor living whatsoever, no balconies at all. You’ve got windows that you can just open the top. You're relying totally on air conditioning and a controlled environment. And I think that’s bad.” Winter usage of a/c was considered absurd. Private open space was also considered a social buffer zone that residents used to manage visual and acoustic boundaries within the residence and externally.

Residents remarked on how external private space contributed to a sense of spaciousness, and offered them an alternative place of occupation without necessitating social contact. lmportantly, a private balcony allowed the resident to move to an outdoor space without leaving the residence. Visual privacy was considered “important to very important” by 75% of residents. Residents did not like "overlooking” their neighbors, nor to be "overlooked'; and expressed a preference for balconies located on the more ‘anonymous’ street side rather than balconies overlooking communal courtyard spaces. Residents (88%) considered aural privacy to be "important to very important. Loss of outdoor amenity caused by placement of air-conditioning equipment (condensers that generate heat and noise) in the balcony space was also a source of annoyance to residents and neighbors.

In apartment buildings, a balcony is often a resident's only access to private open space. It is usually located at the semi-public “front” of a dwelling where a high degree of transparency provides minimum privacy, lack of utility and exacerbates problems of perceived unsightliness by others, possibly leading to public perceptions of the low amenity of the buildings themselves. Rather than maximizing views and amenity, and having a positive effect on public space, extensive glazing actually inhibits residents’ use of balconies by offering little sun protection, and aggravating other environmental mechanisms. While better design solutions that achieve visual and aural privacy, acoustic shielding from traffic noise, spaciousness, multi-purpose functionality, casual surveillance, and views are achievable, they are a low priority to developers who wish to present expansive views as the most desirable factor for

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potential residents. The glazed balustrade may have a high impact at point of sale but meets few other liveability attributes in the subtropics.

Interaction Close to Home — People Prefer to Keep Their Distance Communal spaces and facilities were used infrequently by many residents who preferred interactions in community open space external to the building. For example, more than two thirds of residents surveyed had a swimming pool in their complex, yet only 10% used it on a daily basis; 31% stated they never used the pool; 40% used the communal pool about once a month; and 19% used it weekly. Interviews revealed residents liked to keep to themselves and valued privacy in shared areas. Some attributed this to concerns about invading other people's privacy or to others’ perceived territoriality. In addition, communal spaces could sometimes be poorly laid out or, climatically inhospitable — a no man's land. Residents sometimes used a communal barbeque but retreated to their private dwelling to eat or entertain. They were mostly happy to maintain a sociable "hello" relationship with their neighbors yet did not want to feel pressure or obligation to engage more deeply.

Analysis from Questionnaire Overall analysis of the questionnaire has previously been documented in Buys and Miller (2012) who found that residents indicated a high degree of satisfaction with both their neighborhood (50% "very much”; 23% "extremely’) and dwelling (51 %”very much”; 21 %”extremely”). An overview of these findings relevant to the topic of this paper are: residential satisfaction depends on a specific set of dwelling and neighborhood attributes — primarily dwelling location/position, dwelling design characteristics (layout and spaciousness, low energy climatic comfort considerations), level of neighborhood noise and the safety of the local area (social contacts in the neighborhood, upkeep of area, and walkability). When asked what they would change to increase satisfaction with their dwelling, the desire for more, larger, or better designed ‘space’ including outdoor space, was mentioned most frequently. Noise reduction was the next most mentioned design improvement; residents described how they wanted better sound insulation between dwelling units to minimize the negative impact of neighbors’voices and activities, as well as noise mitigation strategies such as double-glazed doors on a balcony toreduce traffic noise (Buys and IVliller 2012).

Discussion 1. Social Connectivity and Communal Bridge: As a typology, high-rise residential buildings have a unique set of challenges to becoming fully activated urban participants in the cities in which they are located. While there is a general recognition and appreciation that tall buildings provide identity to a city, there is often criticism of how they relate to their surroundings.

Balconies are an ancient architectural archetype that is being increasingly considered in multi-family buildings of high-density cities. During the global confinement, news and opinion articles emerged on public discussion about the growing use and appreciation of balconies, as well as the relevance of including these spaces in home design for the community’s welfare.

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User interaction Using Balcony For A Conversation

Image Source: International Journal Of High Rise Buildings by Jeanne Garg

2. Functionality Of Balconies The majority of residents spent, on average, one or more hours per week on their balcony and used it for a wide variety of social and non-social domestic activities. Entertaining (85%), eating meals and/or cooking meals (74%), growing and tending plants (66%) and drying laundry (62%) were the top four balcony uses.

19% also stored household goods on the balcony. Approximately one in five (21%) of residents used their balcony areas for other activities including: reading, relaxing, studying, keeping pets, or exercising. 8% desired more pace on their balcony and 3% had enclosed their balconies. A small number wanted to add a Life.

Balcony, external extension of an upper floor of a building, enclosed up to a height of about three feet by a solid or pierced screen, by balusters, or by railings. The balcony serves to enlarge the living space and range of activities possible in a dwelling without a garden or lawn. In many apartment houses the balcony is partly recessed to provide for both sunshine and shelter or shade. Private balconies and terraces should be an essential consideration when designing for residential units. They should attach directly to main indoor living areas, effectively creating an extension of these spaces. They may take the form of a recessed balcony, a cantilevered or semi-cantilevered balcony, a terrace, or a ground level deck. When well designed, balconies and terraces become important architectural elements, contributing positively to the form and articulation of a building.

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Analysis of the Types Of Balcony Used Image Source: Investigation of the effect of balconies of dwellings in high-rise residential buildings in subtropical climate Sara Omrani, Bianca Capra, Veronica Garcia Hansen and Robin Drogemuller Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia)

3. Sustainability Design features that enhance resident control of indoor environment quality including thermal comfort, were very important to all participants, with 83% nominating that they were most likely to open the windows and doors when thinking about “climate control “in summer. Continuous air-conditioning was rarely desired by residents as a function of dwellings. While 78% of survey residents reported having air-conditioning (a/c), 61% reported using a/c on only a few days or nights when "really needed “in summer, while 9% used a/c throughout summer.

Balconies exert various influences on the environmental behaviour of buildings, depending on their physical dimensions, whether they project from the structure, or are recessed, their height above ground and their disposition in relation to other projections or openings in the building (Papamanolis 2004). Good design needs to account for the ways that balconies influence: shading and natural daylighting; thermal transmission processes such as thermal bridging; wind loading and air flow across the facade; acoustics and sound insulation; and maintenance and appearance. Due to daily and seasonal variations in air temperatures, the sun's path, wind velocity and direction, relative humidity and rainfall, and temporal noise levels, associated with different locations and contexts, there is no single ideal condition that offers all the requirements at one time. Architects’ ingenuity and innovation in response to "place” is called for, rather than generic designs that are not delivering positive responses to the subtropical climate. Private open space was also considered a social buffer zone that residents used to manage visual and acoustic boundaries within the residence and externally.

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Study On Balcony Using solar graph and user analysis

Image Source: Investigation of the effect of balconies on natural ventilation of dwellings in high-rise residential buildings in subtropical climate Sara Omrani, Bianca Capra, Veronica Garcia Hansen and Robin Drogemuller Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

Residents remarked on how external private space contributed to a sense of spaciousness, and offered them an alternative place of occupation without necessitating social contact. Importantly, a private balcony allowed the resident to move to an outdoor space without leaving the residence. Visual privacy was considered “important to very important” by 75% of residents. Residents did not like "overlooking” their neighbours, nor to be "overlooked'; and expressed a preference for balconies located on the more ‘anonymous’ street side rather than balconies overlooking communal courtyard spaces. We desire light, air, and views. Solar carving grants solar access to the surrounding environments of the building, not just to benefit its interior. The community around a solar-carved building gains better shared spaces-a benefit for all. We desire highly connected communities in walkable, bike-friendly cities. Bridging can create outdoorto-outdoor public connections at the base of buildings in urban centers, rather than cordoning them offlimits or blocking connections with enormous dimensions.

As the scale of cities increases and goes vertical, and our social outlets become more and more virtual, these physical strategies help expand the ways people can meet each other and create relationships,

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alliances, and community within the city. Through these three points, we see our designs beginning to shape better social connectivity in, on, and around tall buildings.

Functionality and spatial relationship of balcony with the dwelling unit Image Source: Investigation of the effect of balconies of dwellings in high-rise residential buildings in subtropical climate Sara Omrani, Bianca Capra, Veronica Garcia Hansen and Robin Drogemuller Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia)

Case Study Of Gupta Haveli At Jaipur

Sectional elevation of the studied settlement showing the activities taking place in the outdoor and semi-outdoor spaces , balcony during winter days and summer evenings at haveli at Jaipur

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The following is a case study done at Gupta haveli in Jaipur.

The study ascertained that the chabutra has performed its role as a transitional space and social facilitator in most seasons at varying times of the day used differently by diverse age groups. Its proportions were deemed suitable after analysis and recommendations of placing it only on front facades or near activity areas were found useful. On the other hand the Jharokha or balcony has facilitated significant connection from the upper levels being used simultaneously as a buffer and multi-activity space that changes quality with varying seasons and time. Its width was found to be narrow at places and increasing it while shading the top were considered prudent for contemporary usage. Then again the verandah has performed the role of buffer space.

Both from the inside and outside improving accessibility and transition in addition to being considered comfortable in almost all seasons by the residents and is suggested to be wide enough for multi-functional activities Resultantly it has facilitated social interactions and bonhomie with neighbors becoming grounds for larger gatherings and physical accessibility too. In all this study of a small settlement has given an insight of spaces in the house form that have been significant in creating useful socio-cultural interaction within the community. Lessons and recommendations from these may become basis of their adaptation in the contemporary housing context of the city and aid in imparting the same sense of belonging and identity.

Comparative Balcony and Verandah’s User Analysis at Haveli At Jaipur

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Conclusion This paper presents evidence that private outdoor spaces such as balconies are one of the most desirable features of apartment buildings in subtropical cities in .They contribute to residents’ perceptions of liveability and provide extra living space for a wide number of everyday domestic activities. Residents view these spaces as important alternative spaces that provide flexibility and a feeling of spaciousness with spatial and environmental qualities distinct from the indoor living environment. lt is less clear how collective open spaces are contributing to perceptions of liveability, however, we are not suggesting that such space is not important. It is more likely that the role of communal spaces is less-well understood, and they are provided in compliance with regulations rather than being well-integrated that fact that resident satisfaction would be enhanced by accommodation for privacy and climate-responsive design is a good starting point for considering what is needed to enhance the contribution of collection open space to apartment liveability, and to counter the ever-increasing extent of external glazing used in apartment buildings’ materiality. Balcony, external extension of an upper floor of a building, enclosed up to a height of about three feet by a solid or pierced screen, by balusters , or by railings. 

The balcony serves to enlarge the living space and range of activities possible in a dwelling without a garden or lawn.

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However with time, as high density living became the major source of living style among the public, balconies played an important role in giving the user a sense of freedom and connectivity among the claustrophobic small spaces.

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Its impact can be felt especially during lockdown for pandemic, balcony became the only source of communication with nature and surrounding people at a distance.

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Balconies also effect the internal air flow pattern and ventilation performance of multi-storey residential buildings with internal partitions. Hence, also forms a source for creating low carbon footprint built forms.

Acknowledgements I would like to thank my college for providing the opportunity to write the research paper and my faculty for guiding me throughout the research paper.

References Research Papers 1. The impact of private and shared open space on liveability in subtropical apartment buildings by Rosemary Kennedy and Lauries Bays ( CTBUH Research Paper) The paper talks about that private balconies are highly valued and resident satisfaction would be enhanced by spaciousness for diverse activities, privacy and climate responsive design.

2. Three points of the residential high rise: designing for social connectivity by Jeanne Garg ( CTBUH Research Paper) The paper discusses the terms “exo-spatial design”, “solar-craving”, and “bridging” as strategies for creating more socially connective buildings.

P a g e | 13 3. A Review of Balcony Impacts on the Indoor Environmental Quality of Dwellings Catarina Ribeiro 1,*, Nuno M. M. Ramos 1 and Inês FloresColen 2 1 CONSTRUCT-LFC, Faculdade de Engenharia (FEUP), Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s/n, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal; nmmr@fe.up.pt 2 CERIS, DECivil, Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, This article aims to provide a comprehensive review of the impacts of balcony types on the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and energy consumption of dwellings.

4. OPPORTUNITIES AND BENEFITS OF GREEN BALCONIES AND TERRACES IN URBAN CONDITIONS Emina MLADENOVIĆ1, Milena LAKIĆEVIĆ1, Lazar PAVLOVIĆ1 Ksenija HIEL1, Jelena PADEJČEV1 The paper tested the hypothesis that a third dimension of urban gardening, in the form of green terraces and balconies, is of immense importance to the public well-being, mitigating climate changes and contributing to a more pleasant life in highly urbanized zones.

5. The Imbalances Caused to the Rhythm of Social Life During the Days of the Pandemic: The New Operation of Balconies in Italy and Greece by Cristina Ricci and Zachary Stamatakis The article talks about the impact of Covid as on people’s lives and how the balcony uplifted people’s psychological mind.

6. Investigation of the effect of balconies on natural ventilation of dwellings in high-rise residential buildings in subtropical climate Sara Omrani, Bianca Capra, Veronica Garcia Hansen and Robin Drogemuller Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia s.omrani@qut.edu.au, b.capra@qut.edu.au, v.garciahansen@qut.edu.au, robin.drogemuller@qut.edu.au The article explores the effect of balconies on the internal air flow pattern and ventilation performance of multi-storey residential buildings with internal partitions.

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https://www.tudelft.nl/en/architecture-and-the-built-environment/about-thefaculty/departments/architecture/organisation/disciplines/methods-of-analysis-and-imagination/research-publication/balconyexhibition/ https://avermaete.arch.ethz.ch/researchprojects/balcony http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200409-the-history-of-balconies http://waterlooarchitecture.com/bridge/blog/2015/01/19/thesis-adaptive-balconies/ http://www.aucklanddesignmanual.co.nz/sites-and-buildings/apartments/guidance/outdoor-spaces/balconies-private-outdoorspaces https://www.livabl.com/2017/11/8-tips-designing-balconies-people-will-actually-use.html

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