Tales of Balconies

Balconies are transitional spaces - both inside and outside, public and private. The pandemic has shown us the effect a simple balcony can have for our wellbeing. This thesis investigates the balcony as an architectural element and explores the potential that lies in the interface between a housing unit and its context – highlighting or erasing it.

This thesis seeks to explore the balcony, as an architectural element, a function and a space, its limits and possibilities, urban housing design. The thesis gathers a collection of architectural studies focusing on the interface between the interior and the exterior, that separately explore various aspects of the main subject.\nAs the contemporary balconies usually take shape as large cantilevers independent from each other, the building and the context, this thesis is a reaction to this generic trend. Diversity and distinction are therefore key aspirations.\nThe thesis distances itself from the technical definition of a balcony as a cantilevering element from the body of a building and rather investigates the theme of balcony as a program and an opportunity space from a cultural perspective.\nThe thesis is a design project, yet with a historical and referential backdrop and conseptual studies in order to understand the origin and the nature of the subject.