Quarantine is an environment that constrains and restricts, providing one with ample time to observe and ponder not only the details and dust particles of the room's interior, (see: https://voussoirs.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-quarantine-room-analysis.html?m=0 and https://voussoirs.blogspot.com/2021/01/quarantine-air.html ), but also those elements of the vistas that can be seen framed by the fixed windows – the street; the people; the adjacent buildings; the neighbours – ordinary ‘outside’ daily life itself: see below. Standing opposite this quarantine hotel, across a narrow lane to the east, was a large apartment block with over 400 units. On the north, in the mid-distance on higher ground, were more apartment blocks. The local area had been designated for a specific density of special development by the planners, and the developers had happily obliged. There was the suggestion that this precinct might become a new commercial core of the city.
Each apartment in every building that could be seen had its balcony that appeared to be an essential requirement for all accommodation units; but these outdoor ledges seemed to be there more for cliché appearance than for any function, as if to identify each apartment, and give some 'character' to the edifice. During the two weeks of incarceration, all of the balconies in view were seen to be used on only three occasions by a person or people, and on one occasion by a dog. Surprisingly, the balconies seemed to hold as little interest for the canine occupants, as they did for the human residents. So why have balconies?
We had no windows that could be opened, so weather conditions could only be checked online and observed through tinted glazing. One could see the sunny times, the rain, the cloudy days, and the wind-blown leaves on the trees. It was the wind that surprised, frequently gusting along the streets, raising the question: did the towers cause these unusual breezy conditions? Might it be that the balconies were made uncomfortable because of the exposure to sun, rain, and these gusts?
It seemed certain that this extra balcony floor space would be much more useful if it were enclosed, offering the possibility of controlling the exposure of these small areas, managing their micro environments. The problem here is the method of calculation of floor area allowed in the development. The balcony is an ‘extra’ area, and plays a different role in the calculation of GFA to that of the interior zones: enclose it, and the calculations change. All the mathematical benefits that accrue from this additional open space are lost, irrespective of the minimal differences in functions: so the balconies are left exposed as open space.
Even though they might be elaborately fitted out with chairs, tables, benches, plants, and barbecues, the balconies remained mostly unused. Only a few folk were ever seen in these outdoor spaces: a couple residents were hanging out washing; another was observed reading the newspaper while supping on the morning beverage. Strangely, the situation remained the same for street activity: although there were over 400 units, as with the balconies, there were very few people ever seen on the footpath, either coming or going. What was happening?
The plans of the apartments were looked up online. These were budget spaces, crammed with every essential one could reasonably expect to make them attractive, all fitted into a minimum number of compact areas. There was the kitchen, living, dining space; the bedroom or rooms, the ensuite(s), with a recess for a laundry and a small bookshelf built into one wall. These were little places. One might have thought that a balcony would have offered a grand opportunity to spread out; but no: puzzlingly, the outdoor areas were not used with any everyday frequency for what appeared to be their intended function: they looked as though they were unnecessary accessories, a remarkable luxury given the tight planning.
The benefits of an enclosed balcony were obvious; the apartment would have an extra room, albeit as modest as the existing spaces. Depending on the type of enclosure, the area could still be opened up differently to the other areas to become the equivalent of a balcony, if needed. One wonders why the rules are not varied to allow more functionally useful places to be created. Might it be that developers are already seen to be very astute, shrewd, and cunning when it comes to interpreting the present rules, making authorities wary on how they might manipulate or abuse any relaxation or modification to balcony conditions?
The twin towers of Gleneagles in New Farm, Brisbane, enclosed the balcony of each apartment with much success, creating miniature ‘sun’ rooms or a ‘conservatory’ for each bed-sit space. These tiny areas became an extension of the living area; sometimes the dining space, depending on the occupant’s needs. The outcome was so impressive, that one has to argue for open balconies to go, to be abolished, and be replaced with flexible enclosed places. Surely rules can be framed to minimise abuse; or have planners lost the ability to write anything other than vague, ambiguous, ‘motherhood’ documents that set the framework for negotiating, wheeling and dealing with ‘mates’?
Something has to happen to make some sense of these decorative, outdoor places that presently have no useful function other than some perceived possibilities that never materialise, or as a drying space, in spite of being a major part of the expression of apartment towers. One suspects that balconies have become selling points, there for the visual delight of the gazing eye fantasising about dwelling in an apartment. Do the facts of habitation and its experience soon show how useless these external ledges are, turning hope into a sad despair, and happy outdoor places into laundry extras or storage areas?
We need to find a way to make the dreams come true, or just forget the balcony as an essential element of any apartment: balconies should be there for happy, healthy dwelling, not just for sales, for laundry, or the occasional cigarette. We need to answer the question: what should a balcony be? - and then do our best to make these annexures vital areas for happy, high-rise habitation.
The balcony needs to become a multi-function edge condition, that space between inside and out that can be either/or, providing comfort and purpose for any option seen either as inside or outside, to allow the enjoyment of the delights of the in-between, instead of the discovery of the hopelessness of styled exterior ledges pretending to offer an impossible dream, as seen in the magazines: c.f. Aldo van Eyck Team 10 Primer 1963 ed. Allison Smithson - the richness of 'twin phenomena.'
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