Nowadays, a loggia and a balcony are the constant companions of a residential building. And some lucky ones are owners of an apartment with several additional rooms at once. Interestingly, when put into operation, neither the loggia nor the balcony is literally a room suitable for habitation, but with a great desire of the residents, they can become one. What is the difference between a balcony and a loggia, and which one is better - these are questions that interest many. Especially young people who choose their future home.
Balcony - definition
Initially, it is necessary to decide which areas can be called a loggia and a balcony. This can help when choosing an apartment to buy.
A balcony (translated from several European languages - a beam) is a platform with enclosing railings that protrudes from the outside of the building and has a passage to the interior. In fact, this is a hanging slab, permanently fixed at one end in the outer wall of the building. The other three sides have only a fence.
History of the balcony
For the first time as an element of architecture appeared in the East. In Europe, for the first time, balconies began to be built in the 13th century, using them as hinged loopholes on the fortress walls to pour resin on the heads of attackers. Later they began to be used as an architectural decoration.
Many people remember the famous scene with a declaration of love from Romeo to Juliet. The girl was on the balcony. This is a confirmation of the fact that in Shakespeare's time such an element of buildings was common in the homes of nobles and wealthy merchants.
In different countries, their own, different types of balconies appeared, the features of which depended primarily on the weather conditions in a particular area:
- In regions with a warm climate - open areas.
- In areas where it is hot - structures with a canopy.
- In areas with frequent rains and cool winters - bay windows (semicircular enclosed spaces).
In Russia, structures of this type began to spread widely in the 19th century, when construction was already carried out using metal and concrete. Cast-iron prefabricated platforms appeared, which gained great popularity. In the future, technologies only improved and led to the creation of a modern balcony design. So, with the advent of reinforced concrete slabs, fastening on beams went down in history, which made it possible to increase the size of the site.
Loggia - what is it?
Thanks to the Italian language, the beautiful-sounding word "loggia" appeared in our vocabulary. It means not a hinged, but a room built directly into the house, having walls on three sides and being an internal accessory of the building. In fact, it is a niche.
Please note: if the apartment is angular, then the walls near the loggia can only be on two sides.
Currently, the owner of the apartment decides on his own whether to glaze his loggia or leave it in its original form. The dissonance of loggias glazed in different ways leads to a spoiled appearance of the facade of the building, therefore, in large cities, houses under construction with such structures began to be glazed during the construction process.
The difference between a loggia and a balcony: we compare according to different parameters
How to understand the difference between a balcony and a loggia? After all, glazed structures approach each other in terms of their functions and even in appearance.
First of all, a balcony and a loggia differ from each other in practical implementation - the first design is hinged, the second is built-in.
- An open balcony often plays the role of a decorative element of the building and is used by the residents of the house as a platform for relaxing and staying outdoors.
- The loggia, due to its closeness, even without glazing, allows not only to “go out for a breath”, but also to place pieces of furniture, storage cabinets.
Dimensions
Another difference between a loggia and a balcony is in their area:
- The balcony is limited by the area of the slab protruding from the facade of the building, which usually has standard dimensions. However, they may differ in houses built by private developers.
- The loggia is limited by the size of the rooms to which it adjoins. The length of such an additional room may include a kitchen and one of the bedrooms, and its width will be standard.
If you need to have more free space, it makes sense to choose an apartment with a loggia.
Load bearing capacity
When comparing the bearing capacity of a loggia and a balcony, the first type of construction wins:
- the balcony has restrictions on the total weight of pieces of furniture and equipment that can be installed on it, since it itself is a remote structure;
- the loggia does not have such restrictions - you can install the same items on it as in any room of the apartment.
Possibility of arrangement
For insulation and glazing of the balcony, it is required to carry out work on its three free sides. This increases the cost of installing double-glazed windows because three structures need to be made that need to be connected. For similar work on the loggia - with only one. But for the owner of the balcony, the financial costs may be lower due to the smaller area of \u200b\u200bthe room. Especially if it is decided to insulate both the floor and the ceiling.
There is another advantage of the loggia - you can make any room in it at the request of the owner. It can be an office, a recreation room or a winter garden. Very often they combine a kitchen with a loggia, then in addition to the total area, a heated dining room is obtained. The transfer of sections of central heating batteries to the balcony is prohibited. Therefore, it is more problematic to make a warm room out of it for the winter, since it will be necessary to heat the additional room with electrical appliances.
And yet, which is better - a balcony or a loggia? From their comparison, we can conclude that an apartment with a balcony area is preferable if we consider this design from an aesthetic point of view. From the position of practicality, the richness of the possibilities of the loggia looks more attractive. The choice is yours!
