A balcony (from , "scaffold") is a platform that typically projects from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor. They are commonly found on multi-level houses, apartments and buildings.

Types

Cantilever balconies are a type of balcony where there is no visible support structure underneath, so it appears to float. Recessed balconies sit within the boundary of a buildings facade, so are the least exposed type of balcony. Stacked balconies are attached to a buildings facade, whilst being supported by pillars beneath.

A Juliet balcony does not protrude out of the building. It is usually part of an upper floor, with a balustrade only at the front, resembling a small loggia. A modern Juliet balcony often involves a metal barrier placed in front of a high window that can be opened. Juliet balconies are named after William Shakespeare's Juliet, from Romeo and Juliet. Various types of balcony have been used in this famous scene, including the "balcony of Juliet" at Villa Capuleti in Verona which is not a Juliet balcony.

A French balcony is a false balcony, with doors that open to a railing with a view of the courtyard or the surrounding scenery below.

Functions

Balconies provide an area of outside space. They can help to provide a building with light and ventilation. In addition to functioning as an outdoor space for a dwelling unit, balconies can also play a secondary role in building sustainability and indoor environmental quality. Balconies have been shown to provide an overhang effect that helps prevent interior overheating by reducing solar gain, and may also have benefits in terms of reducing noise. Balconies are part of the sculptural shape of the building allowing for irregular facades without the cost of irregular internal structures.

Sometimes balconies are adapted for ceremonial purposes, e.g. that of St. Peter's Basilica at Rome, when the newly elected pope gives his blessing urbi et orbi after the conclave. Balconies have been an important aspect of theatre architecture for centuries, inspired by ancient Roman and Greek civilisations, who included raised seating designs. Balconies gained prominence in the European renaissance, becoming synonymous with aristocratic and royal spectators.

Examples

<gallery widths="170px" heights="170px">

File:Edouard Manet - The Balcony - Google Art Project.jpg|Édouard Manet: Le balcon

File:Romeo and juliet brown.jpg|Ford Madox Brown, the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet

File:Júlia balkonja, Verona.jpg|The balcony of Juliet at Villa Capuleti in Verona

File:2014 02 13 14 13 13 Milano ITALY Palazzo Cusani balcone balcon photo Paolo Villa FOTO3970.JPG|Palazzo Cusani in Milan (Italy)

File:Coronation balcony (52877063504) (cropped).jpg|Members of the British royal family on the East Front Balcony at Buckingham Palace, 2023

</gallery>

<gallery widths="170px" heights="170px">

Maheshwar Fort - Jharokha 02.jpg|Indian balcony of the Maheshwar Fort, Maheshwar, India

Palais ducal nancy.JPG|Gothic balconies of the Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine, Nancy, France

Caen église Saint Pierre balcon daté 1518.JPG|Renaissance balcony of the Church of Saint-Pierre, Caen, France

Paris détail d'un balcon de la place Vendôme 1718.jpg|Baroque balcony design of the Hôtel de Boullongne, Paris

File:Balcony Grille (France), ca. 1700 (CH 18159287).jpg|Rococo balcony in the Cooper–Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York City

65 Rue de Rivoli, Paris (02).jpg|Neoclassical balcony of building no. 65 on Rue de Rivoli in Paris

Доходный дом А.И. Нежинской-4.jpg|Egyptian Revival balcony in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Strasbourg Gallia03.jpg|Renaissance Revival balcony in Strasbourg, France

Rue Fabert, 38bis balcony.jpg|Rococo Revival balcony of building no. 38 bis on Rue Fabert, Paris

Balcony of The Gheorghe Petrașcu House.jpg|Romanian Revival balcony of the Gheorghe Petrașcu House in the Roman Square, Bucharest, Romania

File:FinnishNationalTheatreDetail.jpg|National romantic balcony of the Finnish National Theatre, Helsinki, Finland

Colossal order 8 avenue Opera Paris.jpg|Beaux-Arts balcony of building no. 8 on Avenue de l'Opéra, Paris

Villa Brion - Balcon (41733506711).jpg|Art Nouveau balcony with a relief under it, on the façade of the Hôtel Brion from Strasbourg, France

Balconies (52785380178).jpg|Balconies on the city (UNESCO World Heritage Site) of Guimarães, Portugal

Annecy balcons art déco 2.jpg|Art Deco balcony in Haute-Savoie, France

Coffee cup-shaped balconies, Niimi Tableware, Kappabashi Dougu Street, Tokyo, Japan (side view).jpg|Postmodern coffee cup-shaped balconies in Tokyo, Japan

</gallery>

See also

References

ta:பலுக்கல்