Loggia and balcony: what is the difference and which is better

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Content

  1. Balcony - Definition
  2. Balcony story
  3. Loggia - what is it?
  4. The difference between the loggia from the balcony: we compare by different parameters

Nowadays, a loggia and a balcony are constant companions of a residential building. And some lucky ones are owners of an apartment with several additional rooms at once. It is interesting that when commissioning, neither the loggia nor the balcony is literally a room suitable for housing, but if the tenants so desire, they can become one. What is the difference between a balcony and a loggia, and also which of them is better - these are questions that interest many. Especially young people who choose their future home.

Which is better - a balcony or a loggia?

Balcony - Definition

Initially, it is necessary to determine which areas can be called a loggia and a balcony. This can help when choosing an apartment for purchase.

Balcony (translated from several European languages ​​- beam) is a platform with enclosing railing, which protrudes from the outside of the building and has a passage into the interior. In fact, this is a hanging plate, fixed at one end in the outer wall of the building. The other three sides have only a fence.

Wrought-iron decorative balcony

Balcony story

For the first time as an element of architecture appeared in the East. For the first time in Europe, balconies began to be built in the 13th century, using them as hanging loopholes on fortress walls to pour resin onto the heads of attackers. Later they began to be used as an architectural decoration.

Many remember the famous scene with a declaration of love Romeo Juliet. The girl was on the balcony. This is a confirmation of the fact that during the time of Shakespeare, such an element of buildings was common in the homes of nobles and wealthy merchants.

Different types of balconies appeared in different countries, the features of which depended primarily on weather conditions in a particular area:

  1. In regions with a warm climate - open areas.
  2. In areas where it is hot - structures with a canopy.
  3. 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 underway using metal and concrete. There were cast-iron assembly sites, which gained great popularity. In the future, technologies were only improved and led to the creation of a modern balcony design. So, with the advent of reinforced concrete slabs, fastening on beams has gone down in history, which made it possible to increase the size of the site.

Modern balcony

Loggia - what is it?

Thanks to the Italian language, a beautifully sounding word “loggia” appeared in our vocabulary. It means not a hinged, but a building built directly into the house, which has walls on three sides and is an internal property of the building. Actually represents a niche.

Please note: if the apartment is angular, then the walls of the loggia can only be on two sides.

Currently, the landlord independently decides whether to glaze the loggia or leave it in its original form. The dissonance of the loggias glazed in different manners leads to a spoiled appearance of the facade of the building, therefore, in large cities, houses under construction with such structures began to glaze in the process construction.

Glazed Loggias

The difference between the loggia from the balcony: we compare by different parameters

How to understand how the balcony differs from the loggia? After all, glazed structures come close to each other in their functions and even in appearance.

The glazed balcony looks like a loggia

First of all, the balcony and the loggia differ from each other in practical execution - the first structure is a hinged structure, the second is built-in.

  • An open balcony more often plays the role of a decorative element of a building and is used by residents of the house as a platform for relaxing and staying in the fresh air.
  • The loggia, by virtue of its closed nature, even without glazing, allows not only to “go out to breathe”, but also to place pieces of furniture, storage cabinets.
Open balcony

Dimensions

Another difference between the loggia and the 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 sizes. 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 the loggia and balcony, the first type of structure wins:

  • the balcony has restrictions on the total weight of furniture and equipment that can be installed on it, since it is itself a remote structure;
  • The loggia has no such restrictions - it is possible to install the same objects 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 from its three free sides. This increases the cost of installing double-glazed windows, because it is necessary to make three structures that require connection. For similar work on the loggia - with only one. But for the owner of the balcony, financial costs may be lower due to the smaller area of ​​the room. Especially if it is decided to insulate both the floor and the ceiling.

Insulated Loggia

There is another advantage of the loggia - in it you can make any room at the request of the owner. This may be an office, a relaxation room or a winter garden. Very often they combine the kitchen with the 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, making it a warm room for the winter is more problematic, since it will be necessary to heat the additional room with electrical appliances.

Loggia combined with kitchen

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 perspective of practicality, the richness of the possibilities of the loggia looks more attractive. The choice is yours!

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