A Review of Balcony Impacts on the Indoor Environmental Quality of Dwellings

• Type: Another Publication in an International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2020

Authors

Ribeiro, C (Author) Other; Nuno Ramos (Author) FEUP; Flores Colen, I (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Sustainability

Vol. 12

Final page: 6453

ISSN: 2071-1050

Publisher: MDPI

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Scopus - 8 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00S-NN8

DOI: 10.3390/su12166453

Abstract (EN): Balconies are an ancient architectural archetype that are being increasingly considered in multi-family buildings of high-density cities. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the impacts of balcony types on the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and energy consumption of dwellings. Of the reviewed studies, 69% were published during the last decade, making it evident that awareness of the positive impact of balcony spaces is continuously increasing. The literature review allowed us to identify three balcony spaces according to their morphology and their boundary system: open balcony (OB), glazed balcony (GB), and eliminate balcony (EB). It was concluded that these balcony types produce relevant impacts in four factors that contribute to the indoor environmental quality: thermal comfort, indoor air quality, visual comfort, and acoustic comfort. Practical design recommendations and constraints were provided according to distinct climatic conditions and building technologies. This review also explored the assessment methodologies used for the optimization of the balconies on the design process. The literature highlighted the lack of a comprehensive study about the impact of balconies in mild and Mediterranean climates, as well as the knowledge limitations concerning the balance between the impacts on IEQ factors.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 19