In some places that is a strategy to satisfy zoning requirements. The builder has to provide a minimum amount of outdoor area per dwelling unit. They could create a large ground-level courtyard, or they can create a bunch of tiny balconies that sum up to the same total area. The
ladderlatter strategy allows a larger building to exist on the same lot.Edit: Stupid voice-to-text always gets me.
I approve of the ladder strategy. Work those legs!
Maybe a way to make use of all those unused balconies. I’m on board.
God damn, son! I’m only on the 63rd floor! How big is this ladder???
A different design other than a basic box would allow them to make a large outdoor area at basically any level they want, not necessarily the ground, but that’s of course more expensive as well.
I think people value private outdoor space differently than public outdoor space. I don’t actually have a balcony but I think I would usually prefer a private space to a public one, even if the public one was much nicer.
It helps a lot if the balcony is somewhat enclosed. The balconies that are just iron fences with no privacy at all are basically useless.
so like, even if it were a box…
They don’t really have to encase each floor. most buildings are concrete, and they could just as easily seal that floor off and leave the observation platform open. But the reality is that it gets pretty windy up that high, and most people won’t want to be out there for very long at all. And not at all if it’s at all inclement.
not to mention… jumpers.
97% of the time, the average car just sits in the parking space, taking up space not being used.
I guess you can say something similar applied to balconies. They are probably being used, but only a small portion of the day.
Counterexample. We love our little balcony. We have some plants, a bench, and a hummingbird feeder. We take our coffee out there for ‘cocktail hour’ at 7, and sit, talk, watch the world go by a few floors down, and enjoy each other’s company.
If you’re not using your balcony, you really should.
yess we have a similar situation!! i was under the impression EVERYONE used their balconies!
There are a tonne of apartment balconies that are just afterthoughts by the developer though. I see plenty that are narrow to the point of being useless, or 30 floors up with no enclosed overhang which just generally feels kinda terrifying.
wait we had the same issue with our apartments balconies, had to call some guys to manually install barriers so me/the cat/people who leaned over too far wouldnt fall and die
Totally
Same with backyard. None of my neighbors are ever in their backyard. How do I know? If it’s not raining and it’s above 20c very likely I am in mine.
Agreed. I live on my back patio when it’s warm enough. I’ve gotten called out (not in a bad way) on meetings for my hammock background. ;-)
Oh mate I love sleeping in hammock, it takes some technique but it’s the best. I haven’t done that in 20 years so I may need extra research to be able to stand up now.
Unfortunately I can’t hang one where I live, the fence is not strong enough and I’m renting.
So pot plants have somewhere to die
Mine love it out there.
The trick is to bring them inside before it gets cold.
You couldn’t pay me to go out on a balcony if it’s higher than 1 story. Fuck heights.
I had a friend that was drunk and was smoking and leaning back on a balcony and went over. No one even heard him. One minute he was there, the next minute he was gone. No one even looked down for a few minutes because people were regularly coming and going from the balcony and people just assumed he went back inside.
Broke both his arms, his neck, fucked up his back, and had a major concussion. I think maybe he broke some ribs too. Really fucked him up. He didn’t die, but the head injury caused a dramatic personality change and the neck and back stuff created chronic pain.
Another guy I knew intentionally jumped off a dorm balcony and severely and multiply fractured both his legs and fucked his knees forever.
Don’t… uh, accidentally drop from great heights, people.
I’m sorry to hear about your friend. I hope he’s doing well, all things considered. I will refrain from being drunk on a balcony. I don’t like being drunk anyways.
We had a great balcony on 15 but wow, standing at the railing was only a sometimes-thing and only for a short while. Sorry of our guests wouldn’t go outside at all, and I completely understand why.
I used to be afraid of heights. Then, in basic training, we did some rappelling. Every second of the process was a trained and well-practiced task, orchestrated on the day by sergeants “speaking clearly” as is their talent. There were no mistakes, there was no fear while wrapped in the process, and there was no hesitation. The actual heights part was a few fleeting seconds.
This achievement stayed with me 20 years until I absolutely lost my shit while rock climbing a familiar route out in New Paltz, embarrassing myself, my family, my friends.
For smokers
There aren’t many smokers anymore, and small apartment balconies were usually used for smoking.
As someone who can barely approach the edge of a 3-story parking structure, I would come unraveled on one of those balconies.
Three stories? You’re a brave soul.
As a counterexample, look at the Marina City towers in Chicago (aka the corncobs); all of the units have balconies, and the balconies are definitely a selling point. They’re quite large; in the case of the studios, the balcony can be nearly as large as the living space. (I think that I recently saw a nearly all original condo in Marina City go up for sale in the mid $400s? It was an interesting time capsule.)
And yet I never see people on the corncob balconies
I’ve seen people on them. Not a ton. But I would see people on them every so often when I was heading to shows at House of Blues, usually later in the evening in the summer and early fall. I can’t imagine using them in the middle of winter, when it’s -10F and winds are whipping around at 30mph.
People want the option to use their balcony. Then they realize it’s usually not so pleasant being exposed like that to the sun, wind, temp.
… or just ‘exposed’. to neighbors, passers-by, and the pervert in the corner office across the street.
Heh, I walk around naked with the blinds open because where I live, people would need binoculars to see me and if they choose to, their resulting suffering is their own fault. One advantage of being unattractive…
There’s definitely a guy in the building across from me that stares. I don’t think he’s a creep – he’s probably just bored and looking around – but his face is pressed up against the window so he stands out. I’ve made eye contact a few times, ugh.
Agreed! They’re always filthy/dusty and annoying to clean.
And even though no one gives a shit enough to stare, it’s hard not to feel… watched.
Just put walls on there, problem solved.
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Maybe in order to give each resident the same chance to jump?
/s
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Depends on where you live. In Japan, most of the time it’s either way too hot to hang out on the balcony or way too cold. In Europe it’s fine in many places for most of the year.
Some of it also has to do with rent prices which can be higher if you have a balcony.
Also, and again in Japan: There is an emergency balcony exit in some apartment buildings in case a natural disaster hits. It’s probably easier to climb your way down a bunch of balconies with holes in the ground than a blank wall
I live in Berlin, and while I don’t have a balcony myself, I spend a lot of time enviously starring at my neighbours that do, as they use them quite a bit.
I use mine! Actually I made sure to.look for an apartment with a balcony since I have pets
I don’t sit on my balcony despite the table and chairs I have out there, but I have lots of plants that soften the view and spark joy. It’s also a place the firefighters could pluck me from.
I wanted a balcony but the real estate agent politely implied that I couldn’t afford one in the area where I was looking for housing. With that said, I can see myself using it for just an hour or two a week while the weather is nice. I like the idea of sitting out on the balcony but I expect that in practice it would be noisy out there and boring on my own.
It’s for emergency exit.
/s
That’s funny. I see all the skyscrapers around here with balconies and I get jealous, but I never thought about the fact that I almost never see people on those balconies until I read your question.
