BY’s first blog - 3 articles about balconies…
Combing over a few resources we could gather online, here’s our first list of noteworthy ideas out there for enhancing - beautifying or greenifying balconies. We believe focusing on this makes the world a better place if done with the right goals in mind, i.e. - sustainability and communities.
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EXAMPLE 1
How to Greenify a Small Balcony — Walls and Things
Here are a couple of our favourite quotes from this article:
“How to Greenify a Small Balcony - Looking for ways to add more life to your balcony? No matter how small of an outdoor space you have, your balcony is the perfect canvas to create a real wow factor outside! Scroll down to discover unique ways to style your outdoor greens for spring!”
“If you’re grouping plants together, place them in odd numbers like 3’s, 5’s, etc., for a balanced look. Tiered plants of different heights also look better than plants that are all the same height - bring on the variation! (If your plants are all the same height you can create that difference with plant stands.)” (Part of the author’s list of 5 ideas for getting started).
Go to this article (here) to see an awesome info-graphic the author made. Here’s a sneak peak:
EXAMPLE 2
How to Make the Most out of Your Toronto Condo Balcony | Jamie Sarner
While we serve the Globe, as a Toronto-based business, we’re glad to see this article that has a lens focused on Toronto specifically (see here). This article covers topics like making use of limited space at great heights, warming up in low temperatures, and being safe the entire time.
Here are a couple of our favourite quotes from this article -
“Wood flooring and similar accents can make it feel like you’re on a patio in Muskoka and not in the centre of the city.”
“Whether you have a postage stamp square of greenery or a balcony sky high, there are many ingenious ways to make this a workable and completely functional part of your living space. There’s a reason balcony revamps and renovations are all the trend right now: being outside is restorative and good for us! A recent Dutch study of 250,782 people revealed the importance of access to green spaces for people who live in urban areas, like Toronto, making a strong correlation between green space and overall health.”
EXAMPLE 3
Toronto Balconies: Do We Really Need Them? (bdpquadrangle.com)
This is a somewhat unrelated articled to the above two examples, but this article shines a light on an important topic, which is balconies themselves. Frankly put, balconies can take up space, even driving the entire design of a condominium unit. This at the least should inspire us to rethink how we appreciate balconies and becoming better equipped to enhance them.
Here’s a couple of our favourite quotes from the article’s Conclusion -
”Currently, the roadblock to enclosing our balconies is not in its technical challenges, but our attitude towards them. Balconies are widely perceived as a prerequisite of a quality condo unit, but we argue that its adapted use in a larger, more functional unit will be highly desirable for demographics not adequately served currently. Simultaneously, we tackle key climate change issues of operational and embodied carbon in doing so. In our current practice where newly constructed units are decreasing in size but balconies remain constant, we need a method to enlarge our existing condo stock incrementally, giving the opportunity for balconies to adapt.”
“Toronto’s balconies are an important opportunity for us to evaluate our existing building stock, and to take progressive action to address key problems of our housing market. Toronto’s balconies are an opportunity for us to design, and adapt.”