Adding Balconies to Historical Tenements – Local Approaches to the Retention of Heritage Value in Poland, Germany, and Denmark

ABSTRACT

Approximately 22% of the existing dwellings in the EU were built before 1946. In Wrocław, Poland ca. 21% of all dwellings in multifamily houses are protected for their heritage value. For such a significant share of the residential building stock pursuit of sustainability through amenity improvement is inevitable and will gain pace with the EU endorsed Renovation Wave. The discourse about the scope of renovations should be extended to consider an improvement of historical housing’s spatial quality without compromising its heritage value. Balconies are perceived as an indispensable part of new-built apartments; however, they are scarce in tenements built at the turn of 20th century. Adding balconies as a part of retrofitting is common in Germany or Denmark, but rare in Poland. By analysing heritage preservation practices in Chemnitz, Copenhagen and Wrocław, this paper aims to understand how retention of heritage value shapes local approach to adding balconies. Semi-structured interviews (18) were conducted with heritage conservation officers and other stakeholders. The results revealed a shared recognition of balcony’s role as an element contributing to heritage housing preservation through enhanced usability. Factors that impede balcony additions in historical tenements in Wrocław were identified for different tenure types, followed by recommendations.

KEYWORDS:

• Balconies additions in heritage buildings
• non-technical balcony design challenges
• spatial adaptation in heritage housing
• factors shaping conservation guidelines
• collaboration of different stakeholders in conservation decision making
• social role in heritage conservation
• Housing tenements‘ courtyards
• Balcony design impact on elevation outlook
• Balcony usability
• Housing adaptability

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the time and expertise shared with the researchers by the interviewees.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

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Additional information

Funding

The Wrocław University of Science and Technology Doctoral School Scholarship was funded by the Polish Ministry of Education and Science.