The balconies as an archetype of well-being: a critical literature review

Purpose The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the contradictions inherent to balconies. Despite the attention given to these architectural elements on that moment, there is a knowledge gap concerning the preferences and expectations of the inhabitants in relation to them. For this reason, this paper aims to conduct a critical literature review of the publications about the inhabitants’ perceptions of balconies in order to identify the most relevant criteria to consider during the design process. Design/methodology/approach The analysis was based on the post-occupancy evaluation (POE) criteria (technical, functional and behavioural). Findings The results highlighted the relevance of the behavioural criteria for the valorisation of the balconies by the inhabitants and presented indications to the research about these liminal spaces and the design practice of housing buildings. Originality/value According to the authors’ best knowledge, this study represents the more holistic study of the kind.