I just came back from a few days in Malaga. I loved the city, although the weather was not what I expected.
I noticed how many balconies were closed with glass. In general, many windows were huge. To me, this seems counterintuitive in such a hot place, where I’d expect windows to be small to minimize sun exposure.
So, dear Spanish friends, what do you use these balconies for? Do you think they make sense? What’s their history? I tried looking it up on the internet but I couldn’t find much.
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1jhck7q
Posted by tonnodinoto
7 Comments
People like having sunlight enter their apartments. With a small window, you’d always need to have the lights on.
You are wrong, small windows are for cold places like mountains, you can protect from sunlight very easy especially in spain (we use persianas, wooden or plastic blinds built into the window, very few countries use them) and still have the benefits of a large window.
You’ll notice that those windows have shutters for covering the window
A) summer regime: sun is high, the roof provides shadow over the facade. The interior place behind the balcony is generally cooler.
B) winter regime: sun is low, and slowly heats the balcony (greenhouse effect) working as a heat buffer. It also acts as extra insulation (it’s a layer of air) for escaping energy.
Both effects are more effective in colder climates, up north, where these are much, much, more common.
Check closely
Spain has curtains
If some day there is too much sun or hot they can always close the curtains and blinds, and if the weather is not too bad, why would you not want to be able to enjoy It?
Are you sure those are closed balconies? They look like original to me. It’s a specific style.