Editing Balcony (section)

==Functions==
A unit with a regular balcony will have doors that open onto a small [[patio]] with railings, a small patio garden or [[skyrise greenery]]. A [[French balcony]] is a false balcony, with doors that open to a railing with a view of the courtyard or the surrounding scenery below.

Sometimes balconies are adapted for ceremonial purposes, e.g. that of [[St. Peter's Basilica]] at [[Rome]], when the newly elected [[pope]] gives his blessing ''[[urbi et orbi]]'' after the [[Papal conclave|conclave]]. Inside churches, balconies are sometimes provided for the singers, and in banqueting halls and the like for the musicians.

In theatres, the ''balcony'' was formerly a stage box, but the name is now usually confined to the part of the [[auditorium]] above the dress circle and below the gallery.

Balconies are part of the sculptural shape of the building allowing for irregular facades without the cost of irregular internal structures.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lorinc|first1=John|title=The rise of the balcony|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/toronto/rising-demand-for-balconies-poses-riddle-for-developers-intoronto/article35997696/|access-date=19 August 2017|work=[[The Globe and Mail]]|date=16 August 2017}}</ref>

In addition to functioning as an outdoor space for a dwelling unit, balconies can also play a secondary role in building sustainability and indoor environmental quality (IEQ). Balconies have been shown to provide an overhang effect that helps prevent interior overheating by reducing [[solar gain]], and may also have benefits in terms of blocking noise and improving natural ventilation within units.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Ribeiro |first1= Catarina |last2= Ramos|first2= Nuno M. M. |last3= Flores-Colen|first3= Inês|date= 2020-08-11 |title= A Review of Balcony Impacts on the Indoor Environmental Quality of Dwellings |journal= Sustainability |volume= 12 |issue= 16 |page= 6453 |doi= 10.3390/su12166453 |doi-access= free |bibcode= 2020Sust...12.6453R }}</ref>