Panoramic glazing of balconies is one of the most original and recently in demand ways to realize the most daring design ideas. A balcony or loggia, the outer walls of which are completely decorated with glass, immediately attracts the attention of not only passersby from the street, but also guests of the apartment. But glazing itself will not always cause delight, because sooner or later a balcony that is too light and empty will seem boring, and if it functions as part of a room, a recreation area or an office, it will become uncomfortable to be on it. That is why it is important to carefully consider the style of such a balcony, because every little detail can bring a piece of coziness and organicity to the space.
What is panoramic glass?
Windows in a panoramic balcony should be the entire wall. In this case, you will get an excellent opportunity to see the landscapes outside the window.
By the way, real estate dealers often raise the price of an apartment precisely because it has a balcony with panoramic windows.
The main thing is that behind the glass there is a pleasant view: a forest, a river, beautiful buildings. After all, a rare person will be interested in looking at a factory, market or parking lot.
Another advantage of panoramic balcony glazing is the rigidity of the structure, which will certainly last longer than usual.
For this technology, exclusively energy-saving glass is used. Not only are they durable and have ideal performance characteristics, but you will also have the opportunity to be soundproofed.
Glazing selection
There are several types of glazing:
- mirror;
- darkened with any tonality;
- glass “chameleon” doses the luminous flux using electronic control;
The finishing of the panoramic balcony determines how the glass will be fixed - tightly or partially moved apart on rollers. They must be protected from atmospheric agents. In summer, it is worth hanging blinds or curtains to reduce the solar heat flux.
Panoramic windows on the balcony
Such loggias are usually made not only in multi-storey buildings. This feature can be used in different ways.
Typically, designers offer frameless glazing:
- creating a presentable appearance of the apartment;
- visual enlargement of the room.
In addition to the positive aspects, there are several disadvantages:
- keeping clean is much more difficult;
- if you live in a high-rise building, you will have to call specialists to clean the glass outside;
- it is necessary to apply a tint film;
- you will have to take care of additional ventilation;
- In winter, to prevent the windows from becoming covered with frost, you need to install an additional convector.
Glazing and its types
To find out which type of window installation is best for you, you should decide on the selection criteria.
That is, which functions are your priority. This can be heat conservation, expansion of the room, ease of maintenance, glass bottom of the wall for a beautiful view from the window.
Panoramic glazing can be framed or frameless
Frame glazing
The strength of this structure is high, so it is safe for high-rise buildings, as a protective fence.
Since the load-bearing function of plastic and aluminum frames is negligible, the top floor slab must first be securely strengthened.
Mosquito nets are easily attached to the plastic profile. Various mechanisms for opening and closing frames are built into it.
Aluminum profile is suitable for both cold and warm glazing.
The design of this profile is durable. In terms of cost, such an arrangement will be more expensive than a plastic profile.
The frame version is a structure made from a special profile, which can be made of plastic, aluminum or fiberglass
The glass composite profile is a new development. Combines strength and thermal insulation properties. The cost is even more expensive than the materials described above.
Advantages of frame construction:
- Safe Operation
- Robust design
- Thermal insulation
- Noise insulation
- Easy to install blinds, mosquito nets, curtains
Minuses:
- The need to strengthen the floor slab
- Bulky design
The plastic profile is suitable for warm glazing of loggias or balconies
Frameless glazing
The frameless option is considered economical. Externally, this design looks like a solid transparent box. Specialized tempered glass is installed on roller guides and the elements are fastened together along the side line. Such doors open inwards or fold like a book.
Lightness and elegance are inherent in the frameless look
Pros of frameless design:
- Unusual design
- Easy to maintain and use
- Full illumination
- Full review
Minuses:
- Poor thermal insulation
- Inability to install mosquito nets
- Danger of deformation in bad weather
Decoration of a balcony with panoramic glass
The design of a balcony with panoramic glazing can and should be thought through to the smallest detail. This will not be difficult for you, since there are a lot of options. You can verify this by looking at photos of panoramic balconies.
The balcony in which you decorate the winter garden will look gorgeous. In addition, a rather narrow balcony is also suitable for this. You just need to take care of the shelves and flower holders.
There is a larger balcony, so you can organize an office here. The only thing that needs to be taken into account is adhering to the minimalist style.
The balcony will look nice as an extension of the room space.
Varieties
An open-type balcony will be very relevant where the climate allows you to spend a lot of time outdoors. It has such a feature as seasonality. In rain or strong wind, it should be possible to quickly bring furniture, a table, pillows and blankets inside the apartment. Accordingly, it is better to choose furniture for an unglazed balcony that is light, mobile or foldable, so that carrying things does not require much physical effort. Items must be durable and not afraid of moisture and sunlight.
Closed balconies and loggias are divided into two categories:
"Cold" glazing
It is used if the balcony is not planned to be equipped as an additional functional room, but only moisture and dust protection is required. For this purpose, swing-out doors and various designs on a metal-plastic profile are used. Such stained glass balconies look very impressive and provide an excellent view of the city, especially on the upper floors.
On glazed balconies, to add originality, it is possible to use techniques such as glass tinting, stained glass, engraving or photo printing. Such elements can be used both in fragments and over the entire surface of the protective fabric.
"Warm" glazing
For non-residential units up to 9 sq.m. Plastic double-glazed windows are best suited; they provide the best noise and heat insulation. In addition, the practice of moving double-glazed windows outside the fence by a few centimeters is used, which makes it possible to equip a fairly spacious window sill - a pleasant and functional bonus for the owners.
You should not save on materials and pay for the services of socialists to insulate a balcony/loggia. Poorly done work will subsequently cause damage to the balcony furniture; additional time and money will be required to eliminate the defects or even to completely redo the work.
To maximize heat retention on the balcony during the cold season, it is necessary to insulate the floor, walls and ceiling. Most often, polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam and mineral wool are used for this. Insulation materials are installed only after all cracks and cracks have been completely eliminated and treated.
It is worth mentioning separately about corner balconies and loggias with a non-standard configuration, with creases and narrowed corners.
Corner balconies seem to flow around the house on both sides. Their undoubted advantage is their relatively large area, so you should carefully consider the functionality of the additional room. By completely glazing such a balcony, you can not only create a small recreation room, office or garden, but also install a sufficient number of cabinets and shelves for storing various small items.
Balconies and loggias with creases that are structurally narrowed in one or a couple of corners also have their own decoration tricks. Such seemingly non-functional narrow corners of the room can be well played out by installing vases with flowers or climbing plants there. Hanging shelves or interesting decorative elements will look good in such creases.
Summarize
So that you can enjoy the view behind the glass, and your neighbors do not have the opportunity to see what and when you are doing in your apartment, you need to take care of a mirror film or install blinds.
By the way, blinds will also help protect the balcony from the sun and summer heat.
The choice is yours!
