Upgrading existing buildings pays off for investors (better tenant retention) as well as for private developers thanks to optimised living space. Balconies and loggias play an important role here. Looking at the existing building stock, it is mainly balconies from the 1960s and 1970s that need to be refurbished today, as well as more recent buildings.
While in many European countries, glazing of balconies and loggias is already standard for renovation measures, this is not yet the case for German housing associations and owner companies: Lumon notes that in Germany, this is often used when measures are required to optimise sound insulation. For example, airborne sound insulation of up to 28 decibels can be achieved on balconies with Lumon glazing.
Save and gain energy with glass balconies
Thermal bridges can generally be minimised by carrying out insulation measures on the facade, the floor slab and balcony parapets. If glazing is also used, this provides a thermal buffer zone that ensures solar heat gains and energy savings.
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Lumon Deutschland GmbH
"This also allows the insulation thickness of the facade behind it to be reduced - by up to 10 cm," explains Marko Osterhuber, Project Manager at Lumon Germany. This maximises the usable space on the balcony. A factor that also has a positive effect on the allowable living space. According to the German Living Space Ordinance (WoFIV), only a quarter of the floor area of balconies and loggias may generally be included in the calculation of living space.
With glazing, this value increases to 50 per cent in some regions. The additional living space can therefore increase rental income, meaning that the investment in the measure is often amortised within a short period of time.
The glazing also increases living comfort: the system makes it easy to open the elements. The balcony thus becomes a room that can be used almost all year round, and the glazing also protects it from coarse soiling from pigeons, for example. For the hotter summer months, we recommend combining the glass with matching pleated blinds from Lumon to shade the balcony.
When does balcony glazing pay off?
When the investment in balcony glazing pays off overall depends on the type and condition of the existing balcony system. These have a significant effect on the construction costs. For example, the condition of the floor slab and the parapet or railing must be taken into account.
Hampus Berndtson
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The load of the Lumon balcony glazing is transferred from the ceiling. The static load-bearing capacity and thickness of the floor slab above must therefore also be considered. As a rule, this should be at least 25 cm so that the Lumon glazing can be fixed without any problems. In exceptional cases, however, this can also be 16 cm.
Existing parapets can usually be retained. In this case, the glazing is also installed on the parapet. Altitude differences and dimensional deviations are compensated for by the profiles. Lumon works closely with metal and façade builders when implementing the measures, so that a solution can be found even for challenging geometries and building shapes.
