# Home Balconies during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Future Architect's Preferences in Lisbon and Warsaw
### Design Roles, Features, and Functions
In Cairo, Egypt, [PERSON] and Eissa's online survey with 160 respondents (snowball sampling) and 20 interviews (convenience sampling) aimed to detect the change in the use patterns in balconies before and during lockdowns. Throughout the confinements, 52% of the respondents used their balconies daily, an increase of 32.4% compared with the 19.6% who stated they were already using it before. Activities related to leisure and gathering increased in frequency; 73% versus 59.5%, during and before lockdowns, respectively; while the usual activities before the pandemic diminished, such as drying clothes and storage, the first, 50.7% to 39.2%, and the second, 12.2% to 8.8%. Other activities' outcomes are worth mentioning, such as the increase in kids playground (+12.1%), exercise (+6.7%), working (+25.7%), and having meals (+3.4%) comparing both periods. The correlation between activities and balcony design features underlines its importance, namely its size, which constrains work and exercise workouts if less than 6 m\({}^{2}\), and kids playground if less than 4 m\({}^{2}\)[21]. Moreover, in Cairo, ElZein and ElSenary's study about the impact of the pandemic on the use and insight of home balconies, consisting of an online survey with 150 participants, stated that the balcony importance perception increased from 12% (before) to 44% (after) as well as its usage time (54% spent 0-20 min; 26% 21-60 min; and 14% up to 3 h). Regarding \"accessibility,\" 20% of respondents showed satisfaction with their balcony access; 44% said they prefer to enter from the living room, 24% from the reception, 17% from the bedroom, and 1.9% from other rooms. Time shortage was referred to as the most significant barrier to using the balcony by 41% of respondents, 38% indicated privacy concerns, and 22% had noise issues. The most carried out activities in balconies after lockdowns were socialisation (47.4%), followed by listening to music (36.7%), meditation (36%), and reading (28%). In contrast, smoking, taking in fresh air, praying, barbecues, and dog activities (all 0.7%) were the least carried out. Additionally, 28% of respondents upgraded the balcony, mostly with greenery (73%) and furniture (34%), and 17% showed availability to upgrade it in the future [42]. In Tehran, Iran, [PERSON] et al. conducted an online survey with 632 apartment-living respondents considering a post-COVID-19 scenario, using [PERSON] and the mean test analyses method, and concluded that architectural design features positively affect mental health and stress relief. Among them, semi-open spaces, such as balconies or terraces, have a major role mainly when they are not designed as narrow pathways but exhibit higher depths, being one of the preferred and most valuable house features [43]. Moreover, in Tehran, [PERSON] et al. 's questionnaire of 421 respondents during home confinement showed that size matters, as outdoor semi-private spaces larger than 5 m\({}^{2}\) improved people's mental state and house satisfaction when compared with spaces with less than 2 m\({}^{2}\). Regarding this, 54.6% of the participants considered their terrace \"very small or small\", 92.3% said 2 m\({}^{2}\) spaces are \"small\" and inadequate for gardening activities, and 85.8% indicated that 2-3 m\({}^{2}\) were not suitable for their needs. Only outdoor spaces with 3-5 m\({}^{2}\) registered an increase in satisfaction levels, with 30% regarding them as \"large or sufficient\" to hold activities [44]. By the same token, in Erbil, Iraq, the study by [PERSON] et al. assessed the balcony architectural quality of 11 residential buildings in Nowruz through a survey and observation methodology with a total sample of 120 apartments. The authors concluded that square-shaped balconies around 7.7 m\({}^{2}\) allow for engaging in a wide range of activities (96%), in addition to cooking (8%), storing (96%), and drying clothes (100%) when compared with round longitudinal and narrow balconies which are considered dysfunctional and underused [32].