open room in condo-what is it?

[bkksiam]

Attached is a photo of a space in a condo that is open to the outside. I've noticed that many condo buildings have these.

What are they called?

Why do they exist?

Don't they defeat the

purpose of air conditioning-or make it more expensive?

Can they be closed up?

[wayned]

It looks like a laundry room. Open so that you can have a rack to hang clothes while they dry. It has a door so close it and there is no affect on the air conditioning in the rest of the unit. If the door doesn't fit tight you could add weather stripping.

[biplanebluey]

It looks like a laundry room. Open so that you can have a rack to hang clothes while they dry. It has a door so close it and there is no affect on the air conditioning in the rest of the unit. If the door doesn't fit tight you could add weather stripping.

Just close the door------- Wonderful!!!!! ------ problem solved

[realenglish1]

It is called an "OPEN ROOM" there problem solved

[sendbaht]

birds seem to like it at one time looking at the net in the back.

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

apparently it is an intelligence test.

how do you reckon you did?

Edited September 28, 2013 by GirlDrinkDrunk

[harrry]

It is a balcony....very useful for washing and drying clothes...burning chillies and in Pattaya for foreigners to jump off without having to open windows.

[retell]

there you will make your BBQ

[xen]

This could be called a breezeway which were featured in many tropical colonial houses before air conditioning and these allowed a passageway for air movement to cool the building's inside rooms and / or allow each room to have air circulating around the exterior of the room . With air conditioning they became redundant unless you require passive cooling architecture . Commonly they also doubled as a passageway and living space similar to a veranda .This one in the photo is the narrowest i have ever seen and was probably designed without much thought to function and was perhaps designed to dry clothing as there is an clothes washer there.

[davejones]

Is this a serious question? Do you leave the door open to your balcony so that you can keep it cool with your aircon? What's your IQ?

[bkksiam]

Thanks-that makes sense.

--But do they build these in new condos? I have never noticed them in new buildings.

--I suspect that even with an insulated door they are inefficient when it comes to air-conditioning. For example, if you were trying to

heat a house and you had an open apace like this you'd close it off (and not just with a door to the room) because you'd get significant

heat loss. By the same token, in this case, you must get loss of cool air.

---In addition I wondered if these spaces open to the outside allow things like lizards and small birds

to enter.

---The reason I asked what they were called is that I wanted to google the term and find out more abut them in terms of security, pests and climate control. I will try googling breezeway.

This could be called a breezeway which were featured in many tropical colonial houses before air conditioning and these allowed a passageway for air movement to cool the building's inside rooms and / or allow each room to have air circulating around the exterior of the room . With air conditioning they became redundant unless you require passive cooling architecture . Commonly they also doubled as a passageway and living space similar to a veranda .This one in the photo is the narrowest i have ever seen and was probably designed without much thought to function and was perhaps designed to dry clothing as there is an clothes washer there.

[bkksiam]

I found this wikipedia entry on breezeway http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breezeway

Do thais have a word for these spaces?

This could be called a breezeway which were featured in many tropical colonial houses before air conditioning and these allowed a passageway for air movement to cool the building's inside rooms and / or allow each room to have air circulating around the exterior of the room . With air conditioning they became redundant unless you require passive cooling architecture . Commonly they also doubled as a passageway and living space similar to a veranda .This one in the photo is the narrowest i have ever seen and was probably designed without much thought to function and was perhaps designed to dry clothing as there is an clothes washer there.

[retell]

This could be called a breezeway which were featured in many tropical colonial houses before air conditioning and these allowed a passageway for air movement to cool the building's inside rooms and / or allow each room to have air circulating around the exterior of the room . With air conditioning they became redundant unless you require passive cooling architecture . Commonly they also doubled as a passageway and living space similar to a veranda .This one in the photo is the narrowest i have ever seen and was probably designed without much thought to function and was perhaps designed to dry clothing as there is an clothes washer there.

love this comment , i think the laundry machine can be put in any wet room it just happens to be standing there , nice to hang your clothes to dry outside if the space is open both sides

or perhaps you could built a gascooker and make your thai food there

Edited September 28, 2013 by retell

[trogers]

My guess - you are in a so-called 1-bedroom condo unit with size about 30+ sqm. Your bedroom with a window is on the left side of this "open space".

This open space has a door that opens into the living and dining area, providing the only source of natural light and ventilation.

We call such a floor layout a pseudo 1-bedroom, ie. a modified studio.

[bkksiam]

My guess - you are in a so-called 1-bedroom condo unit with size about 30+ sqm. Your bedroom with a window is on the left side of this "open space".

This open space has a door that opens into the living and dining area, providing the only source of natural light and ventilation.

We call such a floor layout a pseudo 1-bedroom, ie. a modified studio.

actually it is a 2 bedroom , 100 sq metre condo. The breezeway opens into the kitchen which then opens to the living room. There is an additional patio/+patio door at end of living room.

I'm puzzled by this open space since I come from Canada- or at least a part of Canada where it is so cold in winter that you'd never think of having an open space in your house.

While there is a door, it is not insulated and does have a big space underneath.

In addition, behind the washer, a lot of dirt accumulates after periods of rain.

I wonder as well about water getting onto the rear of washing machine and damaging the electrical components. Maybe I'll need to move the machine further away from the open space.

The windows in the condo unit have mosquito screens which I am very happy about since that is also something you would never go without in Canada -at least where I live - and I have been puzzled to find so many places in Thailand where there are none. The last time hotel I stayed in, on the one day I left the window open, I came back to find a small lizards on the ceiling above my bed-not to mention the mosquitoes that came in.

There is a sort of net around this open space but I thought perhaps I should close it in with a screen.

It does make sense I guess that if it's a laundry room the air circulation in that space would be good for drying but I still am curious about the other issues like mosquitoes, energy efficiency etc.

[trogers]

My guess - you are in a so-called 1-bedroom condo unit with size about 30+ sqm. Your bedroom with a window is on the left side of this "open space".

This open space has a door that opens into the living and dining area, providing the only source of natural light and ventilation.

We call such a floor layout a pseudo 1-bedroom, ie. a modified studio.

actually it is a 2 bedroom , 100 sq metre condo. The breezeway opens into the kitchen which then opens to the living room. There is an additional patio/+patio door at end of living room.

I'm puzzled by this open space since I come from Canada- or at least a part of Canada where it is so cold in winter that you'd never think of having an open space in your house.

While there is a door, it is not insulated and does have a big space underneath.

In addition, behind the washer, a lot of dirt accumulates after periods of rain.

I wonder as well about water getting onto the rear of washing machine and damaging the electrical components. Maybe I'll need to move the machine further away from the open space.

The windows in the condo unit have mosquito screens which I am very happy about since that is also something you would never go without in Canada -at least where I live - and I have been puzzled to find so many places in Thailand where there are none. The last time hotel I stayed in, on the one day I left the window open, I came back to find a small lizards on the ceiling above my bed-not to mention the mosquitoes that came in.

There is a sort of net around this open space but I thought perhaps I should close it in with a screen.

It does make sense I guess that if it's a laundry room the air circulation in that space would be good for drying but I still am curious about the other issues like mosquitoes, energy efficiency etc.

A 2-bedroom 100 sqm unit with such a narrow service area (only about 75 cm wide wall to wall) means a bad floor layout.

Did a similar layout for 2-bedroom 90+ sqm units for Avenue 61 (in Sukhumvit Soi 61), with the kitchen along this service way, but of 1.4m width. There is a sliding door between the kitchen and the living area, and a glass swing door from the kitchen to a small balcony (1.4 x 1.0m) where the a/c condenser is hung, and with space for a dryer on top of a front load washing machine - floor to ceiling height of 2.6m

Edited September 28, 2013 by trogers

[bkksiam]

My guess - you are in a so-called 1-bedroom condo unit with size about 30+ sqm. Your bedroom with a window is on the left side of this "open space".

This open space has a door that opens into the living and dining area, providing the only source of natural light and ventilation.

We call such a floor layout a pseudo 1-bedroom, ie. a modified studio.

actually it is a 2 bedroom , 100 sq metre condo. The breezeway opens into the kitchen which then opens to the living room. There is an additional patio/+patio door at end of living room.

I'm puzzled by this open space since I come from Canada- or at least a part of Canada where it is so cold in winter that you'd never think of having an open space in your house.

While there is a door, it is not insulated and does have a big space underneath.

In addition, behind the washer, a lot of dirt accumulates after periods of rain.

I wonder as well about water getting onto the rear of washing machine and damaging the electrical components. Maybe I'll need to move the machine further away from the open space.

The windows in the condo unit have mosquito screens which I am very happy about since that is also something you would never go without in Canada -at least where I live - and I have been puzzled to find so many places in Thailand where there are none. The last time hotel I stayed in, on the one day I left the window open, I came back to find a small lizards on the ceiling above my bed-not to mention the mosquitoes that came in.

There is a sort of net around this open space but I thought perhaps I should close it in with a screen.

It does make sense I guess that if it's a laundry room the air circulation in that space would be good for drying but I still am curious about the other issues like mosquitoes, energy efficiency etc.

A 2-bedroom 100 sqm unit with such a narrow service area (only about 75 cm wide wall to wall) means a bad floor layout.

Did a similar layout for 2-bedroom 90+ sqm units for Avenue 61 (in Sukhumvit Soi 61), with the kitchen along this service way, but of 1.4m width. There is a sliding door between the kitchen and the living area, and a glass swing door from the kitchen to a small balcony (1.4 x 1.0m) where the a/c condenser is hung, and with space for a dryer on top of a front load washing machine - floor to ceiling height of 2.6m

For sure if I could redesign that room, I would have done it differently but at least the rest of the condo is very nicely laid out which is why I bought it. It does not have that long rectangular look of most condos I have seen in BKK

[nurgut73]

Hillarious question and some brilliant replies. Guys, I love you, hahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!

[CHRISTIANa9]

It's a utility space. Mostly use for laundry and air cond compressor. And whatever u want to put in there. Very common in condo in this part of the world. Well designed ones would consider the security aspect since it's open. Some people do grill it up again for security and pigeons.

[bkksiam]

Is this a serious question? Do you leave the door open to your balcony so that you can keep it cool with your aircon? What's your IQ?

is your question serious?