Local Approach to Heritage Housing Preservation: Potential for Adding Balconies to Tenements

Among the studies focusing on challenges regarding heritage tenement refurbishment, there is a gap regarding their spatial adaptability to current users’ needs. One of the standards in multifamily housing features, which were not common in 19th and 20th-century tenements, is access to a private outdoor space, such as a balcony. Although adding a balcony impacts the appearance of a heritage building, the practice has been commonly implemented at the heritage housing retrofit stage in Germany, Austria and Denmark, while in Poland usually it is not even considered. This paper aims to explore the reasons behind the observed heritage housing conservation approaches. The method includes analysis of legal frameworks and semi-structured interviews with real estate market representatives and municipal heritage preservation practitioners. The paper focuses on the motivation behind the decisions and process of negotiating consents for adaptive interventions and additions significantly impacting protected building substance. The study reveals that despite similar legal frameworks, local practices in Chemnitz, Copenhagen and Vienna, in contrast to Wroclaw, emphasize collaboration among stakeholders balancing usability and preservation of original aesthetics. Redefining heritage values, along with the establishment of an organizational framework for collaborative decision-making could trigger change in renovation practice in Wroclaw.