What's this called? That open balcony bit on the first floor: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Padova_-_Loggia_Amulea.jpg I keep thinking roofed balcony but there's surely an actual term for this!? I'm not convinced it's loggia, considering google images in general bring me pictures of an actual functional room inside the building with an open side, which isn't what I'm after. Gallery seems the closest but isn't that primarily indoors?
I did an image search, and while some images show a very modernly appointed area complete with furnishings and the like, most of the images show various takes on the same idea as the one you presented in your OP. I think the permanent furnishing of such areas is a modern twist. Loggia seems like the best fit to me at this point.
Those are definitely cloisters. But whether there is a specific name for the second-floor one, I don't know. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/122033/cloister http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloister
Veranda is always on the ground floor, whereas a portico is an extended roof over the entrance, usually supported by columns or a small colonnade. I googled catwalk and the images don't look like what I have in mind. Cloister, according to the links, as well as google images, seem also to be generally on the ground floor? Cloisters, according to images, seem to also usually overlook a sorta enclosed courtyard. Perhaps loggia really is the best one then? Actually, another word I'm at a loss for. The raised barrier/wall in a loggia and/or balcony... What do you call that? Here's what I'm trying to describe - does my description describe what I'm trying to get at? Should I keep what I have now, or instead go with loggia? The temple came into view, a hexagonal, six-storey structure made of smooth, honeyed stone. Balconies enclosed in gold-painted lattices stretched across every level, sheltered under the slanting roof of the floor above. A marble figure of one of the five elemental goddesses draped in coloured silk looked out towards the city from each floor, aligning above the huge temple doors. If I go with loggia, I'd probably reword it like this: Loggias with gold-painted lattices stretched across every level, sheltered under the slanting roof of the floor above... Or I could go with "walkway" as I've seen that a few times in the definitions of various architectural terms by now: Walkways protected by gold-painted lattices stretched across every level, sheltered under the slanting roof of the floor above... I don't honestly care which word I use as long as it actually describes what I need it to lol. What do you think, kind forum peeps?
Not necessarily so... I've found plenty of examples of second floor cloisters, and they don't have to be arranged around an inner space/quadrangle either. To me, loggia has become the name some peeps pretentiously call their PVC conservatory add-ons.
Re the conservatory - looool I'd never even heard of the term loggia till today after a google search. So you'd still say "cloister" is the word I'm actually looking for then.
Try this page... http://www.praglia.it/wordpress/?page_id=212&lang=en Edit: The image above the Vaulted Cloister heading shows what I mean.
I like balconies. As a reader I immediately get a mental picture of height and walkway sized spaces. Since the rest of the sentence describes multiple levels stretching up to the room, I think balconies fits the context of the description. The word loggia would throw me off as a reader, since I really don't know what to picture when I hear that.
