We investigated the extent to which the amount of sky and other contents affect expectations that window views will support psychological restoration in an urban context. The study involved 102 digital view images across which the amount of sky and other contents were varied systematically through manipulation of variables relevant to urban densification. University students ( N = 212) rated images on restorative quality (being away, fascination), restoration likelihood, or preference. We aggregated the ratings for each variable for each image and used the images as cases in analyses. Amount of sky and presence of a window box with greenery had direct positive effects on restoration likelihood judgments, as well as indirect effects mediated by being away and fascination. Ground-level views with people and street trees evoked ratings similar to those for some views with sky, but the views judged most restorative and most liked were those with the most sky.

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New requirements for living, working, and learning at home due to Covid-19 have highlighted two fundamental needs in apartment housing: (1) adaptability to fit multiple functions in a limited area; and (2) access to private outdoor space to support residents' health and wellbeing, and to provide spatial and thermal variety in small units. The two needs may initially appear to be disconnected: when residents have a high demand for flexibility and adaptability in apartment housing, balconies tend to be overlooked as potential spaces to facilitate adaptability. An analysis of several international housing projects with innovative balcony designs and unit designs is the basis for the identification of several typologies of balconies. Typologies of adaptable balconies and examples are used to show how they may support housing adaptability within a dwelling. The 'adaptable balcony' concept is introduced in the context of multifamily housing design, together with a clear definition of active and passive adaptability by inhabitants. PRACTICE RELEVANCEApartment balconies are often overlooked as design elements capable of influencing housing adaptability. This paper explores how adaptable balconies could support and improve residents' functional use of their dwellings. The ease of adaptability, how and to what degree residents can adapt their balcony spaces, are shown in built examples. The 'adaptable balcony' concept in the context of multifamily housing can provide developers, designers, and inhabitants with an enhanced, more flexible use of domestic spaces. Several typologies of adaptable balconies are identified and considered for how they may support housing adaptability within a dwelling. Two notions of passive and active adaptability in balcony design can help designers facilitate the desired levels of adaptability in a project.

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