What Is a Loggia? History, Types and Tropical Design

A loggia is a covered space open to the outside on one or more sides, formed within the body of a building rather than projecting from it. Its open side is usually defined by a row of columns, piers or arches, and its roof is the floor or roof of the building above. It sits somewhere between inside and outside: sheltered from sun and rain, but open to air, views and the life of the street or garden.

This guide explains where the loggia comes from, how it differs from similar spaces, the forms it takes and how it is built. It also considers why such a space makes particular sense in a climate like Singapore’s, where shade and ventilation are worth more than enclosure for much of the year.

Defining the loggia

The word is Italian and is related to the French loge, meaning a lodge or covered place. In architectural use, three features usually define the type:

It is recessed or integral. The loggia is set within the building envelope, with the building continuing above and beside it.
It is open on at least one side. The open face is typically an arcade or colonnade, sometimes with a low balustrade, but without glazing.
It is roofed. The space is covered, either by the floor above or by its own roof or vault.

A loggia can sit at ground level, opening onto a square or garden, or on an upper floor, where it functions as a deep, covered balcony.

Origins in Italian architecture

The loggia flourished in medieval and Renaissance Italy, where it served both civic and domestic purposes. Freestanding civic loggias provided covered public space for ceremonies, trade and gatherings. The best known is the Loggia dei Lanzi on the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, built between 1376 and 1382, a broad open arcade of three round arches that has housed sculpture for centuries.

The Renaissance gave the loggia new clarity. Filippo Brunelleschi’s arcade for the Ospedale degli Innocenti in Florence, begun in 1419, used slender columns and semicircular arches in a measured, repetitive rhythm, and it is often cited as one of the first works of Renaissance architecture. Our article on Renaissance architecture discusses its influence. Palaces and villas then adopted loggias as garden rooms and upper-floor galleries, and Andrea Palladio’s villas in the Veneto made frequent use of them. From Italy, the idea travelled across Europe and later into colonial and tropical architecture.

Loggia, portico, veranda, balcony: the differences

These terms are often used loosely. The distinctions are useful:

Loggia — a covered space recessed within the building, open on one or more sides through an arcade or colonnade.
Portico — a roofed porch projecting from the façade, supported on columns, usually marking an entrance and often crowned by a pediment.
Colonnade — a row of columns; a loggia’s open side is frequently a colonnade, but a colonnade can also stand alone. See our guide to colonnade architecture.
Veranda — a roofed, open gallery or platform along the outside of a building, typically projecting at ground level and associated with tropical and colonial houses. Our sibling article on the veranda explores that form.
Balcony — a platform projecting from an upper floor, usually open above or only lightly covered.

The key distinction is depth and integration. A balcony or veranda is added to the building; a loggia is carved out of it.

Types of loggia

Ground-floor arcade loggia — an arcaded space along a street or courtyard, providing covered circulation and a public face.
Upper-floor loggia — a recessed gallery on a higher storey, often facing a garden or view, sometimes used as an outdoor room.
Garden loggia — a loggia opening onto a private garden, linking house and landscape.
Freestanding loggia — a covered, open-sided pavilion standing apart from the main building, as in civic examples.
Contemporary recessed terrace — the modern equivalent, often with slender columns or no columns at all, behind a deep framed opening in the façade.

Structure and construction

Structurally, a loggia removes the wall that would otherwise sit along its open face. Whatever that wall was carrying, the building above, the floor slab, the roof, must instead be supported on columns, piers or arches, and on a beam or lintel spanning between them. The wider the bays and the heavier the building above, the more demanding that becomes.

In traditional masonry construction, arches carry the load and push outward at their springing, so the end bays need solid piers or ties to resist that thrust. In reinforced concrete, a downstand beam or a deep edge beam usually spans between columns, and the slab over the loggia must be detailed for its exposure to weather on the underside. Where an upper-floor loggia sits above an enclosed room, the floor of the loggia is effectively an external terrace over internal space and needs proper waterproofing, falls and drainage.

Converting part of an existing room into a loggia, or enclosing an existing loggia, changes loads, weathertightness and possibly the building’s gross floor area. In Singapore, such changes may involve planning considerations under URA’s rules as well as structural checks, so an architect and a structural engineer should be involved from the start.

The loggia in tropical and Singapore design

A loggia does exactly what tropical buildings need. It provides deep shade, shelters walls and openings from driving rain, and allows breezes to pass through while keeping occupants out of the sun. The covered walkways of Singapore’s shophouse streets, the five-foot ways, perform a related function at the urban scale, giving continuous shelter along the street frontage. In a contemporary house or apartment, a well-proportioned loggia can be the most-used room for much of the year.

Good design starts with depth: a loggia that is too shallow lets rain and low sun in at the edges and is no more useful than a balcony. Orientation matters too, as west-facing loggias suffer from late-afternoon sun. Other considerations include a ceiling material that tolerates humidity, falls and drainage to the floor, ceiling fans for still days and, on upper floors, barriers of compliant height along any open edge with a drop. Planting along the open side can filter glare and dust while maintaining airflow.

Frequently asked questions

What is a loggia in simple terms?

A loggia is a roofed, open-sided room or gallery built into a building, with its open face usually formed by columns or arches, giving a sheltered space that remains open to the air.

What is the difference between a loggia and a balcony?

A balcony projects from the face of a building and is often uncovered, while a loggia is recessed within the building envelope and is covered by the floor or roof above, making it deeper and more sheltered.

What is the most famous loggia?

The Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, built between 1376 and 1382 on the Piazza della Signoria, is among the best-known examples, along with Brunelleschi’s arcaded loggia of the Ospedale degli Innocenti, begun in 1419.

Is a loggia suitable for Singapore homes?

Yes, a deep, well-oriented loggia suits Singapore’s climate because it provides shade and rain shelter while allowing cross-ventilation, though it needs good drainage, humidity-tolerant finishes and compliant barriers on upper floors.

Can I enclose an existing loggia?

Enclosing a loggia can affect planning matters such as gross floor area, as well as structural loads, ventilation and waterproofing, so it should be checked with an architect and structural engineer and with the relevant authorities before work begins.

Considering a loggia or reworking an existing one? Talk to our consultancy or get in touch.