For High-Rises, Balconies Are Going Out Of Style

"The swing in design preferences from balconies or terraces to glass walls and other high-rise glamour assets comes as cities big and small are experiencing a dramatic return to urban living."

"Ed Hord, a principal architect with the Baltimore architectural firm, Hord Coplan Macht and a past chairman of the American Institute of Architects housing committee, says builders are helping to meet the increased demand for condo and apartment housing with innovative mixed-use retail and residential units projects such as Camden Court, a 14-story rental apartment building designed by his firm with 221 units near the Orioles' baseball stadium and a light rail line in downtown Baltimore.

Though the rental property scratched balconies from its offerings at the request of the building owner, Washington D.C.-based Quadrangle Development Corp., the high-rise was marketed for its great urban location and proximity to the ballpark, which gives renters in some units their own personal skybox."