Balconies may also have more technical purposes, such as being an area of refuge in case of fire or forming deliberate sun shades to reduce cooling needs by keeping the hot summer sun from over-heating the units.

The most common method of constructing balconies is steel reinforced cast-in-place concrete.  As we build concrete buildings, formwork is set at each floor level, with two layers of reinforcing steel placed in the forms, and concrete is poured to encapsulate the steel and take the shape of the forms.  Once the concrete is set, the forms are pulled and moved to the next floor.  In each layer of steel, upper and lower, the bars may be placed in a manner such that they are aligned both parallel and perpendicular to the walls.