An enclosure allows you to close an opening or passage.
Enclosure is the action and effect of closing or closing (securing something to prevent it from opening, preventing the passage of air or light , making the interior of something isolated from the outside). An enclosure, therefore, is a thing that closes or covers an opening , a passage or a duct .
For example: "Odors are leaking into the neighboring house: we are going to have to make an enclosure" , "We have to be very careful with the enclosure since the laboratory cannot receive any external contamination" , "An emergency enclosure prevented the outflow of fluids .
Enclosure in construction and architecture
In the field of construction and architecture , an enclosure is a division that is made with a partition (and not with a thick wall) or something that allows closing and finishing a building or a part of it: «With Claudio we plan to make an enclosure on the balcony to be able to make better use of the space" , "If you make an enclosure in this part of the house, you have a better atmosphere" , "Since we made the enclosure, the wind no longer bothers us and we can have lunch or dinner in the balcony .
In this sense, enclosures are a type of fence that allows the use of a space for a purpose, separating the exterior from the interior. Thanks to an enclosure it is possible to install a laundry room, a winter garden, an indoor pool or a barbecue area, among other things.
In many buildings, balconies are enclosed.
Changes throughout history
Historically, there have been various types of enclosures that, in their case, performed a purely defensive and security function . Because? Because they stood up with the clear objective of preventing certain buildings from being attacked by enemies.
In this sense, there were both walls , which were used to defend castles and also to protect entire cities, and barbicans . The latter were used during the Middle Ages in order to protect everything from a bridge to a gate through a tower. And so they were used until the 16th century .
Closures today
Currently, among the most frequent enclosures are those whose clear objective is to protect the terraces of bars and restaurants . In this case, the usual thing is to opt for glass ones since they offer greater elegance, are very resistant, have a long durability and allow you to enjoy the environment at all times.
More and more people, in their companies or homes, choose enclosures because they offer three fundamental advantages: they perfectly protect against the adverse weather conditions that exist outside, they can be used for multiple applications and they make useful spaces that were previously without taking advantage.
Classification according to type
There are many classifications that exist about enclosures. However, among the most frequent are these:
- By location: indoors and outdoors.
- Due to their behavior with respect to light: opaque, transparent or translucent.
- By shape: curved or flat.
- For mobility: fixed or mobile.
It should be noted that the enclosures can be made with various materials, such as aluminum or glass . Sometimes the enclosure is carried out for security reasons; This is the case of plastic fabrics that are placed on a balcony to avoid accidents with children or pets.