Balconies during COVID-19 lockdown: exploring the change in patterns of use in Cairo
ISSN: 0168-2601
Article publication date: 3 February 2022
Issue publication date: 29 April 2022
Abstract
Purpose
This paper questions the change in patterns of use of the balcony during lockdown. It investigates whether residents, specifically of apartment buildings in Cairo, used their balconies more frequently or for different activities during the lockdown.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted through a mixed methods approach. More specifically, a sequential explanatory design was adopted where quantitative data were collected at first followed by qualitative data collection. The study proceeded in two stages. First, an online questionnaire with 160 respondents was conducted to depict the change in the frequency and use patterns of balconies pre/post lockdown in Cairo. The respondents were approached through snowball sampling. Second, in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 participants, approached through convenience sampling, were done. The interviews aimed to provide interpretation and rationale for the responses, patterns and correlations identified from the questionnaire results.
Findings
The findings of this study confirm that there is a change in the pattern of use of balconies in terms of frequency and the types of hosted activities. The analysis revealed three key ideas that characterize those changes: the balcony as a found space, as a loose space and as a space of self-expression at home. It also expands on spatial qualities of balconies that promoted their use. The study emphasizes the significance of such outdoor private spaces in apartment buildings and puts forward balconies as an essential element of future dwellings design for the multiple benefits they behold.
Originality/value
The originality of the study stems from tackling such a timely and unprecedented situation, where still few studies investigating the relationship between pandemic and the architecture of homes have been conducted. Furthermore, this study focuses particularly on exploring the use of balconies in Cairo, one of the largest cities in both Africa and the Middle East, during lockdown. Its findings might ultimately help formulate, define and characterize new trends in the architecture of homes that would embrace human needs in times of prosperity and rising tensions alike.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: This research received no external funding.
Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank all the respondents and participants who took part in this study. Their participation and engagement enabled this research to be possible. The authors also extend their sincere acknowledgement to all the participants who shared the pictures of their balconies, which were really an asset to the study.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Citation
Khalil, M. and Eissa, D. (2022), "Balconies during COVID-19 lockdown: exploring the change in patterns of use in Cairo", Open House International, Vol. 47 No. 2, pp. 235-253. https://doi.org/10.1108/OHI-08-2021-0178
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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