DIARY. Coping with Discomfort – Use Patterns in a Syrian Home

Abstract As a result of the Syrian conflict which started in 2011, middle and low-income groups in Syria have been facing difficulties in accessing energy, and left unable to cover their domestic energy expenses. How do these households respond to the low levels of comfort in their homes? In this in-situ study, I seek to investigate the intertwining discourses between domestic space, occupant behavior, and climate. Looking for evidence, I used the diary as a method to investigate the phenomenological experience of inhabiting a building. By collecting the diaries of family members in one flat in a typical domestic block in Damascus, I tell a collective story of the building through the residents. By selecting the stories of three rooms in the flat where the inhabitants felt uncomfortable in summer and winter, I present critical moments of discomfort in a visual essay. This research raises questions about the efficiency of the current model of affordable housing in Syria.