A Window View Quality Assessment Framework

Won Hee Ko, Michael G. Kent, Stefano Schiavon, Brendon Levitt, Giovanni Betti

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

70 Scopus citations

Abstract

The views that windows provide from inside a building affect human health and well-being. Although window view is an important element of architecture, there is no established framework to guide its design. The literature is widely dispersed across different disciplinary fields, and there is a need to coalesce this information into a framework that can be applied into the building design. Based on the literature, we present a framework for what constitutes “view quality.” At the basis of our framework, we propose three primary variables: View Content (the assessment of visual features seen in the window view); View Access (the measure of how much of the view can be seen through the window from the occupant’s position); and View Clarity (the assessment of how clear the view content appears in the window view when seen by an occupant). Each variable was thematically derived from different sources including daylighting standards, green certification systems, and scientific research studies. We describe the most important characteristics of each variable, and from our review of the literature, we propose a conceptual index that can evaluate the quality of a window view. While discussing the index, we summarize design recommendations for integrating these three variables into the building process and identify knowledge gaps for future research.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)268-293
Number of pages26
JournalLEUKOS - Journal of Illuminating Engineering Society of North America
Volume18
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Keywords

  • View
  • building design
  • daylighting
  • occupant health
  • window

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