This paper reports a study that aimed to establish a method of improving daylighting design using a behavioural approach. It underscores why daylighting design guidelines need to change in order to reflect the idea that human activities are important design criteria alongside the physical parameters. Design recommendations for sunlit offices have been developed based on experiments that investigated room occupants’ emotional, attitudinal and cognitive responses to various sunlight conditions. The design guidelines developed in this study, for the first time, present a comprehensive evaluation of a sunlit office from an architectural point of view, one that is focused on the characteristics of a workspace — involving sunlight, window view, privacy and control — and room occupants’ behavioural responses to these environmental factors.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Küller R., Lindsten C.Health and behavior of children in classrooms with and without windows. Journal of Environmental Psychology1992; 12: 305-317.
2.
Charles KE, Veitch JAEnvironmental Satisfaction in Open-Plan Environments: 2. Effects of Workstation Size, Partition Height and Windows. Ottawa, Ontario: Institute for Research in Construction, National Research Council, Canada, 2002.
3.
Edwards L., Torcellini P.A literature review of the effects of natural light on building occupants, Report: NREL/TP-550-30769, National Renewable Energy Laboratory , 2002.
4.
Ne’eman E.A comprehensive approach to the integration of daylight and electric light in buildings. Energy and Buildings1984; 6: 97-108. 5 Butler DL, Biner PMEffects of setting on window preferences and factors associated with those preferences. Environment and Behavior1989 ; 21: 17-31.
5.
Collins BLWindows and People: A Literature Survey. Washington DC : U S Department of Commerce/ National Bureau of Standards, 1975.
6.
Heerwagen JH , Orians GHAdaptations to windowlessness: A study of the use of visual decor in windowed and windowless offices. Environment and Behavior1986; 18: 623-639.
7.
Leather P., Pyrgas M., Beale D., Lawrence C.Windows in the workplace: Sunlight, view, and occupational stress . Environment and Behavior1998; 30: 739.
8.
Heschong Mahone Group.Skylight and Retail Sales: An Investigation into the Relationship Between Daylighting and Human Performance. California, USA: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, 1999.
9.
Romm JJ, Browning WDGreening the Building and the Bottom Line: Increasing Productivity through Energy-Efficient Design. Snowmass, Colorado: Rocky Mountain Institute, 1994.
10.
Beauchemin KM, Hays P.Sunny hospital rooms expedite recovery from severe and refractory depressions. Journal of Affective Disorders1996; 40: 49-51.
11.
Benedetti F. , Colombo C., Barbini B., Campori E., Smeraldi E.Morning sunlight reduces length of hospitalization in bipolar depression. Journal of Affective Disorders2001; 62: 221-223.
12.
Heerwagen JH , Heerwagen DRLighting and psychological comfort . Lighting Design and Application1986; 16: 47-51.
13.
Ulrich RSView through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science1984; 224: 420-421.
14.
Verderber S.Windowness and Human Behavior in the Hospital Rehabilitation Environment. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1983.
15.
Graw P., Recker S., Sand L., Kräuchi K., Wirz-Justice A.Winter and summer outdoor light exposure in women with and without seasonal affective disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders1999; 56: 163-169.
16.
Potkin SG, Zetin M., Stamenkovic V., Kripke D., Bunney WEJ.Seasonal affective disorder: Prevalence varies with latitude and climate . Clinical Neuropharmacology1886; 9: 181-183.
17.
Rea MS, editor. The IESNA Lighting Handbook: Reference & Application, 9th Edition. New York: The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, 2000.
18.
Boubekri M.A overview of the current state of daylight legislation. Journal of the Human-Environment System2004; 7: 57-63.
19.
International Code Council.International Building Code. Country ClubHills, IL: International Code Council, 2006.
20.
British Standards Institution .Lighting for Buildings - Part 2: Code of Practice for Daylighting. BS8206-2 (1992), London: BSI, 1992.
21.
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.Recommended Practice of Daylighting. New York: IESNA, 1999 .
22.
Boubekri M.An argument for daylighting legislation because of health. Journal of the Human-Environment System2004; 7: 51-56.
23.
Porteous JDEnvironment and Behavior: Planning and Everyday Urban Life. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co., 1977.
Isen AM, Means B., Patrick R., Nowicki GPSome factors influencing decision-making strategy and risk taking . In: Clark M, Fiske S, editors. Affect and Cognition. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1982: 243-261.
26.
Ne’eman E., Craddock J., Hopkinson RGSunlight requirements in buildings I - Social survey. Building and Environment1976; 11: 217-238.
27.
Ne’eman E., Hopkinson RGSunlight in buildings: Requirements and recommendations. In: Illumination ICo., editor. Compte Rendu 18e session. Paris: Bereau Central de la CIE, 1976, pp. 431-443.
28.
Boubekri M. , Hulliv RB, Boyer LLImpact of window size and sunlight penetration on office workers’ mood and satisfaction: A novel way of assessing sunlight . Environment and Behavior1991; 23: 474-493.
29.
Kaplan S.The restorative benefits of nature: Towards an integrative framework . Journal of Environmental Psychology1995 ; 15: 169-182.
30.
Markus TAThe function of windows-a reappraisal. Building Science1967; 2: 97-121.
31.
Purcell AT, Lamb RJ, Peron EM, Falchero S.Preference or preferences for landscapes?Journal of Environmental Psychology1994; 14: 195-209.
32.
Vischer JCWorkspace Strategies: Environment as a Tool for Work. New York: Chapman & Hall, 1996 .
33.
Evans GW, McCoy JMWhen buildings don’t work: The role of architecture in human health . Journal of Environmental Psychology1998 ; 18: 85-94.
34.
Sundstrom ED , Burt RE, Kamp D.Privacy at work: Architectural correlates of job satisfaction and job performance. Academy of Management Journal1980; 23: 101-117.
35.
Sundstrom ED , Town JP, Brown DW, Forman A., McGee C.Physical enclosure, type of job, and privacy in the office. Environment and Behavior1982 ; 14: 543-559.
36.
Hopkinson RG , Bradley RCGlare from very large sources. Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society1965; 55: 288-297.
37.
Ne’eman E., Sweitzer G., Vine E.Office worker response to lighting and daylighting issues in workspace environments: A pilot survey . Energy and Buildings1984; 6: 159-171.
38.
Watson D., Clark LA, Tellegen A.Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology1988; 54: 1063-1070.
39.
Baron RA, Rea MS, Daniels SGEffects of indoor lighting (illuminance and spectral distribution) on the performance of cognitive tasks and interpersonal behaviors: The potential mediating role of positive affect. Motivation and Emotion1992; 16: 1-33.
40.
Knez I.Effect of indoor lighting on mood and cognition. Journal of Environmental Psychology1995; 15: 39-51.
41.
Morrison RG , Krawcz DC, Holyoad KJ, Hummel JE, Chow TW, Miller BL, Knowlton BJA neurocomputational model of analyogical reasoning and its breakdown in frontotemporal lobar degeneration . Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience2004 ; 16: 260-271.
42.
Tregenza PR , Romaya SM, Dawe SP, Heap LJ, Tuck B.Consistency and variation in preferences for office lighting. Lighting Research and Technology1974; 6: 205-211.
43.
Halonen L, Lehtovaara J, editors. Need of individual control to improve daylight utilisation and user’s satisfaction in integrated lighting systems: The 23rd Session of the Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage. New Delhi, India; Vienna, Austria: Bureau Centrale de la CIE, 1995.
44.
Veitch JA, Newsham GRDeterminants of lighting quality II: Research and recommendations : The 104th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association . Toronto, Ontario , Canada, 1996.
45.
Veitch JA, Newsham GRExercised control, lighting choices, and energy use: An office simulation experiment. Journal of Environmental Psychology2000; 20: 219-237.
46.
Wang N., Boubekri M.Investigation of declared seating preference and measured cognitive performance in a sunlit room. Journal of Environmental Psychology2010; 30: 226-238.
47.
Wang N.In Broad Daylight: An Investigation of the Multiple Environmental Factors Influencing Mood, Preference, and Performance in a Sunlit Workplace . Champaign: University of Illinois , 2009.
48.
Brennan A., Chugh J., Kline T.Traditional versus open office design, a longitudinal field study . Environment and Behavior2002; 34: 279-299.
49.
Cangelosi VE , Lemoine LFEffects of open versus closed physical environment on employee perception and attitude. Social Behavior and Personality1998; 16: 71-77.
50.
Hedge A.The open-plan office: A systematic investigation of employee reactions to their work environment. Environment and Behavior1982; 14: 519-542.
51.
Hedge A.Open versus enclosed workspaces: The impact of design on employee reactions to their offices. In: Wineman JD , editor. Behavioral Issues in Office Design. New York: Van Nostrand Runhold Co., 1986, pp. 139-176.
52.
Oldham GR, Brass DJEmployee reactions to an open-plan office: A naturally occurring quasi-experiment . Administrative Science Quarterly1979; 24: 267-284.
53.
Sundstrom ED , Herbert RK, Brown DWPrivacy and communication in an open-plan office. Environment and Behavior1982; 14: 379-392.
54.
Block LK, Stokes GSPerformance and satisfaction in private versus nonprivate work settings . Environment and Behavior1989; 21: 277-297.
55.
Brookes MJ, Kaplan A.The office environment: Space planning and affective behavior. Human Factors1972; 14: 373-391.
56.
Marans RW, Speckelmeyer KFEvaluating open and conventional office design. Environment and Behavior1982; 14: 333-351.
57.
Mercer A.Office environments and clerical behavior. Environment and Planning1979; 6: 29-39.
58.
Vischer JCEnvironmental Quality in Offices. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1989.
59.
Becker FD, Gield B., Gaylin K., Sayer S.Office design in a community college. Environment and Behavior1983; 15: 699-726.
