TY - JOUR
T1 - Access to daylight and view in an office improves cognitive performance and satisfaction and reduces eyestrain
T2 - A controlled crossover study
AU - Jamrozik, Anja
AU - Clements, Nicholas
AU - Hasan, Syed Shabih
AU - Zhao, Jie
AU - Zhang, Rongpeng
AU - Campanella, Carolina
AU - Loftness, Vivian
AU - Porter, Paige
AU - Ly, Shaun
AU - Wang, Selena
AU - Bauer, Brent
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank the participants for their time and commitment to the study. Thank you to the staff and interns of the Well Living Lab who kept the facility running. Thank you also to the staff and leadership teams of Delos Living LLC, the Mayo Clinic, and to the Well Living Lab leadership team, Joint Steering Committee, Scientific Advisory Council, and corporate-alliance members. This research was supported by a donation from View Inc. as corporate-alliance members of the Well Living Lab. View Inc. was not involved in study recruitment, data collection, analysis, or interpretation, or writing the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019
PY - 2019/11
Y1 - 2019/11
N2 - Windows provide access to daylight and view, both of which have been linked to positive outcomes for occupants, including improved satisfaction, well-being, and performance. However, window access can also cause discomfort and eyestrain from glare. This controlled crossover study tested the occupant impacts of two modern shading systems designed to provide daylight and view while minimizing glare: windows with manually-controlled motorized mesh shades (Mesh Shades) and windows with automatic tinting (Dynamic Tint). Ten participants spent fourteen weeks working in a living lab in which three conditions were non-consecutively repeated for two-week periods: Mesh Shades, Dynamic Tint, and a baseline condition lacking daylight and view (Blackout Shades). Participants' cognitive function performance, satisfaction, and eyestrain in the baseline Blackout Shades condition were compared to the same measures in the Mesh Shades and Dynamic Tint conditions. Two aspects of cognitive function performance—Working Memory and Inhibition—improved in both the Mesh Shades and Dynamic Tint conditions. Satisfaction with light as well as with the overall environment improved in both the Mesh Shades and Dynamic Tint conditions. Eyestrain symptoms were reduced in both the Mesh Shades and Dynamic Tint conditions. There were no statistical differences between settings with Dynamic Tint and motorized Mesh Shades on measures of cognitive function performance, satisfaction, or eyestrain symptoms. This research demonstrates that providing access to daylight and view in an office environment using modern shading methods can improve occupants’ cognitive performance and satisfaction while reducing eyestrain.
AB - Windows provide access to daylight and view, both of which have been linked to positive outcomes for occupants, including improved satisfaction, well-being, and performance. However, window access can also cause discomfort and eyestrain from glare. This controlled crossover study tested the occupant impacts of two modern shading systems designed to provide daylight and view while minimizing glare: windows with manually-controlled motorized mesh shades (Mesh Shades) and windows with automatic tinting (Dynamic Tint). Ten participants spent fourteen weeks working in a living lab in which three conditions were non-consecutively repeated for two-week periods: Mesh Shades, Dynamic Tint, and a baseline condition lacking daylight and view (Blackout Shades). Participants' cognitive function performance, satisfaction, and eyestrain in the baseline Blackout Shades condition were compared to the same measures in the Mesh Shades and Dynamic Tint conditions. Two aspects of cognitive function performance—Working Memory and Inhibition—improved in both the Mesh Shades and Dynamic Tint conditions. Satisfaction with light as well as with the overall environment improved in both the Mesh Shades and Dynamic Tint conditions. Eyestrain symptoms were reduced in both the Mesh Shades and Dynamic Tint conditions. There were no statistical differences between settings with Dynamic Tint and motorized Mesh Shades on measures of cognitive function performance, satisfaction, or eyestrain symptoms. This research demonstrates that providing access to daylight and view in an office environment using modern shading methods can improve occupants’ cognitive performance and satisfaction while reducing eyestrain.
KW - Cognitive function
KW - Natural light
KW - Office satisfaction
KW - Performance
KW - View quality
KW - Window access
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U2 - 10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106379
DO - 10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106379
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85063890077
VL - 165
JO - Building and Environment
JF - Building and Environment
SN - 0360-1323
M1 - 106379
ER -