Evaluation of window view preference using quantitative and qualitative factors of window view content

Abstract

A high-quality window view plays an essential role in people's indoor life, and assessing the content of the window view is essential for evaluating view quality. Although many studies have evaluated specific view content preferences of occupants, only a few have lumped different quantitative and qualitative factors together. This study aims to assess occupants' window view preferences by quantitative and qualitative factors of view contents. We conduct a systematic study by providing 80 static photos of window views to the participants, selecting quantitative (i.e., natural feature ratio, artificial feature ratio, number of layers) and qualitative (i.e., presence of rule of thirds, horizontal layers, and far elements) window view descriptors, developing and administering questionnaires, and analyzing the obtained data. The findings reveal that the percentage of natural elements, including the sky and greenery, are highly correlated to occupants' subjective window view preference. In addition, the number of layers and the existence of far elements are also factors with more significant impacts.