How we evaluate the view out through the window

Abstract

This paper describes a study about factors impacting the perceived quality of the view out of the office window that was carried out in Trondheim, Norway, in 2013. A total of 106 subjects were visited in their respective working environments. The subjects were asked to evaluate the quality of the view from their typical working (sitting) position on a four-point scale: not satisfactory, satisfactory, good, excellent. The view was documented by taking pictures from the subject's eye position in the direction of the window(s). A regression analysis shows that the view quality evaluated by subjects is best predicted by the view distance, the number of view layers, the quality of the landscape/elements and the composition of the view. The view width, the extent of greenery in the view, the presence of water, the weather conditions, or gender and age were not found to contribute additionally to the perceived view quality.