Windows, view, and office characteristics predict physical and psychological discomfort

Abstract

Office employees spend a lot of time inside buildings, where the physical conditions influence their well-being and indirectly influence their employers' business performance. With data from a field study conducted in the Netherlands in April to May 2003, we used path analysis to further elucidate the relationship between personal (gender and seasonality of mood shifts), building (view type, view quality, window distance, and social density), and perceived environmental conditions (light quality, and office impression) and physical and psychological discomfort, sleep quality, and environmental utility. The results show that window views, which that are rated as being more attractive, are beneficial to building occupants by reducing discomfort. However, being close to a window and rating the lighting as being of lower quality can result in thermal and glare problems (environmental utility). Reduced discomfort at work can improve sleep quality, indicating that physical conditions at work influence home life.