The Effect of Biophilic Glare Control on Occupant Perception

Abstract

Building and facade design face the challenge of maximizing daylight penetration while mitigating discomfort glare and addressing additional indoor user requirements and energy loads. Daylight in buildings plays a crucial role in regulating human circadian rhythms and various aspects of psychological functioning, health, and well-being. This is especially relevant in work environments, where improved performance, concentration, alertness, and mood are linked to adequate daylight exposure. Given that people spend most of their time indoors, including in office settings, access to natural light is often limited or obstructed by conventional shading systems. As both daylight and views to the outside benefit worker performance and satisfaction, office building facades frequently feature large window-to-wall ratios to enhance daylight and views. However, this transparency can result in excessive brightness and daylight glare. Various adaptive facade systems have emerged to address these challenges, with different levels of automation and control implemented to optimize performance.
In this thesis, a novel dynamic facade technology, VideowindoW, is discussed and tested as a shading system through an experimental approach in a laboratory setting. This product creates natural patterns aimed at providing glare protection and good indoor environmental quality for occupants. Limited studies have explored the impact of facade patterns on glare perception, satisfaction, and preference, with findings indicating a human preference for natural or irregular geometric patterns related to biophilic theories over more regular and striped patterns. Additional natural elements, including daylight and natural views, significantly enhance the overall architectural experience.
The aim of this work is to present a novel experimental setup in an office setting for evaluating occupant perception under different patterns. The patterns studied include a natural pattern, a striped pattern, and a no-pattern condition. Occupant perception is assessed in terms of (i) glare perception; (ii) daylight satisfaction; (iii) color of daylight satisfaction; (iv) visual comfort; (v) satisfaction with the view out; (vi) acceptance of obstruction of the view out; (vii) pattern aesthetics; and (viii) sunlight pattern aesthetics. Experiments with human participants systematically captured their perceptions and preferences.