Why is it important to have a good view?

Daylight is essential for humans to feel well. But did you know that our well-being also increases if we have a good view? Research shows that if we can follow the weather development and see seasonal changes through a good view, we’ll feel better and stress less.

Views give us a reduced sense of confinement as well as information regarding weather, time of day and seasonal changes. A person who is close to a window with a good view with great light input will feel more alert. The view also provides cognitive stimulus and reduces mental fatigue. For a view to have good quality, it is recommended to contain components such as landscape, city, sky and land. A view that contains some form of nature or nature experience has proven to have positive health effects on especially well-being and mental illness. A view of nature can provide positive health effects both in the short-term and long-term. In addition to a view with good quality, you shall also take into account of how far the view extends and the visible width of the view.

In different residential environments, access to views and daylight may vary quite a lot. It all depends on, among other things, the size and placement of the windows as well as the design of the urban planning. Being able to calculate the amount of daylight in a room is important for public health and therefore has a great significance for energy use, building regulation and urban planning.

A good view, especially towards calm environments such as vegetation, increases the connection with nature and reduces stress. It has also proven to be positive for learning for children and young people in school. Students in schools with views towards vegetation instead of a sterile environment have shown good study results. For children in schools that prioritize spending time outdoors, it has been possible to see increased physical activity, longer night’s sleep and a healthier BMI than in other children. Views of nature in a classroom has also proven to have a positive effect on college students. It has resulted in higher semester grades as well as better evaluations of courses. However, there are no studies yet that prove that view affects the attendance frequency.

There are also links between good views and recovery in healthcare. The care times for hospitalized patients with depressive states decrease if the patients have good access to daylight. These therapeutic effects of daylight and good views have been observed especially in newly operated patients. Studies conducted for rehabilitation clinics also show that views of nature are healing for the patients.

Access to daylight and view is an essential part in having a good work environment. The amount of natural daylight flowing in through the window at workplaces needs to be balanced out to maintain a good indoor comfort. Too much daylight can cause high temperatures, dazzle and create reflections on computer screens that can make it difficult to see. Many solve this problem by using awnings or blinds, but they block the view and therefore remove another important factor for our well-being.

A great solution is to use windows with smart, electrochromic glass. The dynamic glass provides controllable heat and light transmission without blocking the view. Studies show that employees that have been working in an environment with optimized daylight and view created by electrochromic glass both felt better and performed better than employees who worked in an environment with regular windows. The cognitive functions improved, which in turn increased productivity. Even regular health problems for office workers, such as headache, eyestrain and drowsiness, decreased drastically. This proves how important controllable heat and light transmission is for the health and the performance of the employees, as well as the benefits of using smart, dynamic glass.

Yes, they can! There are studies that show that work environments with good views and light input, besides affecting our psychological health, also improves the office workers performance. Office workers were tested at different workstations with different views, where parameters such as the size and content of the view were also rated. It turned out that workers in the Call Center were found to process calls 7-12 percent faster when they had the best possible view versus those with no view. Office workers with the best possible views also performed 10-25 percent better on tests of mental function and memory recall. The most consistent explanatory variable associated with improved worker performance was a better view, which proves how important a good view is for us to function.

To understand why view and daylight are so important to us, you have to understand the difference between them. It is the view that mainly controls the health benefits from daylight. Views increase the possibilities of daylight exposure, which allows us to receive the positive effects from the light input. Therefore, no views → no daylight → no health benefits. But the view can also provide us with added value during night time. Therefore, view and daylight should therefore not be equated. Both daily and nightly views give us an enhanced orientation of the circadian rhythm and are thus associated with our mental well-being.

The strongest effect view has on us humans is psychological and affects our mood and well-being. There are also cases when access to view and daylight is of minor importance and in fact can be omitted. These cases apply to spaces where you normally stay for a short amount of time, such as locker rooms, drying rooms, laundry rooms, toilets, shower rooms and changing rooms.

Regardless of season, our product provides necessary daylight, comfortable temperatures, unlimited views, comfort for all workspaces and UV-protection for our well-being. ChromoGenics consists of three product lines which provide increased indoor comfort, improved energy efficiency and architectural freedom. ConverLight® Dynamic glass provides sustainable solar control for increased indoor comfort and energy efficiency in buildings. The electrochromic technology in our smart dynamic glass stops the solar heat before it even enters the building. Our dynamic glass solution adjusts the solar transmittance depending on conditions such as time of day, outdoor temperature and window position. The effect is that the window blocks the solar heat when it is warm and lets the solar heat in when it is cold, in order to regulate the indoor comfort.

Our dynamic glass provides solar heat reduction up to 90%. This guarantees a pleasant indoor climate without losing the benefits that natural daylight has on the human body.

Read more about our ConverLight® Dynamic glass.