SRM Technology Campus Office Building in Kirkland, Washington by DLR Group. Photo by Sam Van Fleet.
As workplace architects, designers, and engineers, we have long sensed that the office environment has a large impact on how effectively we are able to work.Views, daylighting, indoor air quality, thermal comfort and acoustics have all been shown to have significant positive impacts on workplace productivity.1 We consistently consider these design features in our high-performance design practice for workplace, which focuses on complementary strategies proven through research to improve health and wellness of users. But how much do views matter and, if they do, how should we design for views?
How Much Do Views Matter?
Design publications and AEC firm websites alike espouse views: views of the city, views of the landscape, views of the clouds. But views are a scientifically legitimate design feature that can be applied in many of today’s renovated and newly constructed office buildings. Below are some of the studies we commonly share with clients when we are asked just how much views matter.
A 2011 study by Ihab Elzeyedi examined an open-plan office building at the University of Oregon where 30 percent of the offices overlooked trees and landscape; 31 percent overlooked a street, building, and parking lot; and 39 percent had no view. 2 The study linked a 10 percent reduction in occupant sick days to both view of nature and exposure to daylight. Specifically, the study reported employees overlooking trees and landscape took an average of 57 hours of sick leave per year, compared with 68 hours by employees with no view.
In a 2010 study comparing an older workspace with limited access to windows reducing both daylight and views of nature, to a newer workspace with better views and increased exposure to daylight, psychologist Julian Thayer and his team found that workers in the new space had lower markers of stress and improved indicators of heart health. 6The new space provided seated access to views and daylight with workstations located along the window wall, and furniture partitions lower than 64 inches. The floorplate dimensions, ceiling height, and HVAC system were the same in both buildings. What is more intriguing is that workers in the new space also exhibited a better sleep cycle and lower stress outside of the workplace.