Methods for Quality Assessment of Window View

This paper summarises findings from two workshops evaluating a series of views in various settings by an interdisciplinary group of experts. In the first one (Trondheim, June 2022), ten experts visited and assessed views from nine rooms. In the second one (Lausanne, June 2023), eleven experts assessed window views from four spaces. The workshops’ main objective was to develop and test multi-method assessments of window views. During both workshops, participants completed a survey that included close and open-ended questions about the perceived quality of the room and the view. Participants also measured lux level, took photographs, made hand drawings of the view, and answered a questionnaire about their mood and the environmental conditions in the room. After the workshop, point-in-time daylight simulations were performed for the visited rooms. The paper describes, compares, and recommends the use of the aforementioned methods depending on the type and complexity of the view, and the space, the evaluators’ professional background, and the type of collected data. It also discusses the overlap of the methods and estimates the preparation time, time spent on site, and the amount of work after the visit. Finally, it recommends the use of the tested methods depending on the application.