The Benefits of Incorporating Access to Daylight and Views into the Built Environment

Studies detailing the positive impact of daylight and views in the built environment now abound as the topic continues to gain momentum, making it possible to dissect the benefit of access to daylight and views across specific application types. A 2013 report released by the World Green Building Council (WGBC) titled “Productivity and Health Benefits: The Business Case for Green Building” summarizes study findings that incorporating both daylight and views into schools, office spaces, and healthcare facilities generates real and significant improvements in the function, health, and well-being of the people in the space.

Offices

In office spaces, many studies have shown double-digit improvements in productivity, significant reduction in absenteeism, and improvement in attraction and retention of staff. For example, a 2003 study by the Heschong Mahone Group exploring the impact of daylight on a California call center showed 7-12 percent faster call processing and a 16 percent improvement in cognitive tests for those with a primary view through a window. Workers with a view spent 15 percent more time on their primary task than their peers without a view who spent 15 percent more time talking on the phone or with others.

Demonstrating the positive impact on wellness and absenteeism, a 2013 study conducted by Chueng (et al) found that workers without windows have poorer quality of life scores, vitality, sleep disturbance and efficiency, and daytime dysfunction; whereas, those with windows slept 46 minutes more per night. The 2011 study Daylighting—Bias and Biophilia: Quantifying the Impact of Daylighting on Occupant Health by Elzeyadi concluded that employees whose administrative offices incorporated daylight and views took less sick leave when compared with employees whose offices did not offer them access to the outside environment.

Of significant importance to businesses today is the ability to attract and retain talent. As an example of the impact daylight can have, a study of social service groups that moved into day-lit offices found the change resulted in a 200 percent decrease in turnover and a tripling of job applicants.

Healthcare

In healthcare environments, patients with access to daylight and views have demonstrated reduced post-operative recovery times, reduced use of pain medication, and improved outcomes. Other studies point to reduced stress, sick days, and error rates in hospital staff. Given that adverse drug events cost $2 billion annually, reducing dispensing errors can have a huge impact on medical costs, as well as patient care quality. In the Economics of Biophilia, Browning suggests that $93 million could be saved in healthcare each year alone by giving patients and staff views of nature.

Education

In contrast to the belief widely held in the 1970s that views are distracting to students and disrupt the learning process (a view which led to the construction of many schools devoid of windows), it has now been shown that views and daylight are extremely important to the growth, development, learning rates, and behavior of children. As an example, a 1999 study conducted by Heschong Mahone Group found that students in classrooms illuminated by daylight achieved higher test scores and learned faster than students in settings that had little daylight.