Effect of Window Glazing Type on Daylight Quality: Scale Model Study of a Living Room under Natural Sky

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study where the effect of five window glazing types on daylight quality was investigated using a scale model (1:6) of a room with a single, south east-oriented window exposed to the natural sky. The space studied simulated a typical, fully furnished living room. A total of 30 research subjects took part in the experiment, observed the room and filled questionnaires, which covered seven factors related to daylight quality: light level, glare (comfort), naturalness, beauty and pleasantness, precision, light distribution and shadows. This study repeated some results from previous investigations although a different experimental design was used (within-subject, random-order, no comparison to reference). The results of the statistical analysis (ANOVA) indicated that the glazing type had a statistically significant effect on the perception of light level, naturalness, beauty/pleasantness and precision. The visual transmittance of the glazing type was positively correlated with light level, glare (comfort), naturalness, beauty and pleasantness, and precision. The glazing type had no statistically significant effect on light distribution and shadows. The results also suggest that a color distortion in two directions yields more positive votes compared with a unidirectional color shift.

Keywords:

• Coated and tinted glazing
• daylight quality
• glazing types
• visual perception
• subjective evaluation
• light color
• visual transmittance
• glare.