Wellbeing, Health and Performance Promoted by Visual and Thermal Stimuli: Fenestration Design to Support People’s Indoor Environment Needs

Fenestration design plays a decisive role for the way we will design and operate buildings in the future. Solar loads, daylight access, view out and indoor thermal exposures are all affected by fenestration design. Indoor spaces with daylight and windows benefit occupants' health, mood and performance.

From studies in architecture and engineering, we know the positive effects of the indoor lighting-thermal conditions on occupants comfort and performance.

However, little is known about the effects of the interaction between visual stimuli from the window view, daylight and thermal perception of indoor environments and how such complex, multifactorial interactions can be reliably evaluated.

This knowledge gap has motivated IndoorSTIMULI with which we aim to integrate the combined effect of these three parameters, to investigate their interaction and to quantify its impacts on human responses. We will examine different window views, glazing properties, temperatures and wall finishes.

The experiments will take place in a real-life context where participants will be exposed to different visual-thermal stimuli. We will monitor subjects' physiological responses through wearable loggers and saliva samples. Participants’ subjective assessments and performance will be collected through questionnaires and tests.

The outcomes of IndoorSTIMULI will be significant for the scientific community and industry, from producers of building components to building designers who focus on improving the indoor environment quality and optimized building energy performance.

Quantifiable knowledge of the impact of visual-thermal stimuli on occupants will offer realistic inputs for the design of buildings, fenestration, personalized conditioning and smart lighting systems that support people’s indoor environmental needs without unnecessary use of energy.