Abstract:
This paper investigates the perception and performance of occupants in rooms with and without visual connection to outside. Thereby, experiments were conducted with two groups of participants in a laboratory containing two test cells. One of the cells is equipped with a flat panel display, which acts as a virtual window. The other cell has no such display. Participants in the experimental group were exposed, via the virtual window, to different scenes. The control group in the window-less room was not exposed to such treatment. During the experiments, participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire regarding indoor environment. Additionally, they were asked to perform a number of typical problem-solving tasks. The discussion of the experimental results addresses the question, if and to which extent the existence of a virtual connection to the outside world in window-less spaces can improve occupants' perception and performance.
