Should an artificial window substitute a natural one?

Abstract

Nowadays, most of us spend approximately 90% of our lifetime in an indoor environment. Today a workplace can be set anywhere, at a coffee shop, at home or even in a place without windows. However, a real question is superimposed: it is really so? Can we work anywhere in any environment conditions? Can a virtual image, or video, substitute the real thing? In other words, can a virtual environment be a substitute of a real and natural one, without jeopardizing our physiological and psychological systems? This paper aims to study the “do’s and don’ts” of a lighting design in a workplace. To achieve such goals the research was built upon literature review.