Assessing the impact of outside view on learning: A close look to en 17037 'view out' practices through the analysis of 220 classrooms

Abstract

The purpose of design standards and guidelines is to ensure occupant safety and aid in occupant well-being and satisfaction. Educational buildings such as schools should extend this aim, by also promoting student learning, something that has triggered literature in the past suggesting significant correlation between learning performance and the indoor environment. EN 17037 "Daylight for Buildings" is a recently approved European standard that seeks to assess and ensure successful daylit spaces, including sections on protection against glare, exposure to sunlight, and view out. EN 17037 includes three ways of assessing view out in buildings including, Horizontal sight angle, Outside distance of the view, and Number of view layers outside of windows, a combination that potentially makes it an efficient way to describe such a complex concept. This paper will use a large data set of 220 K-12 classrooms in the Midwest region of the United States in order to evaluate whether any of these three levels of assessing view, or combinations of them can show potential effects on student achievement. The Number of view layers showed a significant positive effect on reading achievement. However, none of the metrics were found to be significant with respect to math achievement. These results aim to identify the next steps of a future controlled study towards a better quantifiable understanding of outside view perception, while also triggering a conversation about the main factors connected to outside view that should be considered towards an indoor environment that promotes learning and productivity.