Green view factor and satisfaction with window views in urban offices

Abstract

Greenery is a key element of quality window views. This study aims to clarify the quantitative effect of greenery on view satisfaction in urban offices. Green view factor (GVF) is proposed to measure greenery visible through windows. Subjective evaluation experiments were conducted using a virtual reality system for different GVFs between 0% and 100%. It was found that greenery increases view satisfaction by up to 20 to 30 points on a 100-point scale. But the view satisfaction does not simply depend on the GVF. The layout and spacing of greenery are important. Greenery occupying about 50% of the window width at intervals maximizes the view satisfaction in the case of full-window walls.