Conference Paper

Proceedings of Building Simulation 2019: 16th Conference of IBPSA

A New Framework for Evaluating Views throughout Open Plan Work Spaces

Irmak Turan ¹, Christoph Reinhart ¹, Michael Kocher ^2
1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
² Behnisch Architekten

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26868/25222708.2019.210755
Abstract: We present a framework for evaluating views in open plan work spaces, such as offices and classrooms. Previously proposed analysis methods have evaluated views from a few select positions on a building’s perimeter, looking outward to specific objects of interest. Our approach evaluates views in a spatially distributed grid, considering the occupant visual experience to be fluid and dynamic within a space. The framework does not (nor can it ever) measure the quality of a view. Instead, it analyzes compositional elements that one sees within a particular field of vision, such as proportion of sky to ground, diversity of visual elements, and depth-of-field. The method employs standard architectural modeling software, and is meant to be a tool that can be used iteratively and easily throughout a design’s development. The framework is applied to a concept-level office project to illustrate the potential for view analysis in early design. The case study depicts how the view analysis framework can reveal visual opportunities throughout a floor plate that may not be intuitively apparent by looking at an architectural model alone.
Keywords: Views, visual connectivity, visual access
Pages: 1098 - 1105
Paper: