Despite the growing awareness of the need for visual comfort, there is no simple method which can be used to assess all the factors (eg: glare, view, uniformity etc.) affecting visual comfort in daylit offices which are built and occupied. This report basically takes the form of a literature study. It investigates which factors influence visual comfort in daylit offices and how each of these factors can be measured to give an accurate assessment of the visual comfort of the occupants.
Traditionally, lighting design has been concerned with visual performance - providing a visual environment that allows people to perform specific tasks without impediment due to the lighting. Nowadays, visual comfort is becoming more significant. Rather than simply providing an environment in which people have adequate vision to perform a task, it is important that the task be conducted in visual comfort. Large quantities of research has been conducted into the requirements of visual comfort in artificially lit environments, however the literature available on visual comfort in daylit environments is somewhat less. Most office environments have at least some natural light, which will have a huge influence on the level of visual comfort.
This research aims to move towards creating a standard or code for the assessment of visual comfort in daylit offices. Post Occupancy Evaluations are the standard way to achieve such an assessment; however these can be very time consuming and can cause difficulty in getting unbiased results. This research will provide the foundation for a process in which quick and easy objective measurements are made, from which the level of visual comfort is calculated. Such a procedure could then be carried out by a building inspector, or the building owner/manager.