ABSTRACT

The size of window openings is widely acknowledged as an important factor in our spatial perception. However, little is known about how the perception and preference of windows changes between countries, leaving a gap of knowledge regarding the applicability of research findings across latitudes. This article presents the outcomes of a study investigating regional differences in the perception of spaces with varying window size (small, medium, and large), space size (small and large), spatial context (working and social), and sky type (overcast and two types of clear sky). As the regional differences were the main studied factor, the study was performed in Norway, Switzerland, and Greece, representing northern, central, and southern European latitudes, respectively, and used virtual reality as a means to replicate the same experiment in different locations. In total, 406 participants evaluated eight spatial attributes using an 11-point Likert-type scale. Results indicated that regional differences could be observed in the participants’ responses, with significant differences in how pleasant and calm the space was perceived, found not only between participants in Greece and Norway in all the studied window sizes, but also between Greece and Switzerland for the medium and large windows, indicating that even small variations in latitude within Europe can affect the spatial perception. The findings of this study reveal that spaces with specific fenestration characteristics might not induce the same response across different latitudes in Europe, and thus, have important implications for daylighting and architectural design, which would motivate the use of region-specific parameters.

摘要

窗户开口的大小被广泛认为是我们空间感知的重要因素。然而，人们对窗口的看法和偏好如何在国家之间发生变化知之甚少，从而在跨纬度研究结果的适用性方面留下了知识空白。本文介绍了一项研究的结果，该研究调查了不同窗口大小（小、中和大）、空间大小（小和大）、空间背景（工作和社交）和天空类型（阴天）的空间感知的区域差异和两种晴朗的天空）。由于区域差异是主要研究因素，因此该研究在挪威、瑞士和希腊进行，分别代表欧洲北部、中部和南部纬度，并使用虚拟现实作为在不同地点复制相同实验的手段。总共有 406 名参与者使用 11 点李克特型量表评估了八个空间属性。结果表明，在参与者的反应中可以观察到区域差异，在感知空间的愉悦和平静程度方面存在显着差异，这不仅在希腊和挪威的所有研究窗口大小的参与者之间存在，而且在希腊和瑞士之间也存在中窗和大窗，表明即使欧洲内部纬度的微小变化也会影响空间感知。这项研究的结果表明，具有特定开窗特征的空间可能不会在欧洲不同纬度引起相同的反应，因此，