Design Consideration for Window Placement to Provide the View within the Patient's Visual Range

Abstract

This study argues on the importance of considering the visual capacity of the observers in the placement of the windows to provide views to the natural outdoor environment. In particular, this study explores the mechanism of seeing that involves foveal and peripheral view in defining the patients’ visual capacity in experiencing the spaces of the healing environment. The placement of windows to connect the inside with the outside becomes irrelevant when their placement is not within the patient’s visual range. To examine the patient’s view toward the windows, we performed a 3d simulation of a hospital inpatient room and captured the scenes representing the foveal and peripheral views of the openings from various positions of bed-ridden patients. The region calculation of the opening elements within the captured image reveals the presence of opening within the peripheral range of patients’ view. This study suggests that the design of healing environment should not be based merely on the physical arrangement of interior elements, but should also consider how the elements are experienced within the view of the patient.Seeing