There are some architectural programmes where it is thought that a
view out may lead to a lack of concentration, as in a school classroom. It
was the author’s experience that classrooms in his school in the 1930s
had windows at high level, precluding a view out; a view which
prevailed until the new school building programmes of the 1960s. Other
building programmes, such as churches or factories, also tend to ignore
the need for a view, and it is perhaps understandable in a building used
only for a short space of time, that the question of view doesn’t figure
large in the architect’s priorities, and in the case of the daylit factory it
would be reasonable to suppose that there might be dangers associated
with lack of concentration when working with potentially dangerous
machinery if a view out were provided.
The question of ‘view-out’ is necessarily associated with ‘view-in’
raising the question of privacy, which in certain circumstances may be
deemed to be of importance. During the day this will generally not be a
problem, as the level of daylight outside will be greater than that within,
16 Daylighting: Natural Light in Architecture
Interior of a greenhouse at Kew Gardens. Lit
by daylightDP ArchiveConcourse at Abu Dhabi Airport. Artificial
colourDP Archive