A Data Collection Method for Long-Term Field Studies of Visual Comfort in Real-World Daylit Office Environments

ABSTRACT: With the current development towards increased daylighting in buildings and the related progress in daylight evaluation methods, real life monitoring data becomes an urgent need to better support our understanding of the link between daylight and visual comfort. A data collection methodology is presented that links the physical measurements, using luminance maps derived from High Dynamics Range images, with the collection of user perception data at office workstations. The methodology has been developed to facilitate long-term monitoring of visual comfort in real world working environments. The measurement setup represents a compromise, i.e. the measurement position is not as ideal as that in a laboratory environment, but nevertheless provides useful data for situations where the laboratory approach is not viable. It thus opens a wider range of environments for visual comfort studies