1. Introduction

Figure 1. Rendered image of looking at the sky through a skylight window (self-produced)

“In our time, light has turned into a mere quantitative matter and the window has lost its significance as a mediator between two worlds, between enclosed and open, interiority and exteriority, private and public, shadow and light.” (Pallasmaa, p.51)

Several studies have shown that daylight is well-appreciated within homes, as William Lam highlights in “Sunlighting as Formgiver for Architecture”, dating back to 1986. However, it is demonstrated that people’s interactions with natural light, their thoughts, feelings, and particular behaviors have far been overlooked in favor of achieving physical lighting requirements (Hauge, p.4).

Paul Conway1 states in his paper, “Skychology – an interpretative phenomenological analysis of looking up at the sky”, that research has neglected intentional interactions with the sky. Many people regard looking up at the sky to be a mundane activity. We do it all the time, often without even realizing it. The sky is always on unrestrained by geography or urbanisation and accessible to almost everyone (Conway, p.4).

Harnessing the interaction between human and the sky becomes important in light of increasing global urbanization and the destruction of contact with nature. A substantial amount of research demonstrates that engaging with nature has a good influence on physical and psychological wellbeing (Ulrich, Heschong, Hauge). Viewing the sky and other natural features of the world can support psychological restoration, thus sustaining health and wellbeing (Kaplan, 2001). Since professor Roger Ulrich first identified the restorative health benefits of viewing nature for postoperative patients (1984), an abundance of studies has found links between nature involvement, improved physical health, and psychological wellbeing, including higher levels of

1 Paul Conway is a coaching psychologist and creator of the evidence-based positive psychology intervention called skychology – a methodology which teaches on how to experience everyday wellbeing with something as simple as looking at the sky

life satisfaction, attention, positive affect and lower levels of stress and anxiety.

Everyday experience tells us that windows are generally desirable features in buildings (Veitch, Christoffersen, Galasiu). Since some of their main functions is to permit access to daylight and viewing the sky, roof windows play a strong factor in mediating between enclosed and open, man and nature. This balancing effort between the internal and external worlds is a constant motif in our daily lives. We try to choose and regulate our circumstances so that we have exactly the appropriate amount of stimulation versus distraction, engagement versus detachment.

As stated before, humans have a natural yearning to be in touch with nature and natural phenomena, such as daylight and skylight (Hauge). Thus, their urge for a look out can be explained by the desire for meaningful stimulation, but further exploration of desire for skylight views could provide necessary details around the effects they have on people’s wellbeing, which can then be transformed into generational desire for the phenomenon.

Our collective experience is that skylight windows are desirable, but only in recent years has science begun to explain why. A recent literature study recognizes that people’s desire for daylight generally depends on how building openings affect the appearance of the space; it also depends on the function of the space and on each individual’s cultural norms about privacy, enclosure and view (Veitch, Christoffersen, Galasiu, p.1).

If we look at how daylighting has been evaluated in recent years and decades, there have been many different ways, from task illumination to visual comfort, perception and wellbeing, especially since the new ipRGC photoreceptor has been discovered in the human eye. And so, a lot of these have got a lot of attention, especially for the first two, task illumination and visual comfort (Velux Group, 2017). Under the rapidly growing context of energy conscious research, new ways of rebalancing our definition of healthy homes have to be considered to include those perceptual and aesthetic aspects of daylight that are often disregarded by the world of technicality and simulation (Rockcastle, 2013, p.v).

By investigating what is desirable for people in the experience of looking up at the sky through skylight windows, intentionally and on a perceptual level, this study aims to provide valuable knowledge to the current body of research around window views and impact on human vision and wellbeing.

Research question When people look up at the sky, what do they experience? What function and potential do skylight windows have in the experience of wellbeing?