The quality and quantity of daylight in workplace environments have a significant influence on human well-being, satisfaction, and performance. This paper investigates how daylight exposure in faculty offices affects occupancy time, perceived comfort, and overall workplace satisfaction in academic settings. Recognizing daylight as a key element of biophilic design, the study explores its role in supporting productivity, well-being, and environmental performance within sustainable building frameworks.
A mixed-method approach was employed, combining quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews, and daylight simulations using VELUX Daylight Visualizer. Faculty offices were classified according to their daylight access: direct, indirect, and none. The findings reveal that offices with balanced indirect daylight conditions provided the highest levels of satisfaction and optimal luminance (300–500 cd/m²), contributing to improved mood, reduced reliance on artificial lighting, and higher perceived workplace quality. Offices with direct sunlight showed benefits but also challenges with glare control, while spaces without daylight were associated with lower satisfaction levels.
While improved lighting conditions enhance user experience, the study found that environmental factors alone do not determine office occupancy time—professional responsibilities and task nature also play a significant role. The results highlight the importance of architectural design strategies such as façade orientation, reflective materials, and shading systems to achieve comfortable and energy-efficient daylighting.
This study contributes to sustainable design discourse by emphasizing the role of daylight as a driver of human-centric and environmentally responsive academic workspaces. The insights can inform architects, planners, and facility managers seeking to enhance indoor environmental quality and promote more sustainable academic environments.