Effect of window glazing color and transmittance on human visual comfort

: Occupants’ visual comfort in an indoor space strongly depend on the quantity and quality of the daylight inside the space which can be altered with the type of window glazing. In this study, we compared the visual comfort perception of participants with sun in their field of view under two types of glazing: color-neutral and blue-tinted electrochromic glazing. The main experimental variables are the color and visible light transmittances of the glazing. The aim was to determine the influence of these variables on participants’ discomfort glare, view out and color perception. We found that the discomfort glare was perceived more strongly with blue-tinted glazing compared to the color-neutral glazing for a range of (low) transmittances. We also found that the colors of outdoor elements were rated non-natural in case of blue-tinted glazing compared to color-neutral glazing. The outside view was perceived more restricted in blue-tined glazing compared to color-neutral glazing even though both of them maintain view clarity.