P6 Pattern of Biophilic Design: Impact on visual comfort and cognitive performance of architectural technology students

Abstract

Scrutiny of the NBTE-approved curricula and course specifications for both National Diploma and
Higher National Diploma students of Architectural Technology revealed that the revised document has new
courses and upwardly reviewed course hours of some existing courses. Students are now expected to
spend extended periods in the studio for sundry academic tasks. This puts considerable pressure on their
visual comfort especially when lighting conditions are below-par, inappropriate, and ineffectual. With rising
cases of asthenopia, ocular fatigue, and deteriorating academic performance of architectural technology
students of NBTE-accredited schools of architecture, it has become necessary to float a study directed at
understudying how the P6 Pattern of Biophilic Design impacts the academic performance and well-being of
students. Precisely, this study investigated how lighting conditions of studios affect the visual comfort and
cognitive performance of Architectural Technology students. The study involved 176 consensual
participants, 44 participants per set, who were randomly selected across the Department of Architectural
Technology, Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri. A battery of tests, including delta blink rate calculations
and surveys, were directed at measuring cognitive performance, eye strain fatigue, and ocular fatigue within
four lighting conditions – static cool white light, static warm white light, dynamic light, and diffuse light.
Analysis with dual-axes composite graphs and scatter plots informed patterns, relationships, and findings
which indicated that dynamic lighting conditions impacted positively cognitive performance. Participants
exposed to dynamic lighting exhibited an improved cognitive performance of 1.06%, 2.17%, and 7.1%
respectively over similar cohorts exposed to diffuse lighting, static cool white lighting, and static warm
lighting conditions. Even though diffuse lighting conditions indicated approximate findings, ocular fatigue
remained significantly lowered while eye strain fatigue tended towards a best-case scenario in dynamic
lighting conditions, signifying improved visual comfort. To this end, it became pertinent to advance a
recommendation that advocates for appropriate lighting conditions that mimic natural environments while
supporting the circadian rhythm of students in studios, workspaces, and areas where intense mental acuity
is required.