Although listed last amongst the environmental factors, the question of view is of special importance. The view out from the window is our contact with the world outside; it provides the information, which for reasons already mentioned, allows us to experience the time of day, changes in the weather, sunlight and the seasons.

At one level, a view satisfies the physiological need for the adaptation and readaptation of the eye to distance, providing a visual rest centre. For this reason any view is better than no view, whilst clearly some views will be better than others. At a different level the importance of a view has been recognized in research to show that a patient in hospital will recover more quickly where a window with a view is available.

The content of a view is clearly of importance, and it is the information it provides which will determine its success. A view out to a blank wall may be better than nothing but a view out to open countryside, or a garden will be a different order of experience. Various views have been analysed in terms of the information obtained, depending upon the height of the window. In tall buildings the view may consist entirely of the sky when seen from the interior of the space, whilst at lower levels the experience of the ground scene becomes of more importance.

The quality of the exterior view will depend upon the surroundings of the building, and the height at which it is experienced, but it is of importance that where a view is available it should be exploited. There will be instances in large building complexes where internal views from one part of the interior to another may be had; these will provide the visual rest centres to satisfy the physiological requirement, but unless there are views to daylit areas they will lack the amenities of change, variety and modelling which inform the natural scene outdoors. The architect should take the question of view into consideration when planning his building, and when planning the location and detail of the windows. Some of the finest windows were those of the eighteenth century in Britain where the refinement of detail of the glazing bar awensured that the daylight was captured by the bar, led round it, not impeding the view. This is less necessary today since the size of glass available is such as to allow large areas of see-through glazing, with no need for horizontal obstruction.