Healing environment in the intensive care units: enhancing daylight and access to view

Abstract

The quality of the healthcare in intensive care unit (ICU) is directly influenced by its design. Daylight and access to the outside views are key factors to improve the healing environment for patients and working conditions for healthcare providers. In addition, augmenting the use of natural light not only helps with sustainable solutions, but also reduces energy costs. Beside the geographic location, natural lighting in any space is affected mainly by five parameters: window orientation, window level, window to wall ratio, walls light reflectance and the used shading device. This study aims to optimize these parameters using DesignBuilder software to achieve the optimal daylighting while minimizing the heating and cooling loads without restricting patients’ access to view. The results show that the South was the optimum orientation. 2.5 m was the optimum window lintel level height. Furthermore, the shading device’s type and depth differed according to window orientation.