Investigating the impact of balcony design on indoor visual comfort: a case study of subtropical office environments in Taiwan

Indoor visual comfort influences office workers’ satisfaction, productivity, and overall physical and mental wellbeing. In this study, we investigate glare issues to maintain good indoor visual comfort in daylit contemporary office environments. Specifically, this study examines the effective balcony designs that enhance indoor visual comfort. Thirty-three balcony designs were considered through lighting simulation and glare evaluation to cross-examine daylight performance with visual comfort. The findings reveal that office space with only a balcony and no soffit is undesirable due to extreme glare problems during the winter months. Extending the soffit depth to 2 meters can help alleviate these glare issues. While incorporating vegetation on the balcony does reduce glare, it is less effective than extending the soffit. Increasing balcony and soffit depth, along with vegetation, may not consistently improve daylight performance in the back of the room despite minimising glare in areas next to windows. The ideal balcony design combines vegetation with a 2-meter-deep soffit, which ensures a fine balance between glare reduction and daylight performance.