Exploring the Effects of Window Design on the Restorative Potential of Movable Smart Co-Working Offices in Small Village Environments Through Immersive Virtual Reality

Antonio Ciervo (), Massimiliano Masullo (), Maria Dolores Morelli and Luigi Maffei
Additional contact information
Antonio Ciervo: Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via San Lorenzo 4, 81031 Aversa, Italy
Massimiliano Masullo: Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via San Lorenzo 4, 81031 Aversa, Italy
Maria Dolores Morelli: Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via San Lorenzo 4, 81031 Aversa, Italy
Luigi Maffei: Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via San Lorenzo 4, 81031 Aversa, Italy

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-34

Abstract: As remote and hybrid work models continue to grow, the design of workspaces and their surrounding environments has gained even more importance. This study explores the impact of window design on the restorative potential of Prefabricated Movable Buildings (PMBs) of smart/co-working located in small villages. Using Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR), seven window configurations, varying in size, frame ratio, and number of glass panes, were evaluated. Participants’ sense of presence, defined as the subjective feeling of ‘being there’ in the virtual environment, and perceived restoration, referring mainly to the psychological (attention and emotions) and physiological (stress) resources recovery, were assessed using, respectively, Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ) and the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS). The overall IPQ results suggest that the virtual environment in this study provides a “High” sense of presence, highlighting the validity of IVR to evaluate architectural designs. The PRS results found that larger, uninterrupted windows with a higher Window-to-Wall Ratio and lower Frame Ratio significantly enhance participants’ perceived restoration. Restoration effects were also higher when offices were located in small villages rather than in business districts. These results highlight the importance of incorporating large windows in smart/co-working spaces within culturally rich small villages to promote worker well-being and office sustainability.

Keywords: window design; immersive virtual office; small villages; virtual environment; smart co-working; prefabricated offices; restorativeness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/13/5851/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/13/5851/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:13:p:5851-:d:1687175

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().