Now you see me, now you don't...

A question that has confounded us for some time is the quiet war against windows. A mound of research is piling up on the benefits of natural light and views to the outside. It can improve moods, shorten healing time, reduce eye strain and help students focus. If you are interviewing users in a building that currently does not have windows, it is one of the most passionate requests, "just give me a window and I will be happy." CHPS, the Collaborative for High Performance Schools, has both access to daylight and views as possible points in the Indoor Environmental Quality section.

So why when we tour and assess schools are windows most often covered?

We go around the state, for that matter the region, and see this covering time and time again. High windows, low windows, north facing, south facing, interior, exterior... you name it, someone has covered them. In the attempts to understand this dichotomy of those who have windows, cover them and those who don't have windows, want them, we have started an informal investigation. We ask, and ask a lot, "so...why are the windows covered?"

The most common answers to date have been:

GLARE: the sunlight during some part of the day creates a glare on work surfaces, whiteboards, screens, etc.
HEAT GAIN: It gets too hot so we block the windows. Normally this happens the most at older facilities where the windows are single pane but can happen on newer buildings too.
SECURITY: In a lockdown, we need to have the windows covered or if the windows are not covered and someone sees computers, they break in. Also at night, people can see me working alone in my room.
DISTRACTION: Either people looking in are distracting or students looking out are distracted.
NEED FOR SPACE: The last and least common reason is the lack of space to pin up student work.

These can all be valid concerns. Most can also be solved by operational window coverings and architectural design.

Surprisingly the places we see uncovered windows are the places that have policies against it. One new building we visited recently has instructed all custodians to remove any paper on windows.

So where are you in the window war, wishing for one or covering it? Are you a holdout with uncovered windows? Do you have a favorite window covering? Tell us your story so we can work to make functional windows that have no need for improvised covering.

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