Editing Window covering (section)

== Description and design ==
Window coverings comprise materials used to cover a [[window]] to manage [[sunlight]], privacy, additional weatherproofing or for purely [[Window treatment|decorative purposes]]. Window coverings are typically used on the interior side of windows, but exterior solutions are also available.

Window coverings may be used to manage overheating and glare issues due to sunlight. Designers may consider these variables in the context of visual comfort indices, which include light quantity (sufficient light to perform tasks), direct sunlight (which may lead to overheating), light uniformity (light distribution over the task plane), and glare.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tabadkani |first1=Amir |last2=Roetzel |first2=Astrid |last3=Li |first3=Hong Xian |last4=Tsangrassoulis |first4=Aris |date=2020-05-15 |title=A review of automatic control strategies based on simulations for adaptive facades |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132320301591 |journal=Building and Environment |language=en |volume=175 |pages=106801 |doi=10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.106801 |bibcode=2020BuEnv.17506801T |issn=0360-1323 |s2cid=216402929|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Window coverings can provide a sense of privacy. It is important to consider both privacy in terms of the view from the outside in and from the inside out. Poor privacy is often caused when windows are located on the ground floor, or face nearby neighboring high-rise buildings.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kent |first1=Michael |last2=Schiavon |first2=Stefano |date=2020 |title=Evaluation of the effect of landscape distance seen in window views on visual satisfaction |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132320305345 |journal=Building and Environment |volume=183 |pages=107160 |doi=10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107160 |bibcode=2020BuEnv.18307160K |s2cid=221935768 |access-date=2022-11-23 |archive-date=2024-06-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626194902/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360132320305345 |url-status=live }}</ref> Nonetheless, if occupants are not satisfied with the privacy the window provides, window coverings will be used to avoid it. Window coverings can also be applied temporarily to protect windows in storm conditions (such as hurricane shutters) or for extra thermal performance in winter to protect against heat loss through windows (such as insulated blinds or window inserts). Window coverings may be selected by building usage and occupant activity in the room. The amount of daylight needed in the room will differ depending on room type. For information on daylighting metrics that may be affected by window covering use, please reference the [[Daylighting (architecture)|daylighting]] page. Aesthetic qualities of window coverings should also be considered, such as how the color, material, and style match the rest of the interior space.

Window coverings can also affect view quality through the windows. View quality can be expressed through three main variables: content (what an occupant sees), access (how much view can be seen from the occupant's position), and clarity (how clearly an occupant can see the content).<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Ko |first1=Won Hee |last2=Kent |first2=Michael G. |last3=Schiavon |first3=Stefano |last4=Levitt |first4=Brendon |last5=Betti |first5=Giovanni |date=2022-07-03 |title=A Window View Quality Assessment Framework |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/15502724.2021.1965889 |journal=LEUKOS |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=268–293 |arxiv=2010.07025 |doi=10.1080/15502724.2021.1965889 |issn=1550-2724 |s2cid=222341349 |access-date=2022-11-15 |archive-date=2024-06-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626194914/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15502724.2021.1965889 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Shade sails Melbourne |url=https://shadescape.net.au/ |access-date=11 June 2023 |archive-date=21 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021174508/https://shadescape.net.au/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Partially closing curtains or pulling shades down part-way would affect view quality by limiting view access. Using small aperture shades such as fabric roller shades would primarily affect view quality through a change in view clarity. View clarity can be assessed by visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and color perception.<ref name=":0" /> The color, as well as aperture size, known as Openness Factor, or OF, are two variables of fabric shades that can change view clarity perception. Darker fabric shades with larger openness factors generally achieve higher view clarity.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Konstantzos |first1=Iason |last2=Chan |first2=Ying-Chieh |last3=Seibold |first3=Julia C. |last4=Tzempelikos |first4=Athanasios |last5=Proctor |first5=Robert W. |last6=Protzman |first6=J. Brent |date=2015-08-01 |title=View clarity index: A new metric to evaluate clarity of view through window shades |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132315001638 |journal=Building and Environment |language=en |volume=90 |pages=206–214 |doi=10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.04.005 |bibcode=2015BuEnv..90..206K |issn=0360-1323 |access-date=2022-11-15 |archive-date=2016-04-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411131027/http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132315001638 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The impact of window coverings on view quality is of interest for designers, manufacturers, and researchers. However, there is limited research available on the topic of view quality, “due to its complex nature, insufficient funding, and a lack of coordinated effort to move the field forward.”<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ko |first1=Won Hee |last2=Schiavon |first2=Stefano |last3=Altomonte |first3=Sergio |last4=Andersen |first4=Marilyne |last5=Batool |first5=Ayesha |last6=Browning |first6=William |last7=Burrell |first7=Galen |last8=Chamilothori |first8=Kynthia |last9=Chan |first9=Ying-Chieh |last10=Chinazzo |first10=Giorgia |last11=Christoffersen |first11=Jens |last12=Clanton |first12=Nancy |last13=Connock |first13=Christopher |last14=Dogan |first14=Timur |last15=Faircloth |first15=Billie |date=2022-07-03 |title=Window View Quality: Why It Matters and What We Should Do |journal=LEUKOS |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=259–267 |doi=10.1080/15502724.2022.2055428 |issn=1550-2724 |s2cid=248556963 |doi-access=free }}</ref>