Internal Environment

Overall Design considerations and awareness

In terms of the indoor environment, there are at least four key factors that affect how people perceive their environment, and in turn how this environment impacts on their health and well-being. These include:

• Visual or lighting quality (view, illuminance, reflection);
• Thermal comfort or indoor climate (temperature, moisture, air velocity); 
• Indoor air quality (odour, fresh air, air pollution);
• Acoustical quality (indoor and outdoor noise, vibrations).

Ballindereen Community Childcare and Education Centre, Ballinderreen, County Galway.

Design features

• Different window positions and configurations allow a variety of light into the room and views out of the room.

Design tip

• Reducing visual distraction would make the room a calmer space.
• Ceiling hung fabric must be fire retardent.

These environmental factors greatly influence how a person perceives and engages with their environment. Pedagogical approaches and best practice design advocate a multisensory engagement with the world through the natural environment, light, colour, temperature variation, tactile materials, smells, sound and more.