Large reflective facades in buildings can cause severe visual discomfort due to the reflection of sunlight falling on buildings’ surfaces. These intense reflections can cause a intolerable glare and contribute to overheating the interior of surrounding buildings. An example of reflective building materials causing glare is experienced in Dallas, Texas, where a residential tower, which was fitted with a fully glazed façade, has caused intense specular reflections into the Nasher sculpture museum. The problem has caused glare and overheating of the interior spaces in the museum, thus leading to the damage and deterioration of the sculptures on display. In order to examine the negative impact of the Museum Tower’s reflective façade on the visual comfort inside the Nasher museum, glare simulations are carried out at different times of the year. Additionally, to examine a possible solution to the glare problem, a proposed solution of using a less reflective material on the tower’s facade is examined via glare simulations. The initial set of simulations confirmed that tower skin contributed to blinding glare particularly at 12:00 and 15:00 on the summer and winter solstice, and the spring equinox. Use of less reflective material on the tower façade concluded that the tower façade still contributed to glare and that is due to its convex geometry.

While increasingly popular for their aesthetic appeal and energy efficiency, reflective materials may also create harsh glare, disorientation, and psychological strain. Despite their prevalence in modern architectural design, the impact of these facades on mental well-being remains underexplored. Drawing from environmental psychology and perceptual science, this study assesses how different reflective materials influence both visual perception and psychological response, particularly among residents and students in Leicester. Two contrasting case studies, the reflective metal Highcross centre facade and the reflective glass Mattioli Woods PLC facade, served as focal points. Using a structured online questionnaire incorporating visual stimuli and Likert-scale questions, responses from 30 participants were analysed using descriptive and statistical analysis (i.e., one-way ANOVA) to determine differences in visual discomfort (due to brightness, glare, or shine), visual attractiveness, visual disorientation, and perception of the surroundings, as well as the associated physiological responses such as stress, tension, and mood. Results show that the Highcross Centre facade was consistently perceived as more visually discomforting and disorienting than the Mattioli Woods facade, with statistically significant differences. However, both facades were rated similarly high for visual interest, suggesting that aesthetic value can coexist with discomfort. Finally, the analysis shows that buildings’ reflective facades evoke only low levels of perceived stress, tension, or unease, with median scores remaining low overall. These findings highlight the importance of human-centred facade design, suggesting that, as cities adapt to climate change, architects and urban planners consider not only environmental performance but also perceptual and psychological effects.

Lighting is a key element of design that plays a significant role in affecting workers’ health and safety in industrial workspaces. Given the scarcity of scientific studies addressing visual environments in relation to workers health in industrial buildings, this field study was conducted to explore workers' responses to multiple lighting scenarios inside production halls on their occupational health and safety in six factories in Sadat City, Egypt. Self-assessments of 456 factory workers during day and night shifts were collected and correlated to light measurements collected at the factories. The statistical analysis of data revealed a significant reduction in workers reporting eye strain, alleviating headaches, and enhancing the ability to concentrate under daylight conditions compared to mixed and/or artificial lighting conditions. Moreover, it was found that lighting levels lower than 140 lux led to visual fatigue(p=0.03), headaches (p=0.014), drowsiness (p=0.004), and rapid loss of concentration (p=0.149) among workers. Poor lighting was shown to increase the likelihood of making occupational errors. Despite the health benefits of natural light compared to artificial lighting, glare from sunlight can sometimes cause headaches. This study emphasizes the importance of improving lighting quality in production halls within industrial environments, as it is a crucial factor in maintaining the health and safety of workers and enhancing professional performance.