How high the ceilings should be to make you feel good?

Created By RISC | 3 years ago

Last modified date : 11 months ago

We all love a sense of space, airiness, and comfort, especially in a home with high ceilings. The higher they are, the better we feel.​

But how to measure this good feeling from ceiling height? ​

Firstly, we need to understand human perception of light, sound, smell, taste, temperature, or touch. Sometimes we might feel nothing. There is a line between feeling and not feeling.​

According to Fechner's law, the intensity of external stimuli affects the human inner perception level. Psychophysics, the study of the relationship between mind and body, has found that vision affects us more than other physical senses, contributing up to 75% of our experience.​

Our field of vision depends on the shape of our face. It’s usually at 135 vertical degrees (above and below eye level) and 200 horizontal degrees (left and right). Field of vision is our view without turning our head. It is about 40 horizontal degrees, with more vertical than horizontal vision. There are different viewing distances such as…​

- The most comfortable look without bending down or raising your head is at 27 degrees vertical viewing angle above/below eye level.​

- The most eye-filling vision and greatest ability to distinguish colors is at 25 degrees above eye level and 40 degrees eye level.​

- An effortless and clear vision will be at vertical viewing angles above and below eye level at 15 degrees.​

- The most visible distance is 3.60 meters.​

From this research, house design to enhance visual comfort should set ceiling height from the field of vision and perception distance (calculated from the average person, whose eye height is 1.60 meters).

- Ceiling height of 2.70 meters should make you feel comfortable and not stuffy, based on the clearest viewing distance (3.60 meters) and a clear view without effort (15 degrees).​

- Ceiling height of 3.40 meters can make you feel airy and comfortable, based on the clearest viewing distance at the farthest distance (3.60 meters) and the most eye-filling vision and being able to distinguish colors (25 degrees).​

What makes you feel comfortable or not also depends on room size, width, and length, and even the view from the windows.​

Story by: Dr. Sarigga Pongsuwan, Vice President of RISC