1.7%
U.S. GDP share represented by the productivity gains from optimized office daylighting
The productivity gains from optimized office daylighting and views equal 1.7% of U.S. GDP
To contextualize the economic magnitude, the study compared the projected national productivity gains to the 2018 U.S. GDP. The 1.7% figure illustrates that architectural and building design decisions around daylight and views are not merely comfort improvements but have substantial macroeconomic implications.
optimizing daylight and views in U.S. offices has the potential to generate $352B ($240B–$464B), or 1.7% of the 2018 U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), in additional productivity.
Related findings
82.0%
high perceived impact of environmental design on children's behavioral and academic outcomes
Inclusive architectural design is perceived to strongly support behavioral and academic outcomes for children with neurodevelopmental disorders
Heba M. Abdou et al., 2026, Architecture
+12%
occupants reported greater thermal comfort when plants were present in the room
Workers were ~12% more thermally comfortable when plants were present
Ratna Purwaningsih et al., 2025, E3S Web of Conferences
−25%
indoor plants cut students' choice reaction times by a quarter
Choice reaction time improved from 589.5 ms to 439.1 ms with indoor plants
Ratna Purwaningsih et al., 2025, E3S Web of Conferences
Read more in
Workplace Pricing biophilia: what the evidence is worth
Read at the primary sources, the business case for nature in buildings is narrower than advertised and strong enough to act on.
Workplace What your office costs
Four design variables that move cognitive performance and who pays for them
Education What school spaces do to children
Where the evidence on classroom air, acoustics, light and green is robust, where it is thin, and what to measure before the build.
More from The Built Review
Healthcare Built to Wake: How Hospital Noise and Light Undermine Patient Sleep
Of the two environmental levers on inpatient sleep, noise control is the better proven and the cheaper, while tunable lighting for the general ward is the one the evidence does not yet support.
Workplace Germany's missing indoor-air bill
France, Britain and Australia have priced bad indoor air. Germany's missing number is a political choice, not a methodological limit.
Housing What insurers don't ask about buildings
Health insurers price age, tobacco and zip code. Building quality is in no model, and the law is only half the reason.