International Journal of Urban Management and Energy Sustainability

International Journal of Urban Management and Energy Sustainability

Investigating the Impact of Biophilic Architectural Criteria on Citizens’ Mental Health

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Seyedeh Sheyda Dehghani Niki 1
Mohsen Kameli 2
Bahram Saleh Sedghpoor 3
Fereshteh Navidi Majd 1
1 Department of Architecture, Isl.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Architecture, Sav.c., Islamic Azad University, Saveh, Iran
3 Department of Educational, Faculty of Humanities, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/ijumes.2026.2091250.1372
Abstract
Biophilic architecture, as an emerging approach in the design of the built environment, plays an important role in enhancing quality of life and citizens’ mental health by emphasizing the reconnection of human beings with nature. Given rising urban density, the reduced connection with nature and the psychological consequences of living in artificial environments, the present study set out to investigate the impact of the criteria of biophilic architecture on citizens’ mental health. Adopting a qualitative meta-synthesis approach based on the seven-step framework of Margarete Sandelowski and Julie Barroso, the research corpus comprised scholarly articles, doctoral dissertations and credible national and international sources published between 2010 and 2025. After a systematic search and the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 36 studies were selected for the final analysis. The data were analyzed through open, axial and selective coding. The findings revealed that the biophilic architectural criteria affecting citizens’ mental health can be classified into three main components: nature-oriented spatial and place experience, connection with nature, and mental health and environmental perception. The results indicate that criteria such as natural daylight, green elements, environmental quality and visual connection with nature play the greatest role in reducing stress, increasing psychological calmness, strengthening concentration, enhancing cognitive performance and increasing satisfaction with the environment. Finally, the conceptual model of the study explains the causal chain of the impact of biophilic architectural criteria as connection with nature, nature-oriented spatial experience, environmental perception to mental health.

Graphical Abstract

Investigating the Impact of Biophilic Architectural Criteria on Citizens’ Mental Health

Highlights

•      A qualitative meta-synthesis of 36 studies (2010–2025), using the seven-step Sandelowski–Barroso framework, maps how biophilic architectural criteria affect citizens’ mental health.

•      The criteria resolve into three synthesised components: connection with nature, nature-oriented spatial and place experience, and mental health and environmental perception.

•      Natural daylight, green elements, environmental quality and visual connection with nature emerge as the strongest causal drivers of psychological benefit.

•      The strongest outcomes are reduced stress and anxiety, greater psychological calmness, stronger concentration, better cognitive performance and higher environmental satisfaction.

•      The study proposes an integrated causal chain — connection with nature → nature-oriented spatial experience → environmental perception → mental health — as a basis for health-oriented architecture and urban planning.

Keywords
Biophilic architecture
environmental quality
mental health
Meta-synthesis
Nature-based design
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International Journal of Urban Management and Energy Sustainability

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 30 July 2026

  • Receive Date 10 June 2026
  • Revise Date 30 July 2026
  • Accept Date 29 July 2026