A Systematic Literature Review of Architecture Fostering Green Mindfulness

Abstract

Green mindfulness seems to play an important role in promoting sustainability in architecture, but discrete areas of knowledge are still widely unknown. This study aimed to explore the publications that exist on the nexus between green mindfulness and architecture, and to find the architectural features that tend to foster green mindfulness. The study conducted a systematic literature review by searching publications from databases including Scopus, Google Scholar, and Thai Journals Online in September 2022. Five authors—one architectural researcher, two architectural professors, and two architects—independently reviewed the full-length articles to confirm their accuracy and objectivity. Eight articles were selected for examination by descriptive analysis showing the publication year, source, and citations of the articles. Thematic analysis was used to find the characteristics of the architectural atmosphere with the potential for fostering green mindfulness. Finally, only one study was found that was truly concerned with architecture and green mindfulness. This publication showed that mass and volume are associated with biophilic design, fascination with biophilic design, and affiliation with biophilic design. Material and object refer to natural material; light is in reference to natural light; and landscape and viewpoint suggest plants, greenery, and natural views, while details regarding color and sound were not explored.

A Content Analysis of Architectural Atmosphere Influencing Mindfulness through the Lens of Instagram

“…Some scholars stated that architectural atmosphere consists of mass and volume, light, color, sound, and landscape [90,91], while others pointed out that materials and objects are also part of the atmosphere [50,92,93]. However, there are discrete areas of knowledge between the architectural atmosphere and mindfulness that are still widely unknown [10,18,50].…”

“…By reviewing a systematic literature review [18], three mindfulness-fostering architectural concepts were identified. The first idea comes from Kawai Y's (2018) interview in Japan Society Talk, which mentioned Japanese traditional architecture.…”

“…Mindfulness is a psychological construct with a significant role in promoting sustainability in architecture, which is gaining interest in a variety of disciplines [10,[18][19][20] due to its potential to human environmentally friendly behavior [16,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. Several studies report a positive interrelation between mindfulness and sustainable behavior, environmental behavior [28][29][30][31], mindful consumption [32], sustainable consumption [5,11], environmental consumption, also water and energy sustainable consumption [33][34][35][36].…”

“…Some studies show the potential of architectural atmosphere to influence human psychological factors such as mindfulness [48,49]. However, the systematic literature review of architecture fostering mindfulness about sustainability emphasizes that the discrete areas of knowledge between the architectural atmosphere and mindfulness are still widely unknown as previous studies [10,18,50].…”

The Role of Landscape Architecture Profession Recognition in the Context of Facing Contemporary Challenges

“…As people and planet, we are facing severe problems that impact our quality of life and morbidity, particularly in towns and cities. These include, among others, air pollution, natural disasters, and overheating [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. While it is obvious that landscape remains a crucial element impacting quality of life, currently, we are experiencing a period of profound transformations with regards to the landscape.…”