Urban restorative environments: The critical role of building density, vegetation structure, and multi-sensory stimulation in psychophysiological recovery

IF 7.1 1区工程技术 Q1 CONSTRUCTION & BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

Building and Environment Pub Date : 2025-05-17 DOI:10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.113190

Xing Fan, Die Hu, Yiyuan Fan, Jianyi Yang, Huiyi Liang, Tian Gao, Ling Qiu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Residential green spaces promote well-being, yet the synergistic impacts of building density, vegetation structure, and multisensory stimuli on restoration remain understudied.

Methods

This study employed immersive VR (Mars 2022) to simulate residential settings with controlled variations: three building densities (high, medium, low), three vegetation structures (open, semi-open [10–60 % canopy coverage], closed), and three sensory modes: unisensory (visual), bisensory (audiovisual), and multisensory (audiovisual-olfactory). Physiological (EEG, skin temperature, heart rate) and psychological (PANAS, PRS) responses from 240 participants were analyzed.

Results

Key findings: (1) Low- and high-density environments enhanced physiological recovery (31.11 % higher β-EEG, 36.64 % skin temperature rise) versus medium density. (2) Semi-open vegetation maximized physiological restoration (68.91 % improvement), while open layouts optimized psychological benefits. (3) Multisensory (audiovisual-olfactory) stimulation outperformed unisensory/bisensory modes in psychological recovery. (4) Optimal restoration occurred in low-density settings with closed vegetation and multisensory cues, yielding 0.71 % physiological and 1.85 % psychological gains over medium-density scenarios.

Conclusion

Results advocate integrated urban design prioritizing density-vegetation-sensory balance to amplify restorative outcomes. VR proves effective for testing restorative design strategies, offering actionable insights for residential green space planning.

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城市恢复性环境：建筑密度、植被结构和多感官刺激在心理生理恢复中的关键作用

总统绿地促进了幸福感，但建筑密度、植被结构和多感官刺激对恢复的协同影响仍未得到充分研究。方法采用沉浸式VR （Mars 2022）模拟住宅环境，控制变化：三种建筑密度（高、中、低），三种植被结构（开放、半开放[10 - 60%树冠覆盖率]、封闭），三种感官模式：单感官（视觉）、双感官（视听）和多感官（视听-嗅觉）。分析了240名参与者的生理反应（脑电图、皮肤温度、心率）和心理反应（PANAS、PRS）。结果主要发现：(1)低密度和高密度环境较中密度环境增强了小鼠的生理恢复能力（β-EEG升高31.11%，皮肤温度升高36.64%）。(2)半开放植被的生理效益最大化（提高68.91%），开放布局的心理效益最大化。(3)多感觉（听觉、视觉、嗅觉）刺激在心理恢复方面优于单感觉/双感觉模式。(4)在低密度、封闭植被和多感官信号的环境下，恢复效果最佳，比中等密度环境下的生理恢复效果好0.71%，心理恢复效果好1.85%。结论：综合城市设计应优先考虑密度-植被-感官平衡，以扩大恢复性效果。VR在测试恢复性设计策略方面被证明是有效的，为住宅绿色空间规划提供了可操作的见解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Building and Environment 工程技术-工程：环境

CiteScore

12.50

自引率

23.00%

发文量

1130

审稿时长

27 days

期刊介绍： Building and Environment, an international journal, is dedicated to publishing original research papers, comprehensive review articles, editorials, and short communications in the fields of building science, urban physics, and human interaction with the indoor and outdoor built environment. The journal emphasizes innovative technologies and knowledge verified through measurement and analysis. It covers environmental performance across various spatial scales, from cities and communities to buildings and systems, fostering collaborative, multi-disciplinary research with broader significance.