The climate change crisis is negatively impacting the mental health of people worldwide. Attention is a pivotal pathway to healing ourselves and the world, as it is a sensory process that enhances mental health and promotes sustainable behavior. Despite architecture’s potential to captivate all six human senses immediately, there is still a significant gap in research. Thus, this study aimed to identify architectural features that stimulate attention through the six human senses: visual, touch, auditory, olfaction, taste, and emotion. This review article was conducted by searching data from Scopus in February 2024, identifying 4844 related publications. After data screening following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, 32 relevant and accessible research works were identified. Finally, data were extracted from the selected articles and analyzed using thematic analysis to explore their relevance to all six senses. The results reveal that the architectural features predominantly eliciting attention are mainly related to visual sensory stimuli. Closely following are the architectural features perceived through the emotional sense. The architecture that promotes attention is minimally associated with touch, auditory, and olfaction senses. Lastly, no architectural features were found to influence attention perceived through the sense of taste. Nevertheless, this study merely synthesizes data from previous research studies. Future research endeavors should validate this study’s findings for broader implications empirically.

The biophilic city concept has been proposed as an approach to mitigate the negative impacts of urban growth under global warming, which increasingly affects people’s mental health. As architecture occupies a substantial proportion of urban areas, biophilic architecture plays a crucial role in supporting urban well-being, contributing to sustainable development in line with Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) (Good Health and Well-being). Previous studies have identified a research gap regarding the integration of exterior biophilic architectural attributes within urban contexts. Therefore, this study aims to identify exterior biophilic architectural attributes that can enhance urban mental well-being, using buildings in Singapore as case studies. A questionnaire survey was conducted to evaluate architectural attributes and people’s emotional responses, with the aim of analyzing their relationships. The results indicate that exterior biophilic architectural attributes contribute unequally to urban mental well-being. Natural features emerged as the most influential attribute, exerting comprehensive positive effects on attentiveness, inspiration, and self-assurance. Natural forms and natural colors also demonstrated significant contributions by promoting relaxation, cognitive engagement, and inspiration. In addition, natural spaces supported attentiveness and confidence, while natural materials, despite being less prevalent, exhibited strong qualitative effects on inspiration and psychological security. Accordingly, this study provides biophilic architectural design guidelines that support the mental sustainability of urban populations affected by global warming.