Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 46 (2019) 126446

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Urban Forestry & Urban Greening

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Original article

Green façades: Their contribution to stress recovery and well-being in high- T

density cities
⁎
Mohamed Elsadeka,b, Binyi Liua, , Zefeng Liana
a
Department of Landscape Architecture, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, China
b
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Egypt

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Handling Editor: Matilda van den Bosch Rapid urbanization and the lack of green infrastructure threaten the health of urban dwellers. Green façades
Keywords: have been proposed as a green infrastructure solution to compensate for the loss of green spaces in dense city
Brain activity areas; however, as far as we know, there is inadequate evidence for associations between views of green façades
Green façade and relaxation. This study aims to clarify the physiological and psychological relaxation effects of viewing a
Heart rate variability green façade landscape. Twenty-five Chinese females (23 ± 1.5 years) viewed a green façade landscape or a
Horticultural therapy building-wall for 5 min. Data were generated using electroencephalographic, heart rate variability, and skin
Public health conductance physiological measures and psychological measures using a semantic differential questionnaire and
Skin conductance
a Profile of Mood State. Findings suggest that, compared to the viewing of the building wall, the viewing of the
Urbanization
green façade resulted in a significant increase in alpha relative waves in the frontal and occipital lobes, a sig-
nificant increase in parasympathetic activity, and a significant decrease in the skin conductance as well as a
substantial increase in comfortable, relaxed, and natural feelings, and a significant improvement in mood state.
The green façade appears to enhance human physiological and psychological relaxation compared to the
building-wall.

1. Introduction By 2020, these will account for nearly 15 percent of disability-adjusted

Urbanization is one of the leading international trends of the
twenty-first century that features a vital impact on human health. More
than half of the world’s population now reside in cities, and this pro-
portion is expected to increase, (Dye, 2008; WHO, 2016a), leading to
greater isolation and disconnection from nature (Gaston et al., 2007).
Although cities can provide health opportunities for urban residents
such as increased wealth and improved sanitation, nutrition, contra-
ception, and healthcare (Dye, 2008), they will be confronted by chal-
lenges such as increased risk of chronic disorders, a more demanding
and stressful social environment, and greater social disparities
(Lederbogen et al., 2011; Peen et al., 2010). Health is defined by the
World Health Organization (WHO, 2016b) as the state of complete
physical, mental and social well-being, rather than merely the absence
of illness. Some of the best-known effects of urbanization concern
mental state (Sundquist et al., 2004). Urbanization affects mental
health by increasing stress and factors such as overpopulated and pol-
luted environments, high violence levels, and decreased social support.
Mental health conditions are one of the main causes of the overall
disease burden worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
life-years lost to illness (WHO, 2016b). By the way, the burden of
mental disorders is highest among young adults, which is considered to
be the population's most productive age. Mental disorders consist
mainly of depression and neurotic disorders. A recent meta-analysis has
shown that current city residents have significantly higher anxiety (by
21%) and mood disorders (by 39%) (Hunt et al., 2000; Peen et al.,
2010). The current mental disorder burden has not yet been adequately
addressed by health systems across the world, and the gap between the
need for treatment and its provision is wide (Barton and Rogerson,
2017).
As part of growing concerns regarding the health of urban residents,
a considerable amount of literature has shown that nature can help
alleviate many of these health problems (Keniger et al., 2013; Shanahan
et al., 2015), and is linked to positive effects on human health and
wellbeing (Morris, 2003). Moreover, large differences in disease pre-
valence are reported when comparing residents of very green and less
green settings, even after controlling for socioeconomic status (Maas
et al., 2009). Green infrastructure includes numerous features such as
parks, gardens, and green streetscapes, providing many benefits; and is
increasingly seen as a way to improve public health in cities (Rolls and

⁎
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: byltjulk@vip.sina.com (B. Liu).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2019.126446
Received 15 April 2019; Received in revised form 27 August 2019; Accepted 2 September 2019
Available online 04 September 2019
1618-8667/ © 2019 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
M. Elsadek, et al. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 46 (2019) 126446

Sunderland, 2014) by providing urban residents with an opportunity to Table 1

interact with nature (Dallimer et al., 2012). Research on urban green Descriptive information of subjects who participated in the study (n=25).
spaces' direct public health benefits focused on the three major areas of Variable Mean Std. Error
physical activity, mental health, and specific treatment development.
Two main types of experimental studies are conducted: one examines Age (years) 23 1.50
Height (cm) 160.2 7.41
the effects of visual stimuli exposure, and the other examines the direct
Body weight (kg) 59.5 3.41
effects of being outdoors in the green space.
Indeed, attention has been focused largely on the ‘restoration’ ef-
fects leading to recovery from stress and fatigue; numerous studies from design with a particular objective of preserving green spaces close to
different parts of the world have reported that contact with, or per- homes should be better incorporated. Although several studies have
ception of, nature and plants appears to bring benefits to human shown the environmental benefits of green façades, it is not clear
wellbeing from various perspectives such as reducing stress, depression, whether vertical greening can positively influence the physiological and
and helping recover from fatigue (Kaplan, 1995; Elsadek et al., 2013a; psychological conditions of urban residents. In order to explore the
Beyer et al., 2014; Elsadek et al., 2019 a,2019b), reducing anxiety positive impacts of green façades for urban dwellers as a solution to the
(Chang and Chen, 2005; Reklaitiene et al., 2014; Elsadek et al., 2013b), scarcity of green spaces in cities, the present study investigated (1) the
improving emotional states (Elsadek et al., 2017; Elsadek and Fujii, physiological relaxation impacts on brain activity when viewing a green
2014), improvement of human mood states, concentration and perfor- façade by measuring the electrical activity of the brain, the autonomic
mance (Hartig et al., 2003), shortening rehabilitation after surgery nerve activity by measuring heart rate variability (HRV), and on skin
(Chiesura, 2004), promoting physical activity (Schetke et al., 2016), conductance and (2) psychological relaxation effects as assessed by the
mental health (Paul and Nagendra, 2017), well-being (Scopelliti et al., modified semantic differential (SD) method and the short-form Profile
2016), and strongly increasing happiness in general (MacKerron and of Mood States (POMS). The results will give greater certainty to de-
Mourato, 2013). Moreover, the impact of time spent in nature on stress velopers and focus attention on improving urban living in cities.
relief and mood has been investigated by recent cross-over experiments
and similar positive conclusions have emerged (Park et al., 2010; Hartig
2. Materials and methods
et al., 2003; Yamaguchi et al., 2006). Moreover, in the areas where
most people live, work, and take their recreation, parks bring people
2.1. Participants
and nature together (Maas et al., 2009). And could serve as physical
activity sites that are empirically linked to improved health, psycho-
Twenty-five healthy university students (females, mean age,
logical well-being, and the reduction of many chronic diseases (Grahn
23 ± 1.50 years) (Table 1), living in urban areas were recruited as
and Stigsdotter, 2010; Ulrich et al., 1991). An association between
subjects in the present study through two methods: advertisements
views of green space and mental wellbeing was reported in previous
describing the study details were sent to college students through We-
studies. Gilchrist's study found that employees were satisfied with their
Chat groups (Chinese social media app.), or face-to-face at the Uni-
office views, especially of trees, lawns, and flowering plants, was as-
versity campus. Participants currently undergoing treatment for any
sociated with improved mental wellbeing (Gilchrist et al., 2015). Si-
disease, those having their menstrual period during the study, and those
milarly, urban residents who reported greater visibility of trees from
with smoking or drinking habits were excluded. All participants were
home were slightly more satisfied with life (Vemuri et al., 2011). Van
right-handed and had normal, or corrected-to-normal, vision. The study
den Berg and his colleagues observed increases in self-esteem for those
was conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Declaration of
viewing pleasant rural scenes (Van den Berg et al., 2016). Besides,
Helsinki, and the protocol was approved by the Ethics Committees of
garden perception decreases the negative psychological states and has
Tongji University (no. 2015yxy103).
significant emotional and human healing values (Elsadek et al., 2019b;
Lee, 2017). Although, nature and green spaces improve human physical
and mental health, strengthen our communities, and improve the at- 2.2. Experimental environments
tractiveness of urban environments, nowadays too few people can
benefit from these advantages. Many people live in metropolitan areas, The experiment was conducted in the winter (December, 1) of 2018
many of which are seriously deprived of green space, and the lack of at the University, Shanghai, China for 6 days. Both visual stimulations
vegetation in urban areas is recognized as a potential global problem were performed during the daytime at the same time (09:00 AM–11:30
that needs addressing by making the creation of a healthy urban en- AM and from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM) to achieve comparable results. One
vironment an important policy priority. On the other hand, distance is a of the buildings of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning at
dominant aspect in relation to natural and urban green area accessi- the University has been chosen as the visual stimulus. On one side of the
bility indicators. With increasing distance, the frequency of use of green building, a green façade (with climbing plants) was used as a green
areas has decreased (Coombes et al., 2010; Ekkel and De Vries, 2017). environment, and on another side, a building-wall was used as a control
As people live more urbanized lifestyles, there is the potential to lose (see Fig. 1). The participants avoided direct sunlight because of
daily contact with nature thereby decreasing access to the range of
health benefits associated with viewing nature (Cox et al., 2017).
A new concept of vertical greening is gaining popularity as it pro-
motes the coexistence of architecture and nature in urban areas (Russo
and Giuseppe, 2018; Wang et al., 2018). Vertical greening is known for
its aesthetic value, its creation of ecosystems and its positive impact on
biodiversity, microclimates, and the efficient heating of buildings; it
also has a profound positive impact on improving air quality and
creating agricultural areas (Torpy and Zavattaro, 2018; Ottelé, 2011).
To this end, a vertical green infrastructure is a new approach in de-
signing green spaces, which are capable of improving the quality of life
in cities. Since the horizontal expansion is not possible, only vertical
space which can be converted into green spaces is available.
Knowledge of the positive impacts of vertical green spaces on urban Fig. 1. Visual stimulation. Left: green façade. Right: building-wall (control).

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M. Elsadek, et al. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 46 (2019) 126446

building orientation. During the experiment, there was no rain or wind

and the weather was pleasant with a temperature of 18.3 ± 1.5 °C and
a relative humidity of 74.2 ± 2.1%.

2.3. Experimental procedure

The experiment was carried out during the semester exam days, to
ensure that the participants were in need of relaxation to potentiate the
restorative effects. The time of the experiment was chosen by the par-
ticipants so that the experimental days would fit their timetables. Also,
they had the right to cancel and/or change the time of participation in
the study. On each experimental side, a spot from which the partici-
pants viewed the wall and took measurements was set up on the day
before the experiment. The distance from the participants’ eyes to the Fig. 3. (a): Emotiv EPOC. (b): scalp locations.
visual stimuli was 1.5 m. The purpose and procedures of the study and
how the instruments would be used were clearly explained to the par-
parietal (P7, P8) and temporal sites (T7, T8). Brain waves were mea-
ticipants before starting the experiment. After explaining the procedure
sured in terms of amplitude (10–100 μV) and frequency (1–70 Hz)
in detail, they gave written consent to participate. The participants
(Klem et al., 1999) (Fig. 3). The data were then sent to a computer via
were requested to rest on a chair while fitting the sensors and electrodes
Bluetooth, which uses a proprietary USB dongle to communicate using
for the physiological measurements (Portable EEG electrodes and
the 2.4 GHz band. Before use, all felt pads on top of the sensors needed
ErgoLAB for HRV and skin conductance). Participants were instructed
to be fully moistened with saline solution. The Emotiv Software De-
to alternate between both opening and closing their eyes in four one-
velopment Kit (SDK) provides a packet count functionality to ensure no
minute cycles to verify the reliability/stability of electrode recording.
data is lost and a real-time sensor contact display to ensure the quality
After this, each participant was instructed to rest comfortably for 2 min
of measurements. After collection, all data were loaded to Matlab
with closed eyes to adjust their mood to the experimental atmosphere,
(version 7.12.0.635, R2011a) for further processing. Data were first
and then the participants were further requested to open their eyes,
filtered (< 0.5 Hz or > 50 Hz) using EEG lab toolbox to remove DC
minimize their body movement (to reduce the appearance of irrelevant
offset and low-frequency skin potential artifacts, and remove high-fre-
artifacts in the EEG recordings), and concentrate on the visual stimuli of
quency noises. The remaining artifacts such as eye blinks or motor
either a green façade or a building-wall (control) for 5 min. After
activities were eliminated for each channel. Automatic independent
measuring the physiological responses, the subjects were asked to an-
component analysis (ICA) based algorithm ADJUST has been used for
swer both questionnaires - the semantic differential scale (SD) and the
signal artifact removal. ADJUST applies stereotyped artifact-specific
Profile of Mood States (POMS) - to examine their subjective psycholo-
spatial and temporal features to identify independent components of
gical responses. The order of viewing conditions (i.e. green façade sti-
artifacts automatically and artifact components were then removed
mulation vs. a building-wall) was randomized in order to eliminate the
(Mognon et al., 2011; Shan et al., 2018). The data analysis then uses the
order effect. The study procedure is shown in Fig. 2. The experiment
cleaned data after artifact removal. The brain activities can be quanti-
design was within-subject and each subject experienced both experi-
fied by the power densities of different frequency ranges. There are five
mental conditions. The total duration of the experiment was 32–40 min.
major brain waves with different frequency ranges, alpha, beta, delta,
theta, and gamma waves in the frequency ranges of 8–13 Hz, 13–30 Hz,
2.4. Physiological indices 0–4 Hz, 4–8 Hz, and > 30 Hz, respectively (Sanei and Chambers, 2007).
In the present study, alpha relative power (8–13 Hz), which is the most
2.4.1. EEG data collection and analysis prominent rhythm in the whole realm of brain activity and is often
We used the Emotiv EPOC wireless EEG headset in the present study present in relaxed awareness, was measured according to the previous
(see Fig. 3). The EEG device used in this study has been verified as a literature (Sanei and Chambers, 2007; Shan et al., 2018). It occurs
tool for landscape evaluation (Kim et al., 2019), emotion recognition during a stimulated and stable condition, when the subject is in a re-
(Pham and Tran, 2012) and has been employed in various types of past laxed state and stable condition, and reduces or disappears upon
research (Chang et al., 2008; Chen et al., 2016; Roe et al., 2013; Tilley hearing unfamiliar sounds or through mental concentration (Choi et al.,
et al., 2017). EEG is a relatively high resolution, and non-intrusive 2016; Riopel and Smyrnaiou, 2016). Alpha relative power values in the
method, which enables the study of the brain's responses to external AF3 (left prefrontal lobe), AF4 (right prefrontal lobe), O1 (left occipital
visual stimulation (Chiang et al., 2017). The Emotiv EPOC headset lobe) and O2 (right occipital lobe) were measured. These were chosen
consists of 14 sensors positioned on a participant’s head according to because cognition and thinking are regulated by the prefrontal lobe
the international federation 10–20 electrode system: prefrontal (AF3, (Bak, 2011), while the visual perceptual processing is presented by the
AF4, F3, F4, F7, F8), frontocentral (FC5, FC6), occipital (O1, O2),

Fig. 2. Study protocol.

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M. Elsadek, et al. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 46 (2019) 126446

effective measures: tension-anxiety (T-A), depression (D), anger-hosti-

lity (A–H), fatigue (F), confusion (C), vigor (V), and total mood dis-
turbance (TMD). For T-A, D, A–H, F, and C, a lower score represents a
better emotional condition, while a higher value for V indicates a better
emotional condition. The total mood disturbance (TMD) score was
Fig. 4. Multi-channel physiological machine for recording heart rate (left) and
skin conductance (right).
calculated using the following formula

TMD score = (T − A) + (D) + (A − H) + (F) + (C) − (V).

occipital lobe (Carter and Frith, 1998). The occipital region is mainly
associated with visual information processing (reception, orientation,
motion, and color recognition) and communicates with the cerebral
cortex (Li et al., 2013). Fig. 3 shows the Emotiv EPOC machine and the
channel locations of electrodes for the occipital and prefrontal lobes.
2.4.2. Heart rate variability (HRV) and skin conductance
The signal sequences for heart rate and skin conductance were
collected in the present study using a wearable wireless multi-sensor
device, ErgoLab data platform Version 2.0 software (As shown in Fig. 4)
(Zhang et al., 2018). A portable, wireless photoplethysomography
(PPG) sensor based on the Ergolab platform was attached to the par-
ticipant earlobe for measuring changes in blood perfusion in micro-
vascular tissue under the skin by the emission of light rays non-
invasively. PPG signal extraction is considered simple; however, this
signal components can provide valuable data about the cardiovascular
system (Sun and Thakor, 2016; Fan and Li, 2018; Vescio et al., 2018).
On the other hand, a wearable sensor based on Electrodermal Activity
(EDA) of a subject was used for monitoring skin conductance caused by
a stimulus the sweat glands secretion between two reusable electrodes
attached to two fingers of one hand (Hanson et al., 2009). The acquired
heart rate signal is processed using the ErgoLAB data platform. Firstly,
the bad signal is removed, and the signal with a complete and ordered
waveform is filtered and singularly corrected to remove white noise and
power frequency interference in the heart rate signal. The heart rate
signal was then analyzed using frequency domain analysis. Frequency
domain analyses assess the activity of the sympathetic and para-
sympathetic autonomic systems. The following frequency domain
measures were analyzed: LF (low frequency) oscillatory power
(0.04–0.1 Hz), an indicator of sympathetic activity; HF (high frequency)
power (0.15–0.4 Hz), an indicator of parasympathetic activity; and the
LF/HF ratio, which shows the balance between the sympathetic and
parasympathetic systems, though mainly reflecting sympathetic activity
(Marek et al., 1996; Pagani et al., 1986). Frequency domain measures
were converted to log values prior to analysis. In the present study, the
natural logarithmic value of the HF (lnHF) power and the LF/HF power
ratio (lnLF/HF) were used (Igarashi et al., 2015a). Skin conductance
data were collected using platform Version 2.0 software, the EDA signal
is discriminated and subjected to filtering processes and image decon-
volution processing, and then the signal is subjected to time domain
analysis. Skin conductance response was chosen because it is a well-
suited physiological method of measuring emotional arousal (Lang and
Bradley, 2010). Also, sympathetic activity can be indicated by skin
conductance level (Blascovich and Kelsey, 1990).
A lower total TMD score reflects a better emotional condition
(Baker, 2002).
2.6. Statistical analysis
Data were analyzed by IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows (Version
24.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp). A paired sample t-test was used to
compare the means for the physiological data over a period of 5 min
while viewing the green façade or the building-wall. Meanwhile, the
Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to analyze differences in the psy-
chological indices (SD method and POMS) after viewing the two visual
stimuli. All data were expressed as the mean ± standard error
(mean ± SE). In this study, a one-sided test was used because of the
hypothesis that people would relax by viewing a green façade land-
scape. In all comparisons, a p-value of < 0.05 was considered statisti-
cally significant.
3. Results
3.1. Physiological responses
3.1.1. Electroencephalography (EEG)
Paired t-tests showed that the alpha wave in the occipital lobe re-
vealed significant changes after viewing the green façade and the
building-wall. Regarding, the relative power of alpha in the left hemi-
sphere (O1), a significant difference was found between the green
façade and the building-wall (0.15 ± 0.02 and 0.09 ± 0.01, respec-
tively, p < 0.05). Additionally, for the relative power of alpha in the
right hemisphere (O2), a significant difference was found between the
green façade and the building-wall (0.13 ± 0.02 and 0.07 ± 0.01, re-
spectively, p < 0.05) as seen in Fig. 5. The alpha wave was stronger
when the participants were viewing the green façade than for the
building-wall, indicating that activity was increased in the occipital
lobe which controls emotional responses, attention, and visual

2.5. Psychological indices

In the present study, two psychological scales, the semantic differ-

ential scale (SD) (Osgood Charles, 1952) and the Profile of Mood States
(POMS) (McNair et al., 2003), were used to test participants’ psycho-
logical conditions. The SD questionnaire was composed of opposing
adjectives: “comfortable to uncomfortable”; “natural to artificial”; and
“relaxed to awakening”, each question with a score on a five-point scale
(-2, -1, 0, 1 and 2) according to the degree of emotion. Subjects an-
swered each question, with a higher score representing better emo-
tional condition. The POMS questionnaire was used to measure the Fig. 5. Alpha relative power variation after viewing the green façade and the
effective states after visual stimuli; a short form with 25 questions was building-wall, in the occipital lobe O1 and O2 electrodes. n = 25, mean ± SE.
used to decrease the burden on subjects. The scale reveals seven *p < 0.05, determined by paired t-test.

4
M. Elsadek, et al.
Fig. 6. Alpha relative power variation after viewing the green façade and the
building-wall, in the prefrontal lobe AF3 and AF4 electrodes. n = 25,
mean ± SE. *p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01 determined by paired t-test.
perception when green façade stimuli were viewed.
On the other hand, a significant difference in the prefrontal lobe was
found between the two visual stimuli as shown in Fig. 6. That is, when
participants viewed the green façade, the relative power of alpha in
(AF3) was higher in the prefrontal lobe (0.11 ± 0.01 and 0.07 ± 0.01,
respectively, p < 0.01). Also, it was higher in AF4 (0.09 ± 0.01 and
0.06 ± 0.00, respectively, p < 0.05). However, when participants
viewed the building-wall, the relative power of alpha in the prefrontal
lobe was significantly lower than when the green façade was viewed.
These results indicated that activities were relatively lower in the pre-
frontal lobe, which controls overall brain function, compared to when
the subjects viewed the green façade.
3.1.2. Heart rate variability (HRV)
Fig. 7 shows lnHF, which is considered to reflect the para-
sympathetic nerve activity. The lnHF value of the green façade site
(3.560 ± 0.07 lnms2) was significantly higher than that of the
building-wall (3.04 ± 0.06 lnms2, p < 0.01). Next, regarding the ln
Fig. 7. Comparison of the natural logarithmic value of high-frequency (HF)
power levels of the heart rate variability during 5-min viewing of a green façade
or a building-wall. n = 25, mean ± SE. ln (HF), natural logarithm of high
frequency. **p < 0.01, determined by paired t-test.
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Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 46 (2019) 126446
Fig. 8. Comparison of the natural logarithmic value of the low frequency (LF)
/high frequency power ratio of heart rate variability during 5-min viewing of a
green façade or a building-wall. Date are expressed as the means ± standard
error (SE); n = 25. **p < 0.01, determined by paired t-test.
(LF/HF) ratio that is considered to reflect the sympathetic nerve ac-
tivity, the green façade site (0.35 ± 0.11) was significantly lower than
the building-wall (0.74 ± 0.08), (p < 0.01) (Fig. 8).
3.1.3. Skin conductance
The results in Fig. 9 show that the participants were positively af-
fected by the green façade, as evidenced by pronounced decreases in
their skin conductance. Analysis of skin conductance changes due to
viewing the green façade and the building-wall revealed a significant
reduction while the participants were viewing the green façade
(1.14 ± 0.17) compared to the building-wall (1.43 ± 0.34), (p <
0.05).
3.2. Psychological responses
The results of the participants’ psychological responses are shown in
Figs. 10 and 11. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed that all SD and
POMS scores revealed significant changes after viewing the green fa-
çade and the building-wall. Compared with the building-wall, sig-
nificantly higher scores were observed for the adjectives “comfortable,”
“relaxed,” “natural” and “cheerful” (p < 0.01, Fig. 10) after viewing
Fig. 9. Skin conductance response values recorded while viewing of the green
façade and building-wall stimuli. Date are expressed as the means ± standard
error (SE); n = 25. *p < 0.05.
M. Elsadek, et al.
Fig. 10. Comparison of subjective feelings according to the semantic differ-
ential method after viewing a green façade or a building-wall. n = 25, data are
presented as mean ± standard error. **p < 0.01, determined using the
Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
the green façade. Additionally, the participants reported that they liked
to see the green façade more than the building-wall (p < 0.01).
On the other hand, compared with the building-wall, the negative
subscales of POMS, T–A (p < 0.01), D (p < 0.01), A–H (p < 0.01), F
(p < 0.01) and C (p < 0.01) substantially decreased after viewing the
green façade. Conversely, the positive mood state V (p < 0.01) sig-
nificantly increased after viewing the green façade. In addition, the
total mood disturbance (TMD) score was significantly reduced after
viewing the green façade compared with the building-wall (green
façade: -0.55 ± 0.27 and building-wall 11.83 ± 0.88; p < 0.01).
Our results support the hypothesis that viewing green spaces is gen-
erally associated with positive feelings (Fig.11).
3.3. Relations between the different measures
In order to check for the possible relations between the different
measures used in the experiment, the Pearson correlations between the
mean values of SD scales (“comfortable’’, “relax’’ and “cheerful’’), TMD,
Fig. 11. (a) Comparisons of tension-anxiety (T-A), depression-dejection (D), anger-hostility (A–H), fatigue (F), confusion (C), and vigor (V) in the profile of mood
state (POMS) questionnaire between viewing a wall and a green façade; (b) Comparisons of the total mood disturbance (TMD) score in the profile of mood state
(POMS) questionnaire between the two viewing conditions (a green façade and a building-wall). Data presented as mean ± standard error (n = 25). ** p < 0.01
using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
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Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 46 (2019) 126446
HF, LF/HF ratio, and alpha wave activity at (AF3, AF4, O1 and O2)
were examined. A significant correlation was observed between SD
scales (“comfortable’’, “relax’’ and “cheerful’’) and parasympathetic
activity (HF) data (r. 0.39, 0.38, and 0.41 respectively, n = 25,
p < 0.05). While an inverse correlation was found between SD scales
(“comfortable’’, “relax’’ and “cheerful’’) and the LF/HF ratio ((r= 0.42,
0.48, and 0.51 respectively, n=25, p < 0.05, two-tailed). As HF in-
creased and the LF/HF ratio decreased, participants felt a greater sense
of comfort, relaxation, and more cheerful feelings (p < 0.05) when the
participants saw the green façade. A significant negative correlation
was found between Total Mood Score (TMD), and HF data (r= -0.39,
n=25, p < 0.05), while, a significant positive correlation was found
between TMD and the LF/HF ratio (r= 0.40, N 25, p < 0.05). As HF
decreases and the LF/HF ratio increases, participants felt a negative
mood (TMD) cheerful (p < 0.05). These findings were seen when
participants saw the building-wall. On the other hand, a significant
correlation was found between alpha relative power at AF3 and
“comfortable’’ feelings (r= 0.37, n=25, p < 0.05) and between alpha
relative power at O2 and “relax’’ (r= 0.38, n=25, p < 0.05). An in-
verse correlation appeared between alpha relative power at O2 and
total mood disturbance (TMD) (r= -0.33, n= 25, p < 0.05) (see
Table 2). As between alpha relative power at AF3 and O2, participants
felt a greater sense of comfort and more relaxed feelings (p < 0.05).
These results happened when the participants saw the green façade.
4. Discussion
While it is agreed between the World Health Organization and the
United Nations that green space is vital for healthy, liveable environ-
ments, it remains ambiguous which types of greenspace are most ben-
eficial to mental wellbeing (Houlden et al., 2018). Previous studies have
focused on associations between views of greenspace (or nature) and
mental well-being (Douglas et al., 2017; Hartig et al., 2014; Tyrväinen
et al., 2014), but we are not aware of any previous evidence specifically
for associations between green façades and human well-being. In this
study we investigated the relaxation effects of visual stimulation with
two urban environments assessed by multiple measurements, we com-
pared a building-wall and green façade. Additionally, in our experiment
we combined physiological measures (brain activity, heart rate varia-
bility, and skin conductance) and psychological one (SD and POMS) as
opposed to most previous studies that used psychological ques-
tionnaires (Bielinis et al., 2018; Elsadek et al., 2019a); salivary cortisol
concentration (Tyrväinen et al., 2014) and heart rate variability (Song
M. Elsadek, et al.
Table 2
Correlation between comfortable, relax, cheerful, TMD, heart rate variability (HF and HF/LF) and alpha wave activity at (AF3, AF4, O1 and O2) data.
Comfortable Relax Cheerful
Relax 0.87**
Cheerful 0.89** 0.90**
TMD −0.90** −0.92** −0.91**
HF 0.39* 0.38* 0.41*
LF/HF −0.42* −0.48** −0.51**
AF3 0.37* 0.29 0.16
AF4 0.28 0.24 0.09
O1 0.31 0.25 0.19
O2 0.30 0.38* 0.20
*,**. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 and 0.01 levels respectively.
et al., 2017). Previous study reported that alpha brain wave emerges in
the brain of a person who is in the rest state, such as the concentrated
meditation and relaxed states (Jang et al., 2014). It is extremely in-
teresting that the green façade and the building-wall have different
effects on alpha relative power. Specially, amplitudes were consistently
higher when the participants saw the green façade rather than the
building-wall. In particular, the increases in alpha wave activity have
also been correlated with an improved perception of calmness (Palva
and Palva, 2007), and are highly correlated with a reduced stress level
(Sowndhararajan and Kim, 2016). Alpha wave activity also plays an
important role in networking between neurons, and it has been re-
ported that alpha frequency is highly associated with cognitive per-
formance (Klimesch et al., 1993). Viewing the green façade increased
the relative power of alpha, suggesting enhanced internal attention
(Takahashi et al., 2005). Overall, studies have shown that alpha waves
are linked to mental coordination, calmness, attention, and brain con-
sciousness (Başar, 2012; Kim et al., 2013). This would have led to
participants being more relaxed, alert, and concentrating more fully on
their surroundings in the urban environment. According to Jang et al.,
2014, viewing green plants has a positive impact on the psychological
state and increase physiological activity measures in the brain. Other
work has shown that seeing real foliage plants was more relaxing,
physiologically and psychologically, than seeing plants on video screens
(Igarashi et al., 2015b). These results suggested that alpha waves in-
creased when a green color was viewed because this color provides a
comfortable environment. According to Bloomfield, this color is the
most effective color for providing mental comfort and flexibility
(Bloomfield, 1998). In addition, recent research reported that green
stimuli promote positive responses, such as wellbeing, pleasure, and
relaxation evidenced by cerebral blood flow (Elsadek and Fujii, 2014).
A higher score for the alpha wave indicates more positive emotions
(relaxed alertness, restful and meditative states) (Aspinall et al., 2015).
The results therefore support the conclusion that the participants felt
more wakefully relaxed while looking at the green façade as opposed to
the building-wall, and that the two environments had different effects
on brain activity.
HRV quantifies fluctuations in heart rate related to internal or ex-
ternal environmental changes, especially changes due to autonomic
nervous system activity (Malik et al., 1996). It acts as an indirect
measure of mental stress and is a key indicator for physiological sta-
bility (Kim et al., 2008). Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects the state
of sympathetic (stress, anxiety) or parasympathetic (relaxation, calm-
ness) activation in the body (Malik et al., 1996). Viewing the green
façade landscape resulted in a significant increase in parasympathetic
nerve activity to render a state of relaxation and a marginally sig-
nificant decrease in sympathetic nervous activity to alleviate a stress
state compared to those after viewing the building-wall. The findings
indicated that seeing the green façade for 5 min may promote human
health by reducing stress. The visual stimuli duration was limited to
5 min because some subjects felt sleepy after long sessions (Igarashi
et al., 2015b). On the other hand, skin conductance is a further marker
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 46 (2019) 126446
TMD HF LF/HF AF3 AF4 O1
−0.39*
0.40* −0.82**
−0.30 −0.20 0.18
−0.17 −0.12 −0.04 0.53**
−0.25 −0.10 0.01 0.47** 0.81**
−0.33* −0.07 0.07 0.35* 0.69** 0.80**
for stress and relaxation. It is a term used to describe the electrical
characteristics of the skin. Both psychological and physiological arousal
influences the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system,
which in turn controls the sweat glands (Critchley et al., 2000). The
results show that the skin conductance decreased when the participants
looked at the green façade compared to the building-wall, which means
that the participants felt more stress while viewing the building-wall.
Skin conductance increases with an increase in psychological and
physiological arousal (Andreassi, 2007), or stress response (Setz et al.,
2010). Contact with nature has been shown to have positive effects on
heart rate and skin conductance (Ulrich et al., 1991). In previous stu-
dies, the relaxation impacts of viewing a green space compared to those
of viewing an urban scene have been reported. These studies reported
an increased parasympathetic nerve activity (Elsadek et al., 2019b;
Igarashi et al., 2015b; Ikei et al., 2014) and decreased sympathetic
nerve activity (Lee et al., 2010; Tsunetsugu et al., 2013) and induced
physiological and psychological relaxation (Song et al., 2017). The
study outcomes showing increased parasympathetic nerve activity and
decreased sympathetic nerve activity are consistent with these previous
results for forest vs. urban viewing.
With regard to the psychological responses, from the results of the
semantic differential questionnaire, the green façade stimuli scored
high on the words “like’’ and “natural’’, and the participants felt more
“comfortable’’, “relax,’’ and “cheerful’’. Therefore, the green façade
induced feelings of comfort, relaxation and cheerfulness in comparison
with the building-wall. These results were similar to those of Elsadek's
study, which found that green plants are strongly associated with
feelings of comfort (Elsadek et al., 2013b). Also, the present study re-
sults are consistent with those of previous studies conducted in various
green spaces such as forests (Lee et al., 2009; Yu et al., 2017; Elsadek
et al., 2019a); gardens (Elsadek et al., 2019b); and parks (Lee et al.,
2014). Regarding POMS, compared to the responses to the building-
wall, scores for the negative subscales of T–A, D, A–H, F and C were
significantly lower, and the positive mood state V was significantly
higher after viewing the green façade. These results, which show that
visual interaction with green façades could reduce stress, were con-
sistent with those found in previous studies (Lee et al., 2010; Yu et al.,
2017).
These results are potentially important to understand how green
façades can contribute to improving public health. The most likely
explanation for the increments is that the subjects tended to become
relaxed during the visual stimulation with the green façade. This in-
terpretation is consistent with the self-assessment finding that when
they looked at the green façade, the participants felt much more re-
laxed. Importantly, the difference revealed by the alpha relative power
results is significantly consistent with the results for HRV, skin con-
ductance, and the psychological responses that the green façade has
produced are positive influences on the well-being of participants.
Based on new findings, stimulating alpha waves can boost creativity
and reduce depression (Bergland, 2015). The green façade seems to be a
good option to stimulate relaxation and minimize depressive symptoms.
7
M. Elsadek, et al.
The natural aspects of a green space seemed to bring pleasure to the
participants and contributed to a calming effect (Tilley et al., 2017).
Different hypotheses, such as Kaplan’s attention restoration hypothesis
(Kaplan, 1995) and Ulrich’s stress reduction hypothesis (Ulrich et al.,
1991), support the advantages of viewing forests, plants, and urban
green spaces because humans have an instinctive longing for them. It is
worth mentioning that this research provides research-based scientific
evidence confirming the positive physiological and psychological ad-
vantages of green façade viewing for urban residents. The green façade
appears to bring a sense of relaxation to the inhabitants. The effects on
physiological and psychological relaxation can clearly contribute to
improving the quality of life of urban residents. The results of this study
suggest that green façades can be used in modern stressful societies. The
causes of the positive impacts induced by green landscape visual sti-
mulation on human relaxation and well-being have yet to be identified
(Bielinis et al., 2018, 2019). Although, there are a range of theories in
the literature that offer explanations of aspects of the beneficial out-
come of green space for human-beings, but of the theories available, the
Kaplan’s theory which suggests that human responses to the sur-
rounding environment is created by natural preferences for this en-
vironment which is caused by many years of our species living in the
natural environment appears the most supportable to explain the pre-
sent study results (Sung et al., 2012; Song et al., 2017; Elsadek et al.,
2019b).
Our study has a number of strengths and weaknesses. One of the
strengths was that the outcomes were based on multiple measurements,
we combined the physiological measures (EEG, HRV and Skin con-
ductance) with psychological ones (SD and POMS). Secondly, the lack
of information on the relaxation impact of vertical green spaces sup-
ports the importance of our study. In addition, the green façade (ver-
tical greening) can be installed inside homes and outdoors, so our re-
sults are valid for both indoors and outdoors. In terms of weaknesses,
there are some major limitations that could be addressed in future re-
search. First, the study focused on healthy young females and it is un-
known whether the results could be generalized when applied to dif-
ferent groups, such as males and different ages, such as the elderly and
children. Secondly, this study compared the impact of viewing a green
façade and a building-wall. Therefore, future studies should compare
the physiological and psychological parameters of each participant
measured before and after the visual stimuli. Thirdly, each participant
saw the green façade and the building-wall only once for a short time,
so that the influence of repeated viewing and the long-term effects re-
main unclear. Additionally, the HF is known to be affected by re-
spiratory changes (Kobayashi, 1998), it would be important to estimate
the respiratory rate in the future studies. Based on the present study,
follow-up research on human psycho-physiological responses to dif-
ferent styles and colors of the vertical greening is urgently needed.
5. Conclusion
In this study, we sought to introduce scientific evidence for the
associations between green façades and mental well-being. Compared
to viewing the building-wall, viewing the green façade has positive
associations with improving cerebral activity and creating a comfor-
table environment. When participants observed the green façade, alpha
relative power and parasympathetic activity increased, suggesting that
participants could relax better and thus experience improved mood and
attention. In addition, subjective emotional conditions suggested that
the green façade stimuli provide feelings of comfort, relaxation,
cheerfulness, and vigor compared to the building-wall. We can decisi-
vely conclude that urban residents could benefit substantially physio-
logically and psychologically from green façade viewing. The results
may assist urban planners, designers, and communities in their efforts
to increase the green space in cities. In other words, in order to improve
public health in cities, the integration of vertical greening in buildings
in future compact cities should be considered.
8
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 46 (2019) 126446
Financial support
This research was supported by key project of National Nature
Science Foundation of China (NSFC)“Research on the Design Theory
and Method of Landscape Architecture Responses to Microclimate
Suitability in Urban Livable Environment” (NO. < GN1 > 51338007),
U < /GN1 > rban Landscape Visual Spaces Network Perception and
Reaction Assessment (NO. 51678417) and Urban Natural Landscape
Visual Comfort Mechanism Research (NO. < GN3 > 51808393) < /
GN3 > .
Author contributions
Mohamed Elsadek contributed to the experimental design, prepare
the experimental sites, data acquisition, statistical analysis, interpreta-
tion of results, and manuscript preparation. Binyi Liu conceived and
designed the study and contributed to the interpretation of results.
Zefeng Lian conducted data acquisition and statistical analysis. All
authors have read and approved the final version submitted for pub-
lication.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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