Investigating the Crucial Indicators of Green Architecture to Enhance Quality of Life
Main Article Content
Abstract
Green architecture has gained increasing attention as an environmentally responsible approach that supports human well-being, sustainable lifestyles, and improved living environments. Although many studies have examined green building principles, the direct relationship between green architecture and quality of life remains insufficiently integrated, as much of the existing literature focuses mainly on technical and environmental performance. This systematic review addresses this gap by identifying and analysing the key indicators of green architecture that contribute to quality of life and by proposing a conceptual framework linking sustainable design with human well-being. Relevant academic literature was systematically reviewed to extract, classify, and compare the most frequently discussed indicators. The findings show that social well-being was the most frequently identified indicator, appearing in 88% of the reviewed studies, followed by community impact and resource management at 84%, and pollution reduction and ecological footprint at 80%. These results indicate that green architecture should be understood not only as a technical response to environmental challenges but also as a holistic strategy for creating healthier, more livable, and socially responsive environments. The study highlights the interrelationships among environmental, social, and resource-based indicators and provides practical guidance for architects, urban developers, and decision-makers seeking to integrate sustainable and human-centred principles into contemporary built environments.
Article Details

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Journal of Studies in Science and Engineering is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY-4.0).
References
D. Axatova and X. Axatova, "Integrating ecology and healthy living: Strategies for sustainable wellness," in E3S Web of Conferences, 2024, vol. 587: EDP Sciences, p. 02015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202458702015.
R. F. M. Ameen, S. S. Shalal, and S. J. K. Almayyahi, "The effect of urban form factors and social sustainability on the shaping of traditional religious cities: An Iraqi case study," in 5th International Conference On Engineering Sciences–Ices21, 2023, vol. 2631, no. 1: AIP Publishing LLC, p. 060001, doi: https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0131677.
A. A. Naser and H. S. Al-Mamoori, "The Role of Interior Design in Achieving Healthy Workplaces According to Lighting Indicators of" WELL Standard"," International Journal of Safety & Security Engineering, vol. 13, no. 5, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsse.130519.
D. H. Abd, H. S. Al-Mamoori, and R. F. M. Ameen, "Environmental aspect impact on frameworks development for classifying urban configuration indicators," International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 13-23, 2025, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.200102.
J. G. Allen, P. MacNaughton, J. G. C. Laurent, S. S. Flanigan, E. S. Eitland, and J. D. Spengler, "Green buildings and health," Current environmental health reports, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 250-258, 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-015-0063-y.
R. F. Mohammed Ameen, H. I. Alyasari, and M. D. Altaweel, "Stakeholders’ perceptions of social and economic challenges in adopting sustainable urban development in post-war countries," in IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 2020, vol. 671, no. 1: IOP Publishing, p. 012127, doi: http://10.1088/1757-899X/671/1/012127.
W. W. Weisser et al., "Creating ecologically sound buildings by integrating ecology, architecture and computational design," People and Nature, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 4-20, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10411.
A. A. Naser and H. S. AL-Mamoori, "The Impact of Using" Well Standard" Indicators on Internal Workplaces Carbon Emissions," Kufa Journal of Engineering, vol. 15, no. 1, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.30572/2018/kje/150105.
E. M. Hamilton, M. L. Guckian, and R. De Young, "Living well and living green: participant conceptualizations of green citizenship," in Handbook of Sustainability and Social Science Research: Springer, 2017, pp. 315-334. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67122-2_18
Y. Fu, H. Wang, W. Sun, and X. Zhang, "New dimension to green buildings: Turning green into occupant well-being," Buildings, vol. 11, no. 11, p. 534, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings11110534.
A. A. Umoh, A. Adefemi, K. I. Ibewe, E. A. Etukudoh, V. I. Ilojianya, and Z. Q. S. Nwokediegwu, "Green architecture and energy efficiency: a review of innovative design and construction techniques," Engineering Science & Technology Journal, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 185-200, 2024, doi: http://10.51594/estj.v5i1.743.
M. Bessoudo, "Health, wellness, and experience in the built environment: from green buildings to Conscious Cities," Conscious Cities Anthol, vol. 2017, 2017, doi: http://10.33797/CCJ.02.02.
A. Ragheb, H. El-Shimy, and G. Ragheb, "Green architecture: A concept of sustainability," Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 216, pp. 778-787, 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.12.075.
T. Kar Wen, "Financially Fit and Environmentally Conscious: Personal Finance in a Green World," Available at SSRN 4845735, 2024, doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4845735 .
B.-G. Hwang, L. Zhu, and J. T. T. Ming, "Factors affecting productivity in green building construction projects: The case of Singapore," Journal of Management in Engineering, vol. 33, no. 3, p. 04016052, 2017, doi: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000499.
A. Moghayedi, K. Michell, D. Hübner, K. Le Jeune, and M. Massyn, "Examine the impact of green methods and technologies on the environmental sustainability of supportive education buildings, perspectives of circular economy and net-zero carbon operation," Facilities, vol. 42, no. 3-4, pp. 201-222, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/F-12-2022-0161.
M. A. Lansiwi, A. B. Studyanto, I. A. Gymnastiar, and F. Amin, "Cultural heritage preservation through community engagement a new paradigm for social sustainability," Indonesian Journal of Studies on Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 50-59, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.54783/cv5q0011.
R. F. M. Ameen, M. Mourshed, and H. Li, "A critical review of environmental assessment tools for sustainable urban design," Environmental Impact Assessment Review, vol. 55, pp. 110-125, 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2015.07.006.
M. Mari, "Green building certifications and rating systems," in New Perspectives in Indoor Air Quality: Elsevier, 2026, pp. 233-248. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-26643-0.00001-7
H. Unegbu and D. S. YAWAS, "Assessing the impact of green building certifications on construction practices in Nigeria: A systematic review," Indonesian Journal of Engineering and Technology (INAJET), vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 7-14, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.26740/inajet.v7n1.p7-14.
S. Wang et al., "Ecological Suitability Evaluation of City Construction Based on Landscape Ecological Analysis," Sustainability, vol. 16, no. 21, p. 9178, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219178.
C. Thampanichwat, C. Moorapun, S. Bunyarittikit, P. Suphavarophas, and P. Phaibulputhipong, "A systematic literature review of architecture fostering green mindfulness," Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 4, p. 3823, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043823.
R. F. M. Ameen, "Evaluation of the sustainability of the urban development sector in Iraq," in IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 2021, vol. 1067, no. 1: IOP Publishing, p. 012064, doi: http://10.1088/1757-899X/1067/1/012064.
B. Mattoni, C. Guattari, L. Evangelisti, F. Bisegna, P. Gori, and F. Asdrubali, "Critical review and methodological approach to evaluate the differences among international green building rating tools," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 82, pp. 950-960, 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.09.105.
C. S. Varma and S. Palaniappan, "Comparision of green building rating schemes used in North America, Europe and Asia," Habitat International, vol. 89, p. 101989, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2019.05.008.
G. A. Ogunmola and V. Kumar, "A strategic model for attracting and retaining environmentally conscious customers in E-retail," International Journal of Information Management Data Insights, vol. 4, no. 2, p. 100274, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jjimei.2024.100274.
S. M. Ghouse, R. Shekhar, M. A. B. Ali Sulaiman, and A. Azam, "Green purchase behaviour of Arab millennials towards eco-friendly products: the moderating role of eco-labelling," The Bottom Line, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 286-308, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/BL-08-2023-0246.
S. J. Walsh, A. O’Leary, C. Bergin, S. Lee, Á. Varley, and M. Lynch, "Primary healthcare’s carbon footprint and sustainable strategies to mitigate its contribution: a scoping review," BMC health services research, vol. 24, no. 1, p. 1630, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-12068-8.
M. Šostar and V. Ristanović, "Assessment of influencing factors on consumer behavior using the AHP model," Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 13, p. 10341, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310341.
M. G. Kent, T. Parkinson, and S. Schiavon, "Indoor environmental quality in WELL-certified and LEED-certified buildings," Scientific Reports, vol. 14, no. 1, p. 15120, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-65768-w.
R. C. Vargas-Maldonado et al., "Conscious mobility for urban spaces: Case studies review and indicator framework design," Applied Sciences, vol. 13, no. 1, p. 333, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/app13010333.
H. Guyomard et al., "How the Green Architecture of the 2023–2027 Common Agricultural Policy could have been greener," Ambio, vol. 52, no. 8, pp. 1327-1338, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-023-01861-0.
A. B. Mohammed, "Sustainable design strategy optimizing green architecture path based on sustainability," HBRC Journal, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 461-490, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/16874048.2021.1990572.
D. Licina, P. Wargocki, C. Pyke, and S. Altomonte, “The future of IEQ in green building certifications,” Buildings and Cities, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 907–927, 2021, doi: 10.5334/bc.148.
M. U. Hossain, C. S. Poon, Y. H. Dong, I. M. Lo, and J. C. Cheng, "Development of social sustainability assessment method and a comparative case study on assessing recycled construction materials," The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, vol. 23, no. 8, pp. 1654-1674, 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-017-1373-0.
W. A. Salas‐Zapata and S. M. Ortiz‐Muñoz, "Analysis of meanings of the concept of sustainability," Sustainable Development, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 153-161, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.1885.
J. N. Albrecht, M. Haid, W. Finkler, and P. Heimerl, "What’s in a name? The meaning of sustainability to destination managers," Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 32-51, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1868483.
R. C. Estoque, "A review of the sustainability concept and the state of SDG monitoring using remote sensing," Remote Sensing, vol. 12, no. 11, p. 1770, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12111770.
R. N. Muniz, C. T. da Costa Júnior, W. G. Buratto, A. Nied, and G. V. González, "The sustainability concept: A review focusing on energy," Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 19, p. 14049, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914049.
D. Zhu, "Research from global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to sustainability science based on the object-subject-process framework," Chinese Journal of Population Resources and Environment, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 8-20, 2017, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/10042857.2017.1286147.
P.-H. Lee, Q. Han, and B. de Vries, "Advancing a sustainable built environment: A comprehensive review of stakeholder promotion strategies and dual forces," Journal of Building Engineering, vol. 95, p. 110223, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2024.110223.
J. W. Steenberg, A. A. Millward, P. N. Duinker, D. J. Nowak, and P. J. Robinson, "Neighbourhood-scale urban forest ecosystem classification," Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 163, pp. 134-145, 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.08.008.
J. Read and C. Meath, "A conceptual framework for sustainable evidence-based design for aligning therapeutic and sustainability outcomes in healthcare facilities: A systematic literature review," HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 86-107, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/19375867241302793.
P. Szabó, "Historical ecology: past, present and future," Biological Reviews, vol. 90, no. 4, pp. 997-1014, 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12141.
L. Shi, L. Han, F. Yang, and L. Gao, "The evolution of sustainable development theory: Types, goals, and research prospects," Sustainability, vol. 11, no. 24, p. 7158, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su11247158.