The Impact of Earth-Based Building in Residential Environments on Human Emotional Relief Using EEG + VR + LEC Method

Urbanization exacerbates mental health challenges, prompting the exploration of biophilic design solutions. This study examined the therapeutic potential of raw earth through its thermal interactions in architecture. First, energy consumption simulations established distinct indoor temperature ranges for raw earth, concrete, and steel under identical energy constraints: low (22.8 ± 0.32 °C), medium (26.5 ± 0.39 °C), and high (30.1 ± 0.84 °C). The study then quantified the differences in physical and psychological perceptions across material-dominated spaces under controlled temperatures above. Nine scenes were constructed for emotional healing evaluation, incorporating the olfactory dimension into the Electroencephalogram (EEG) + Virtual reality (VR) + Laboratory environmental control (LEC) approach. The results indicated that raw earth materials were most effective in promoting emotional recovery under thermal stress conditions (low/high temperatures), as evidenced by a significant enhancement of α EEG rhythms. However, under moderate conditions, concrete environments produced the greatest relaxation effects, while steel environments were most conducive to enhancing focus. The core conclusion of this study is that the therapeutic effects of building materials are not static but are intricately linked to the surrounding thermal environment. This provides a new perspective for evidence-based healthy building design and underscores the importance of optimizing material selection based on specific environmental conditions and needs.