The Role of Climate and Culture in Shaping Architectural Spatial Strategies and Sense of Place

Architecture shapes human experience through its responses to environmental conditions and cultural values. This systematic review examines how climate-responsive and culturally informed design strategies influence spatial organisation, user experience, and sense of place in architectural and urban environments. A literature search of Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar identified peer-reviewed studies published between 2018 and 2025, following PRISMA principles for identification, screening, and synthesis. The findings indicate that courtyards, shading systems, transitional spaces, natural ventilation, and context-sensitive material selection respond to climatic conditions while reflecting cultural practices, social norms, and traditional ways of life. These strategies can enhance environmental comfort, facilitate social interaction, reinforce identity, and strengthen emotional attachment to place. The review further demonstrates that sense of place emerges through interactions among physical form, environmental conditions, cultural meaning, and sensory and emotional experience. Climate-responsive and culturally informed strategies may also support sustainability through long-term use, care, and belonging. However, a methodological gap remains between qualitative understandings of place experience and quantitative assessments of architectural performance. Overall, integrating climate and culture provides an important basis for developing meaningful, sustainable, context-sensitive, and human-centred architectural environments.