The literature on restoration has paid insufficient attention to the effect of architecture on psychological restoration. The present study investigated the effect of two physical features of tall buildings — height and color — on residents’ perceived psychological restoration. Color imaging was used to manipulate the variables. Height and color were each simulated at three levels: tall, medium, and low for height and white, light gray, and dark gray for color, which were paired in different combinations for a total of nine images. Eighty residents of Hamedan, Iran, responded to questions related to the variables of fascination, being away, and restoration likelihood after viewing each image. According to the results, color did not explain restoration likelihood, but the effect of height on restoration likelihood was confirmed. Moreover, the effect of height and color on restoration likelihood was not mediated by being away or fascination. Analysis of the statistical mean of the dependent variable of psychological restoration indicated that, in tall and low buildings, gray colors resulted in higher restoration likelihood, with light gray being more effective than dark gray in the tall building. However, in buildings of medium height, the white color received the highest restoration-likelihood rating.
