Significance of colour in Architecture

PREFACE
Color is a very important aspect of architecture. It has the ability to change the perception of any architectural project. This report includes the overall description of color, effective use of color, selection of color for different types of spaces and many other things related to color in architecture. Colour has a great significance in the field of architecture. The perception of any project is affected by the nature of the colour used. Different colour and their combination have different values. And they affect the user in a different ways hence affecting the design. A good colour scheme helps to attain the desired design goal while a bad one distracts users away from the design goal. Hence if enough consideration is not made during selection of colour, then it may spoil the whole design. This report helps architecture students and other persons related to architecture, interior and construction to know about colours and for choosing colours for different spaces. Hence it helps to improve the aesthetics of any architectural project.

Significance of colour in Architecture

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my gratitude to our teacher for his guidance throughout the report. I am grateful to Ar. Sachin Neupane and interior designer Karuna Shrestha for their genuine help.

Significance of colour in Architecture

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Significance of colour in Architecture

ABSTRACT
Colour selection has been an important aspect of architecture from ancient days. For selection of colour for interior as well as for exterior, many feel confused about which colour to use. Without knowledge about colour and their psychological properties, it would be very hard to determine colour. By providing about basic information of colour and their psychological properties, one can know which colour best suit certain space. This report also includes information about colour wheel, colour combination, religious aspect of colour and geographical aspect of colour and symbolism of colour.

Significance of colour in Architecture

INTRODUCTION
You cannot see colour without light. When white light passes through a prism, it diffracts into seven colours forming a band known as spectrum. It is like the rainbow in the sky. This and is also known as VIBGYOR (Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red). A colour is only a sensation; it is not in an object. For that matter of fact there is no colour in nature. Different colours have different wave-lengths. Wave-lengths that are slightly shorter than the violet are called ultraviolet and are invisible; those slightly longer than the red are called infrared and are also invisible to human eye though many animals, birds and fish can see them. As space has four dimensions like length, height, width and time, colour has four aspects or dimensions as Hue or Chroma, Intensity, Value and Temperature.

Background
The use of colour differs according to the final mood to be created, the geographical, religious, political and technical context. Different colour creates different moods like happiness, anger, joy, confusion, etc. Different geographical region has different climate hence to create warm or cool feeling, different colour are needed. There is also religious and political inclination towards colour. Technical aspect of colour too has great importance.

Objective of Study
The main objective of this report is to help architects and interior designers to choose colour for their projects.

Methodology
The data collected in this report are of following types: Primary: These data were collected by consulting with architects and interior designers. Secondary: These data were collected from secondary source; the book An introduction to art, craft, technique, science and procession of interior design

Scope and significance

This report will provide basic information about the nature of colour and their combination and make a small effort to provide data for selection of colour during design. It can also be used as a reference material for the further study about colours.

Significance of colour in Architecture

DESCRIPTION
Colours may be categorized as warm or cool. Warm colours are associated with fire and sun while cool colour is associated with water, sky, ice and shade. Warm colours lead to activity and cool colours lead to repose. So they can be termed as active and passive and colours also. WARM: reds, browns, yellows, yellow- or olive-greens. COOL: blues, greys, true- or blue-greens. Any colour that contains or tends towards red is warm and any colour that contains or tends towards blue is coo. This also establishes the fact that red is the only warm colour and blue is the only cool colour, their counterparts being black and white respectively in the range of neutral colours. Some colours are made up of mixture of warm and cool colours hence the feeling of warmth or coolness is determined by the amount of warm or cool colour. For example purple is a mixture of blue and red. If it has dominance of red, it would be warm and if it has dominance of blue, it would be cool. Similarly golden yellow is warm while lemon yellow is cool. With the juxtaposition of other colour, we can change such feeling. For example, if we place yellow with green, it looks cooler; but with red, it looks warmer. Cool colours tend to recede from the viewer that is; they appear to be farther away, while warm colours advance. Any warm colour of bright or pure intensity is more advancing than any such cool colour. For example, post-office red is more advancing than leaf-green. But any brilliant colour of pure intensity is more advancing than greyed colours, ex, a leaf-green will b more advancing than a greyish post-office red. Advancing colours give the feeling of smallness and receding colours give the feeling of spaciousness.

Perspective of colour
As a colour goes into the distance, its value is reduced, it gets lighter. For instance, as snowtopped peak would look cerulean blue from close range but would look ice blue from a distance. This is known as perspective of colour. Study the paintings of Da Vinchi to notice this. This again points out to the fact that recession is an inherent quality of cool, light valued or lower-intensity colours.

Effect of intensity1
Objects with bright intensity attract the attention readily and look larger in size than they really are.

Effect of value2
Light values make us cheerful and active. They also recede and make an object seem further away and so when used on walls, make a room gain in size creating sense of spaciousness and airiness. A ceiling pointed in a lighter value will seem higher than a ceiling painted in a dark value. During the night, lighter values reflect better and therefore need low wattage illumination saving on electricity bills. Middle values are relaxing and comforting and are used in spaces
1 2

Intensity of a colour indicates its purity. Value of a colour refers to its darkness or lightness.

Significance of colour in Architecture

where people have to spend a great deal of time. Dark values are serious, dignified, sobering and often sombre in feeling. They advance, so make a room look smaller, but in rooms with large areas of windows, they are easily used because bright daylight reduces their gravity. Closely related values quieten, strong contrasts excite and stimulate and attract attention. Strong contrasts increase the apparent size of an object and bring it forward. So if something is to be noticed, it needs a background of contrasting values.

Symbolism and psychology of colour

Colour which is basically a sensation has been used as a symbol for feelings and ideas. Colours have different properties regarding their psychological effects. Different symbolism and psychology of different colours are described as follows:

Red
Red is the most visible colour. The first colour children start to see and notice is red. Primitive people also distinctly recognise only red. Goethe has said that it is easier to seduce a woman in red-indicating the inducement of excitement by it. But, in its pure intensity, red is the most problematic colour to use in an interior. If a designer can do that, one must assume that he has achieved a sort of mastery over colour use. It is symbol of life and movement, anger, passion or sex, sacrifice and religious rituals, injury and murder, war, strife and chaos, wedding, marriage, romance and love, health, destruction, idealism. Inherent Properties It excites, activates, and enthuses. Increases enthusiasm simulates energy and can increase the blood pressure, respiration, heartbeat, and pulse rate Encourages action and confidence Provides a sense of protection from fears and anxiety linked to the base chakra and the spine, hips and legs stimulate physical energy, strengthen willpower, increase blood circulation Too much red may over stimulate and possibly promote anger or aggressiveness.

Blue
It is the quietest colour. It provides an innumerable range of tints, but not many shades unlike red which provides almost equal number of tints and shades. It is symbol of evolved person and higher religion, god and things divine, water, snow, ice, stable and balanced person, coldness, distanceness, mental activity, sky, introvert and humble person. Inherent properties It cools, soothes, relaxes and contracts. It calms, cools and sedates. Related to the throat chakra connected to the throat and lungs Help insomnia, anxiety, throat problems, high blood pressure and migraine and skin irritation.

Significance of colour in Architecture

Yellow
Yellow is the lightest in value amongst the primary colours but more visible than blue. Yellow is the colour of intellectual nature, the faculty that distinguishes. Yellow, because of its highest value, can be used in its full strength anywhere in the interior. Though it gives a very wide range of shades, they cant be used much in interiors due to their ungainly appearance though tints of yellow like cream and ivory, limited in their range, can be used in interiors excellently. It is symbol of new born natural things, sun, intellect, soul, heart, early morning, disease, and fear, gold.

Inherent properties Yellow cheers and enlivens. It is like a smile and can be cool and warm both being neutral in temperature. Stimulates mental processes and nervous system Activates memory Encourages communication Related to solar plexus chakra. Imbalance promote fear, apprehension, confusion, lack of determination, introversion or power issues Balance associated with the intellect and mental processes and is uplifting Too much yellow is believed to lead to poor concentration and hyperactivity. It neither advances nor recedes so symbol of neutrality. For this reason it is mostly used in place of white as a background.

Orange
Orange, though the most visible colour after red, is more glowing than red because it combines the brightness of red and brilliance of yellow, the warm colours. It is colour of warmth, sunshine and cheerfulness because it excites these emotions. It is colour of controlled nature, yellow being the intellect and red imparting activity to it. Indian tradition, mythology, symbolism revere orange because bhagva represents voluntary renunciation, tyag fro higher things, here red of raw nature being tempered by tallow of intellect or will. It is symbol of sunshine, warmth, pre-noon, commencement of autumn and since it is between nascent yellow and youthful red it is a symbol of childhood.

Inherent properties Warm and gay colour Stimulates activity and appetite Encourage joy, socialization and optimism Useful for depression or sadness kidneys, urinary tract and the reproductive organs Too much orange is thought to lead to tiredness, pessimism and confusion.

Significance of colour in Architecture

Green
Green is the most common colour after blue in nature. We must be grateful to nature for providing two soothing colours in abundance. It is a symbol of adulthood, ripe nature, growth, immaturity jealousy, non-danger.

Inherent properties It makes a person calm and induces mood of meditation. Soothes, Relaxes mentally, as well as physically Helps alleviate depression, nervousness, and anxiety Offers a sense of renewal, self-control, and harmony encourage emotional stability, purity and calmness Related to the heart chakra and imbalance in the heart chakra is associated with fear of relationships, mistrust, jealousy, isolation and insecurity.

Violet or Purple
In olden days, purple was obtained from various shell fish, especially purple and cuttle-fish, and for that reason it was rare and expensive. Hence it was only used by royalty and nobility. It hence symbolises nobility, royalty, gravity, dignity, ornate object or prose. Inherent properties Violet is bluish purple with very sober and dignified influence, sometimes leading to depression. Calms the mind and nerves Offers a sense of spirituality Encourages creativity associated with the crown chakra encourage spirituality, intuition, wisdom, mastery and mental strength and focus Too much purple is thought to promote pride and arrogance.

White
White is the ultimate neutral. Any colour against it is seen favourably. It adds to intensity of any colour. It symbolises purity, virginity, innocence, sinlessness, worldliness, void, spirituality, renouncement, honesty, reliability, trust, dawn, peace, silver and moon. Inherent properties Aids mental clarity Encourages us to clear clutter or obstacles Evokes purification of thoughts or actions Enables fresh beginnings reflects light absence of color, or neutrality associated with mourning associated with creativity

Significance of colour in Architecture

Black
Black is the other true neutral after white. It is opposite of white and is thus negation of what white stands for. It symbolises darkness, devil death, obscurity, things unknown, night, fear, evil, horrible, illicit, foul, dirty, sinister hidden things, secrecy, hidden potential. Inherent properties Depression, melancholy, fear, secrecy makes one feel inconspicuous provides a restful emptiness mysterious by evoking a sense of potential and possibility authority and power, stability and strength

Grey
A mixture of black and white, it is neutral and can be shown in innumerable tints and shades. In fact, a white surface never remains white; it becomes a series of greys. It symbolises dullness, mediocrity, monsoon, cloudy days, old age and hence maturity and experience. Inherent properties Depressing or cheering depending whether the particular tint/ shade tends towards black or white. As a background, it imparts luminescence to a colour. Creates expectations Color for Lent in Christianity. Representative of mourning and repentance in Christianity.

Brown
Most of the cooked items have a variety of brown as their colour, making them delectable to sense and perhaps for this reason, tits of brown are varied and universally employed in interiors. Their exuding warmth might be another reason for their all-round acceptability. It symbolises soil, pottery, wood, practicality, decay, manliness and masculine handsomeness, absent-mindedness.

Combination of colour
There are combinations which are frequently used because they are pleasing and because of familiarity with them it is easier and safer to use them successfully. Here is a brief list: White with various greys and black Light blue with dark blue Light green with dark green Pink with red Beige with browns Complementary colours
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Significance of colour in Architecture

Orange with browns White with cream

Any colour with grey background gains in brilliance hence during monsoon when atmosphere is all over grey, the colours look a bit fluorescent or glowing than they look in normal atmosphere.

Colour combination visibility-wise

Regarding visibility wise white on green is not good as these two cannot be seen against each other often from a distance and green on red is the poorest. Complementary colours with the same value tend to vibrate and are difficult to look at causing visual annoyance. Regarding visibility wise red on white is good and black on yellow is the most effective combination which can be seen from distance too. Taking such effects in considerations, Red Cross flag has been designed and also such combination is used where visibility is a critical factor like traffic signs, airport signage, instruction signs, and signal flags.

Best colour combination

There is nothing like a best combination. All combinations are good subject to their Context Purpose Value Personal like/dislike of client

Context
Black and white might not look an appropriate combination for a restaurant. But this was used for Caf au lait, a breakfast restaurant in Hotel President successfully because the combination represents well coffee and milk, name of the restaurant and the things it served.

Purpose
Take a combination like mud brown and ochre. It might be very dirty for a modern house. But if you are doing boutique specialised in selling authentic village household artefacts, then it would be quite charming and appropriate.

Value
No combination is incongruous or ugly. If it is so, it can be made pleasing by just altering the value of the colours involved. For example, take green and red. We know these colours vibrate together and the eye does not rest on them. So they are not suitable for interior. But just change the value of these two-add white to them. The red would become pink, and the green would become ice-cream green. The combination would stop vibrating and would become very pleasing.

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Significance of colour in Architecture

Personal Like/Dislike of client
A green wall might look uneasy to some person, but if the client finds it pleasing, his feeling should be respected. And there is a reason. People hailing from desert region psychologically are fond of green because it represents verdant nature which is lacking in their lives. So they compensate it by huge sweeps of green colour in their interior.

In a colour wheel, colours located opposite to each other are complementary and may be used to organize colours. Using complements togetherfor example, blue with orange can help create a balanced colour scheme.

FACTORS AFFECTING THE USE OF COLOR AND COLOUR SCHEME

Personal preference Current trend Orientation of window & amount of daylight No. of hrs the space will be used: An entrance hall, office house, shop, theatre, cinema hall, factory, living room, bathroom, dressing room, conference room, etc are used for shorter span and hence warmer colours cam ne utilised. But for the rooms which are used for longer period like bedroom, kitchen, etc, cooler and sober colours are used. Purpose: Shops, factories, offices should have warmer colours to make workers and staff lively because the atmosphere should stimulate them to work more and hard. But in a shop, preferably neutral backgrounds should be used to enhance the impact of goods displayed, and to relax the customer. Geographical location: Warm colours are preferred in cold zone and cool on in hot zone.

Preference of colour
Males opt for darker colours and females for lighter and brighter colours. Young people like brighter colour and mature people prefer sober colours. People in happy mood generally favour bright, high-key colours; while in gloomy mood, they instinctively favour dark, low-key colours. Hindus prefer soft corner for saffron and Muslims for green, etc.

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Significance of colour in Architecture

Conclusion
After a design has been completed, the confusion for architects is not yet finished. The decision of colour scheme is another great challenge. For deciding appropriate colour scheme, enough considerations need to be made. Such considerations help to produce appropriate mood to the users. And this report provides information about the characteristic of colour and their considerations.

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Significance of colour in Architecture

Bibliography
Introduction to art, craft, technique, science and profession of interior design Ahmed Abdullah Kasu, Page number: 112-124

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