Colour and the City by Kate Hyde

COLOUR IN THE CITY

COL OUR BLO CKS

COLOUR IN THE CITY

COL OUR BLO CKS

08 Introduction

11 The relationship

Colour & space:

between architectural

architecture today

history & colour

12 Blue

Yellow

Red

36 References & bibliography

COLOUR BLOCKS COLOUR IN THE CITY

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Colours are fundamental elements of our visual perception and environmental experience; they are the substance of how we 1 experience the environment.

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Colour in the city Looking out over a city may not inspire you to think of a rainbow’s spectrum of colour. “Colour is lacking in London buildings, as anyone riding the London Eye 2

will observe.” How does this affect the way we view the city? Or feel towards it? Do the visual qualities of the buildings that make up our environment affect us pyschologically? “Most people think that colours make them feel happy. If this is true, it may also be valid the other way round. If we are happy we see everything in colour—‘we want to paint the world.’ The opposite of colour in this context is lack of colour – greyness; a concept associated in most languages with boredom and sadness.”

Historically, aesthetic trends have meant that colour and architecture do not sit well together. “Architects have had difficulty deciding how to use color since at least the polychromy dispute of 1830, when the austere whiteness 4

of the Neoclassical was first called into question.”

Feelings on colour

Colour in London

There is colour in material; brick, stone, wood, tile,

Seeking out colour in London is not so much of a

glass. These elements provide a myriad of shades, but

difficult task. The Idea Store in Whitechapel, coloured

but colour is not prominent. To some, this provides

by glass in shades of blue and green, reflects the colours

for a pleasing aesthetic. On the London cityscape one

of the street outside, but also plays an integral part in

commentator writes: “I love the subtlety of 100’s of

the structure of a distinctive learning environment.

different greys. When on the London eye this summer,

Glass provides colour for those looking inside and out.

I was alarmed to spot splashes of bright colours over

Adelaide Wharf, in Hackney, is a bright and colourful

towards the Barbican. I am told it is a new building

block of flats that brightens up the gritty canal side

by Renzo Piano.” In reference to it’s pyschological

location. This social housing project exercises a warm

affect, grey is described as a calm, withdrawn colour,

and generous use of colour, and demonstrates the

underlined by Mahnke: “it [grey] makes no statement. It

integration of this palette in its “ambition of combining

is just there and lives in boring neutrality, making the

good quality private sector apartments with social

environment neither exciting, nor actively calming, nor

housing in a non-hierarchical architecture.”

inviting.”

The function of colour and its ability to impact the

A cause for unremitting debate, colour is increasingly

evershifting human built environment is recognised by

used by architects (such as Renzo Piano mentioned

architects who choose to use colour as part of a “fast

above for the controversial Central Saint Giles office

moving cultural code” , to enrich their buildings and to

space), to make their work noticeable in what can be an

communicate their function in the structure of our ever

otherwise ‘colourless’ architectural landscape.

changing city.

“A few projects stand out from the rest for their creative use of colour to reduce mass, proclaim purpose, or orientate users…In a media-dominated society, architecture also has to assert itself visually in the big city jungle.”

Colour in architectural history

The future is bright

During the 20th century, key movements in the creative

Contemporary architects place much more recognition

industries contributed to the notion that the use of

on the qualities of colour given by material, and

colour in architecture should be considered objectional,

recognise it as a natural partner to the elemental

crude, and unneccesarily ornamental.

principles of space, line, and form. Buildings such

Shortly after the turn of the 20th century Adolf Loos wrote the famous and influential essay “Ornament

as Adyaje (Whitechapel), and the London College of Communication (Elephant and Castle) demonstrate that contemporary architects seek to “endow the landscape

and Crime”—condemning the use of any decorative or ornate element in design. “The evolution of culture marches with the elimination of ornament from useful 11

objects” he wrote, outlining the notion that form must come before function and that anything ornamental

with coloured spaces in the recognition that colour is not only an aesthetic force but also a language.”

Colour has meaning and can communicate. It can affect us psychologically and physically, and much research has been done into the ways that colour affects how we

is merely peripheral. As modernism enveloped the

respond to a physical environment. Colour can describe

design world and favour leant on the qualities of function, reduction, and the sensibilities of industry. Architects designed “plain, simple structures with

space, sculpt it, reduce it, and so it seems naturally that “colour has become architectural composition.”

a strong emphasis on construction and on purity of

Architects are still, maintains Koolhaas “committed

material.” The Bauhaus taught the ethics of rationality

to the authenticity of materials.”

and economical standardization, and the beauty of

sensibilities to which early 20th century designers

simplification and purity. “Simple and economic

staked claim, “in the contemporary mindset colour

constructions became the model for architects and

designers throughout the 20th century and beyond”. The mechanical, industrial instincts of modernists radicalised the design of the time, and to this day maintain a lively debate: Reyner Banham describes “what he call(s) the Bauhaus at Dessau as “a sacred 14

Returning to the

does not seem to be the result of designer whim…nor as a mere decorative element”—“colour is all about experimenting with materials, creating interconnection between different volumes of an organic whole, or the contrary, identifying a particular component as an element apart.”

It is with this in mind that I seek to examine the

architecture remains “moving” as Bauhaus ideas

use of four specific buildings in London that are

survived to shape the modern world.” Robert

noteable for their colourful exterior, and to determine

Burnhams meanwhile argues that “At the root, there

how colour serves as “an important medium of

was always something penitential about modernism,

visual communication in the human–environment

with its stern abjuration of the world’s sensuous

relationship...[through]“the communication between

pleasures in the interest of higher ones.”

humans and the spatial environment, and to the

Contemporary critics, followers of De Stijl in the 1930’s, reactionary discourse lead to the designer/ architect/ painter Theo van Doesburg to comment that “Art

interactions that take place there.”

We encounter and are surrounded by color whenever we open our eyes. It accompanies us in diverse visual ways and is always connected with and influenced by light in the natural or 10 human–designed environment.

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site,” and Fiona Maccarthy proclaims that this 15

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It is through

colour that the architect may humanise a building, inspire and engage.

should not deal with the ‘useful’ or the ‘nice’, but with the ‘spiritual’ and the ‘sublime.’ The purest art forms do not cause the decorative change of some detail from life, but the inner metamorphosis of life, the revaluation of 17

all values.”

Years later, post-modernists rejoiced in the “pleasure in opulence”—a notion describe with wit and indulgence by Oscar Wilde “It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The true mystery of the world 18

is the visible, not the invisible.” Today, buildings are celebrated for their ability to challenge perceptions, “to 19

inspire us to see and to think.”

â?? Blue is somewhat the peacemaker of colour, not many people dislike it. It has a relaxing effect, and light blue seems retiring. Its positive impressions are calmness, security, comfort, sobriety, comtemplation.

â?&#x17E; 13

IDEA STORE THE

Idea Store by Rowan Moore

colours on the market stalls that crowd the pavement on

The concept behind the Idea Store, a phrase coined by

Whitechapel High Street. It is a simple enough device,

the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, is that dusty

but it is the thing that tells you that this is not any old

old-fashioned libraries don’t attract enough users,

glass box. The stripes also give a lift to the views out,

especially those who would be least inclined to enter

colorising the brown townscape with the hues of grass

them in the first place, so the new buildings should

and sky.

draw people in and grab their attention in the way that shops do, and they should be placed in shopping areas, so that you can slip into one as easily as you would a supermarket. “This is an environment where opaque buildings are

The new Idea Store both sets itself apart from its surroundings and embraces them. It is clearly something special, a world apart and a construction

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draw the life of the street into it, through the escalator that lands straight on to the pavement, and through

Store to be architecture that people drive into town for;

the use of both glamorous and workaday materials. It

or like a mall, clean and glass and glossy.”

is accessible, not patronising, crowd-pleasing but not

glass, inspired by the striped awnings of the same

The stripes also give a lift to the views out, colorising the brown townscape with 26 the hues of grass and sky.

different from any other nearby, but it also aims to

seen as negative, as a sign of poverty. I wanted the Idea

The building’s signature is its stripes of green and blue

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dumb, glamorous but not glib. It is not an abstract essay in architectural aesthetics, but a smart response to what the building is, where it is and who it is for.

â?? Blue is tranquility and truth that cannot be subverted. It is the color associated with spirituality 27

and wisdom.

â?&#x17E; Electric Blue Dynamic, Engaging, Bold, Exhilarating

Sky Blue Relaxing, happy and trustworthy

Royal Blue Committed, professional and vibrant.

Light Green Rejuvenation

Aqua Fluid, refreshing, cleansing and energising.

Turqoise Healing, Spiritual, mystical.

Source: Colour Colour Ambrose/Harris Ambrose/Harris Source:

â?? Reflective and luminous, yellow is the happiest of all 28

colours.

â?&#x17E;

ADELAIDE WHARF

❝ The mood is bright and busy and the end result is a cheerful, contemporary landmark building that enlivens the 29 neighbourhood.

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Adelaide Wharf Judges Comments, Hackney Design Awards 2008 This mixed tenure residential scheme has eye-catching balconies painted bright shades of red, orange and yellow, hung from large crane-like roof mounted cantilevers. The same colours are used to pick out the key surfaces of the main entries into the development. The mood is bright and busy and the end result is a cheerful, contemporary landmark building that enlivens the neighbourhood. The palette is warm and friendly, “the lively colours and varied form of this distinctive new block, make it a positive addition to the local built form and a navigation landmark in its own right.”

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Yellow’s expansiveness means communication. ❞

Light Yellow Inspiring, walm, calming, hazy and summery.

Bright Yellow Hopeful, cheery.

Golden Yellow Sunny, autumnal.

Gold Wealth, extravagance, excess, luck and tradition.

Bronze Warm, tradition, durable, rustic.

Orange Fun, glowing and vital: the warmest of colours.

Terracotta Warm, ethnic, wholesome.

Source: Colour Ambrose/Harris

â?? Red is an arousing, exciting, and stimulating colour with the positive associations of passion, strength, activity, and warmth. Red also signifies life and living. Understanding the connection between life and blood probably goes back to 31 the earliest of times. â?&#x17E;

BLIZARD BUILDING THE

Blizard building

“Our aim has been to create a space that avoids the traditionally sanitised environment of laboratory

Putting colors together: an interview with

Will Alsop For Alsop, it is the act of painting, the state of losing

research buildings - here the very fabric of the building

control - its imprecision and intuitiveness - that best

speaks about science and is conducive to better science

define his initial vague intentions - and what ultimately

by bringing researchers together. (Alsop, 2010)”

brings him close to the mystery of inventing new

Aiming to create an outstanding new building for the College, plus a significant landmark and educational resource for the local community, the design team developed the building’s form around two primary

architecture. By Vladimir Belogolovsky: November 30, 2010 VB: Do colors play a specific role in your work?

concepts; firstly to foster better integration of the

WA: On one level, it cheers people up. There is nothing

science disciplines through the provision of an

in architecture books that says it cannot be fun. I think

open-plan environment; and secondly to create a

color has a very direct effect on the way we behave and

building which broadcasts its purpose, achieved by

the way we feel. Colored glass casts colorful shadows.

the development of a seductively transparent building

If there was no color in my buildings, it would be a

envelope.

completely different experience. Architectural critics think that fun and architecture don’t go together. But

❝ Colored glass casts colorful shadows. If there was no color in my buildings, it would be a completely different 32 experience.

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I always ask, why not? Where in the rule books does it say these things don’t go together? The fun aspect of architecture is a very serious part of it. There is no right way to make architecture, and I think that is good. Our cities should have diversity. Uniformity makes life less interesting. There is a lot of that around Moscow or in the north of England. It bores people. Architecture is not about just having a roof over your head, but about a feeling of belonging and feeling comfortable. Sometimes, it is very difficult to explain how to do that, but I have had people tell me that my buildings are very comfortable. They would come to me and ask, “How do you do that?” I don’t know, and I don’t want to know, because if I did, all the fun and exploration about making architecture would be destroyed. VB: The way you use materials has a lot to do with color, right? WA: Yes, new materials enable me to use colors in new ways. For example, the green on Peckham Library is oxidized copper. I am now working on a project near Barcelona where I am using wood, and it is available in many colors. Working with various materials makes you think of colors.

â?? Research indicates that seeing red releases epinephrine in the body, a chemical that causes you to breathe more rapidly, and your heartbeat, 30

pulse rate and blood pressure to rise.

â?&#x17E; Burgundy Opulent, intense, grand.

Scarlet Red Exciting, dynamic, dramatic.

Brick Red Secure, natural, strong.

Fuschia Energetic, theatrical, fun.

Source: Colour Ambrose/Harris

BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES BIBLIOGRAPHY Alsop, A. (2010) Putting Colors Together: An Interview with Will Alsop. Interviewed by Vladimir Belogolovsky. [Internet Transcript: Available at: <http://www.archiquotes.info/ art/316--putting-colors-together-an-interview-with-will-alsop> [Accessed 3 April 2011] November 30. Alsop Design/AMEC. (2011) Blizard Building . Available at: <http://www.arcspace.com/architects/alsop/blizard/blizard.html > [Accessed 3 April 2011]. Ambrose, G & Harris, P. (2010) Colour. Lausanne: AVA. Architecture About. (2011) Adolf Loos and the Shocking Goldman and Salatsch Building in Vienna - Adolf Loos House. Available at: <http://architecture.about.com/od/europ1/a/ goldman.htm > [Accessed 3 April 2011]. Bellamy, A. (2004) Systematic/subjective colour selection. Lausanne: AVA. Braham, W. (2002) Modern Color/Modern Architecture: Amédée Ozenfant and the genealogy of color in modern architecture. Aldershot: Ashgate. First Base. (2011) Adelaide Wharf. Available at: <http://www.adelaidewharf.com/aw/awbook.html> [Accessed 3 April 2011]. Cumming, R. (1990) The Colour Eye. London: BBC Books. Hackney Design, Communications & Print. (2009) Hackney Design Awards 2008. Press Release, January 2009. Hughes, R. (2006) Paradise Now Available at: <http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2006/mar/20/architecture.modernism1 > [Accessed 3 April 2011] Koolhaas, R. (2001) Colours. Basel: Birkhäuser. MacCarthy, F. (2007) House style. Available at: <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/nov/17/architecture.art > [Accessed 3 April 2011] Mahnke, F. (1996) Color, Environment, and Human Response: An Interdisciplinary Understanding of Color and Its Use as a Beneficial Element in the Design of the Architectural Environment. New York: Wiley. Meerwein, G. (2007) Color: Communication in Architectural Space. Boston: Birkhäuser. Moore, R. (2005) The East End’s own Pompidou Centre; Architect David Adjaye has designed a bold, beautiful building for Whitechapel that perfectly marries form and function The Evening Standard, September 23, p28. Leonardi, N. ed. (2010) Plans and Details for Contemporary Architects: Building with Colour. London: Thames & Hudson. Porter, T. & Mikellides, R. eds. (1976) Colour for Architecture. London: Studio Vista. Rachel. (2010) Should London’s Tower Bridge be painted red? Gardenvisit [blog] September 28th. Available at: http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/2010/09/28/should-londonstower-bridge-be-painted-red [Accessed March 10th 2011]. Reed, R . (2010) Color & design : transforming interior space. New York : Fairchild. Schmidt, P., Tietenberg A & Wollheim, R. (2005). Patterns in design, art and architecture. Basel: Birkhauser. Shaughnessy, A. (2009) Graphic Design: A User’s Manual. London: Laurence King. Wong, W. (1997) Principles of color design New York: Wiley.

TEXT CREDITS P11 Moore, R. (2005) The East Endâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own Pompidou Centre; Architect David Adjaye has designed a bold, beautiful building for Whitechapel that perfectly marries form and function The Evening Standard, September 23, p28. P19 Hackney Design, Communications & Print. (2009) Hackney Design Awards 2008. Press Release, January 2009. P26 Alsop Design/AMEC. (2011) Blizard Building . Available at: <http://www.arcspace.com/architects/alsop/blizard/blizard.html > [Accessed 3 April 2011]. P27 Alsop, A. (2010) Putting Colors Together: An Interview with Will Alsop. Interviewed by Vladimir Belogolovsky. [Internet Transcript: Available at: <http://www.archiquotes. info/art/316--putting-colors-together-an-interview-with-will-alsop> [Accessed 3 April 2011] November 30.

IMAGE CREDITS All Illustrations Hyde, K. (2011)

REFERENCES 1 Mahnke, F. (1996) p.16

20 Porter, T. and Mikellides, R. eds. pg 42

2 Leonardi, N. ed. (2010) p.171

21 Leonardi,. ed. (2010) p.171

3 Porter, T. & Mikellides, R. eds., (1976) p.123

22 Koolhaas, R. (2001) p.11

4 Braham, W. (2002) p.4

23 Leonardi,. ed (2010) p.171

5 Rachel (2010) Blog

24 Braham, W. (2002) p.4

6 Mahnke, F. (1996). p.82

25 Mahnke, F. (1996) p.63

7 Schmidt, P., Tietenberg A & Wollheim, R. Braham, W. (2005) p.12.

26 Moore, R. (2005)

8 First Base. (2011)

27 Mahnke, F. (1996) p.63

9 Koolhaas, R., (2001) Pg 10

28 Mahnke, F. (1996) p.62

10 Mahnke, F. (1996) p.16.

29 Hackney Design, Communications & Print, (2009)

11 Architecture About (2011)

30 Ambrose, G & Harris P. (2010) p108

12 Schmidt, P., Tietenberg A & Wollheim, R. Braham, W. (2005) p.12

31 Mahnke, F. (1996) p.61

13 Schmidt, P., Tietenberg A & Wollheim, R. Braham, W. (2005) p.14

32 Alsop, W. (2010)

14 Shaughnessy, A.,( 2009) p.194 15 MacCarthy, F, (2007) 16 Hughes, R (2006) 17 Porter, T. and Mikellides, R. eds., pg 42 18 Schmidt, P. Tietenberg A and Wollheim, R. (2005) Pg 15 19 Schmidt, P. Tietenberg A and Wollheim, R. (2005) Pg 15

COLOUR IN THE CITY

COL OUR BLO CKS

KATE HYDE 2011