Introduction

This area of research is important for architects and designers to address with real-world solutions as architects are responsible for shaping the built environment around which society navigates its daily life. With their exceptional and influential part of the society, it is the architect’s concern to respond to the rising worries of mental health and wellbeing in cities. If colours are able to affect people’s mood in daily life, then it is important to consider when choosing colour for a building depending on its purposes. Architecture and colour should live in harmony in order to create a common visual space and colour is not only important aesthetically, but also has a great psycho-sensory importance.

Colour to improve mood.

Colour interacts with form. Colour is an essential component in threedimensional grouping and is a major influence on the perception of space. Hue, brightness and saturation are typically defined in the colour’s dimensions. These three dimensions related to the evaluations of distance, features of devotion or localisation, drawing by contrasts, of shapes and areas. In creating a psychological mood and ambience, it is so important that the impression of colour can deliver the messages. Despite its presence and its variations, colour is present in all places. These characteristics of colours are potential, not yet fully utilized by architects. This is because, colour can be expressive, as well as conceal formal elements, it can render support or counterpoint to architectonic features. The use of colours to contrast areas or emphasize building masses can enhance or clarify their orientation and differentiate the part from the whole. In architecture, appropriate colour specification is its role in keeping visual efficiency and comfort. We are stimulated by the moods created by certain works of art, as well as by their great qualities. Naturally, we would feel different when inhabiting a space than we first primarily vision a space as it is either through a painting or and installation. We are able to touch, feel, smell and hear all the time in carrying out the routines and rituals of everyday life. Generally, it would be merely background to one’s everyday life that they will experience in. “Colours are never experienced individually, but always in context.” (Albers, 2015) When this context is spatial, colour perceived in space behaves as space; vividly visual and nearly tangible.

Personal Motivation

Personally, I feel that colour choices should not be dependent upon the tastes or preferences of the user or builder, but is the job of the highly sensitive human eye of a designer. Cast as ‘decoration’, inferring a non-essential addition to the built environment, if colour dimension is used instead as an intrinsic part of the process of structuring the building or an urban place, it becomes a humanizing connection of the individual to the place. It is always fascinating to explore deeper in colour and makes me start questioning why this colour? When in use, colour should be consciously related to its context, as part of the perceptual process of building. Colour structures may possibly add complexity to architecture. I strongly believe that colour plays an important role in clarifying an architect’s visual objectives which also prominently improve the built environment if colour is used with careful thoughts.

Figure 1.2 Colourful architectural structures at Turner Contemporary by Krijn de Koning. The bright tones reference traditional seaside pavilions and beach huts, a common feature along the UK coast. Bal, T. (2014) Krijn de Koning builds colourful architectural structures at Turner Contemporary. Available at: https:// www.dezeen.com/2014/08/21/krijn-de-koning-dwelling-installation-turner-contemporary-margate/ (Accessed: 15 November 2019)

Colour and Kindergartens

In educational field, colour is important as it is practiced at particular rooms be able to trigger tension or can have slight stimulating consequence that they will feel dampen in terms of efficiency. Especially for young children, colour appeal to be easier for them to see. Many studies showed that colour affects moods and behaviour. Scientific studies conducted by Sinofsky and Knirck (1981, pp. 17-19) that colours affect behaviour, manner, attentiveness limit and absorbing of knowledge of the students without realising the time notion of both the students and teachers. From this research study, it is proven that colour of a space can affect the students’ effectiveness in absorbing information. A University of Nevada, Las Vegas, study showed that the combination of natural light, colour and lighting levels greatly affect how students behave (School Construction News, 2015). Other than that, there were studies conducted previously demonstrated that lighter colours are more helpful in learning process than gloomier colours. Kids seek variety of activities across where they are allowed to release their anger, emotional worries and change of moods. To encourage kids to carry out the activities, warm colour scheme are best to be applied while cool colours are suitable to achieve calmness and relaxation. Not only that, children spend most of their time in the classroom, thus, the physical factors – colours of the walls, size of the windows and choices of furniture has to be taken into consideration from the point of designer. The wrong choices of colours or furniture might affect the motivation causing them to have a negative behavior of the teachers and students as well. For this reason, the daylight entering the classroom, arrangement of furniture and the colour of the wall that both teacher and student spending time facing almost every day are actually vital. If the teachers face and stare at an enlivening wall colour all day long, they might develop tension after a while, leading to an undesirable consequence on the children as well. In order to balance the mood of the teacher and students, it is suggested to choose a calming colour for the wall which directly affective to the eye and mental health.

Rationale

Undeniably, colours long existed as part of our lives and experiences. They have strong influential towards our emotions and behaviour. For example, the classroom environment is important in order for them to develop skills leading them to a successful life in the near future. Students majority spend most of their time shaping their future and decide on what they want to do in the classroom. If a classroom is this significant for the growth of a child, then it conveys boundless prominence to design and decorate that classroom according to the children’s point of view. It has been shown in a study conducted by Torice and Logrippo (1989) that active children prefer cool colours, while serene and easy-going ones feel more comfortable in the presence of warm colours. Too much colour, light, action or pattern will be distracting, and the brain will have difficulty in visual search. Sometimes a learning space can cause stress and tension due to the availability of too many colours (Verghese, 2001). Children study at an early phase to associate colours with certain things. For instance, they frequently associate red with apple, orange with oranges, yellow with bananas or the sun and blue with sky or water. As children’s eyes are not fully developed yet at an early age, thus, they would prefer looking at brighter colours. Objects such as toys tend to be brighter colour as they are more stimulating and interesting to them. Architects should consider the best way to integrate colour into their buildings as colour does make a difference and affecting the surrounding environment. The value of colour, or its lightness or darkness, affect how a colour is perceived. For example, dark colours make a room seem smaller and more intimate while lighter colours create an expansive appearance. Warm, bright colours promote movement and activity. Fast food restaurants use bright colours to encourage people to eat quickly and be on their way.

Keywords All definitions from Oxford Dictionary

Spectrum A band of colours, produced by separation of the components of light by their different degrees of refraction according to wavelength

Hue a colour or shade

Colour spaces a specific organization of colours

Subtractive colour mixing a kind of mixing where coloured filters are illuminated with white light from behind; all light is subtracted giving black

Additive colour mixing a kind of mixing of three primaries produces white

Visual illusions an incorrect perception of what we are seeing

Colour preference having a favourite colour

Colour perception involves numerous neurons influencing distribution of wavelengths from the viewed object

Colour theory practical guidance to colour mixing and visual effects of a specific colour combination

Psychology scientific study of the human mind affecting behaviour in a given context

Colour palettes a collection or range of colours

Mood state of mind or feeling

Architectural context in response to its specific urban and natural environment

§ Kindergarten an establishment where children below the age of compulsory education play and learn

Colour the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light

List of Figures

Figure 1.1 Spectacular mastery of light in spectrum installation by Tokojin Yoshioka 10

Figure 1.2 Colourful architectural structures at Turner Contemporary by Krijn de 12 Koning. The bright tones reference traditional seaside pavilions and beach huts, a common feature along the UK coast.

It is the best possible sign of a colour when nobody who sees it knows what to call it.

John Ruskin, The Life of John Ruskin (1859)

Research Question: How can colour positively enhance a child’s learning experience in a kindergarten?

1Literature Review The Secret Lives of Colour 21 Color Studies 23 Abstract: The Art of Design 25 Colour for Architecture Today 27 The Gray Cloth 29 The Interaction of Color 31 The Architectonic Colour 33 Building for Children in Theory 37 and Practice (2) The Effects of Architectural Design 38 of the Kindergarten Space on the Children’s Intelligence and Creativity Research Methodology 39

‘A mind-expanding tour of the world without leaving your paintbox’

Simon Garfield, 2016

There has always been work and studies contributing to our understanding of colour. A lot more studies to be discovered - how colour affects mood, psychological impact of colours. Through the existing studies from a selection of books, films and articles, it is important to support the ideas in designing a kindergarten.

The Secret Lives of Colour

© Kassia St Clair 2016

Colour is fundamental to our experience of the world around us. Every object is of different colours because they attract some wavelengths of the visible light spectrum, while others bounce off. When light enters our eyes, it passes through the lenses and hits the retinas. These are at the back of our eyeballs and are at the back of Light is therefore colour, our eyeballs and are stuffed with light-sensitive and shadow the privation of it. cells, called rods and cones because of their J.M.W. Turner, 1818 respective shapes.

Essentially, there are two different types of colour mixing: additive and subtractive. With additive mixing, different light wavelengths are combined to create different colours, and when added together the result is white light. For painters with limited range of impure pigments at their disposal, this is a problem. If they want to create a pale purple, for example, they have to mix together at least three: a red, a blue and a white, but they might have to add even more to get the precise violet they’re after. The more colours they blend, the more likely it is that the end result will be murky.

The author tells each individual story behind of 75 colour shades and hues – colours history, who made them popular and the symbolic of specific colour. For instance, acid yellow of the smiley seeped out to become the signature colour of the dance-happy youth. Through all this enlightening information, it helps to identify which colour have remained popular and those that currently don’t fit the domain.

Figure 2.2 Additive Colour Mixing Colours are created by mixing different coloured lights. Combining the three primaries produces white. Figure 2.3 Subtractive Colour Mixing By mixing a limited set of colours, many others can be created. A perfect mixture of primaries will yield black.