Colours in architecture

Study on how colours used in architecture and understanding the reasons why and the impact it has on the users. Every colour symbolises different meaning in architecture.

Chefchaouen is a small town in Morocco known for its beautiful surroundings and architecture, but what makes it more stand out are the striking and varying shades of blue walls.

The shades of blue are unique to this town and there are different reasons cited for the striking blue walls. The colour blue is representative of the sky according to Jewish belief (Arch20, 2012). The practice of painting walls blue was introduced by the Jews to stick to their religious practice. Some residents believe that the blue shades repel mosquitoes as insects do not like being in the water. The blue walls almost look like flowing water, thus, keeping away the mosquitoes. Another reason is that the shades of blue keep their houses cool in warmer months. Some locals believe that the painting was done to remind themselves of the life-sustaining water from Ras el-Maa Waterfall. There are also some locals feels that blue represents happiness and optimism according to the Islamic culture.

Whatever the original reason for painting the city in blue, it brings a lot of benefits to the town. Chefchaouen became a picturesque place for tourists. From this city, there is a different perception towards the colour of blue and how it changes the whole city’s image, making it unique compared to other cities.

Jaipur: The Pink City, India

Most of the architecture in Jaipur are painted in pink. This is believed that the ruler of Jaipur dates back to 1876 had the city painted pink - a colour that symbolizes hospitality (Petsko, 2018) to welcome his guests. Since then, it became a law to have all buildings and homes painted in pink. Thus, pink has become the city’s identity in terms of the heritage and culture.

The colour pink in the city is more closely appeared to be light maroon, but not one person seemed to against to the city’s new signature. The pigment was brought in from Kanota, and mines were also dug closer to Jaipur to extract the stone needed to make more pink paint (Petsko, 2018).

The use of its lovable ‘pinkness’ makes it a visual delight. Not only the visual, the pink city creates its own vibes and flavors which blends to perfection and brings a completely different exposure to the tourist as well as the localities.

This precedent shows how significant a colour can make an impact to a city from the point of visitors and even the locals. It helps me to decide on the choices of colour depending on the message that I needed the users to experience. It is important to realise how a colour can blend into the city so well.

Figure 3.3 Hawa Mahal - Wind Palace facade Moroni, A. (2015) Andrea Moroni. https://www.flickr.com/photos/bandytam/22584080016 (Accessed: 11 April 2020)

Fez is well-known for its leather bazaar where most leather products comes from. The place where they produce leather known as tanneries-composed of numerous stone vessels filled with a vast range of dyes and various liquids spread out like a tray of watercolours (Patowary, 2014). All work is done manually by loads of men without using any modern machinery. Products produced such as coats, shoes, bags and slippers from the skin of cows, sheep, goats and camels.

This pots of coloured dyes has become part of the city’s identity and culture. It is not only a source of living to the locals, but also created a place to visit for the tourist. The products created by using these coloured dyes give a visual to the city as well.

Through this precedent, makes me realised colours are not used in purpose but how the colours are also part of the city. The use of colour would help to enhance the user’s experience being part in the existing neighbourhood.

Figure 3.6 Rainbow Street Art, Fez Hensen, M. (2019) A Magical Journey Through Morocco. https:// onceuponajrny.com/travel-photography/morocco-gallery/ (Accessed: 12 April 2020)

Bruno Taut’s Glass Pavilion, built in 1914 demonstrated the various ways glass could be used in a building, but also indicated how the material might be used to strategize on human emotions and assist in the construction of a spiritual utopia. The glazed walls were topped by a dome of reinforced concrete ribs and a double skin of glass: reflecting glass on the outside and coloured prisms inside. In the interior, the colour effects produced by sunlight were enhanced by the reflections of the pool and water cascade on the lower level, visible through a circular opening in the floor. Two flight of glass steps enclosed with glass walls produced the sensation of descending to the lower level ‘as if through sparkling water’ (Coulthart, 2011). The cascade was made of yellow glass, while the pool was of its complementary colour, violet. A mechanical kaleidoscope overhead projected images, and early version of a light show, intensifying the overall impression on the visitor.

With this precedent, it shows that coloured glass how we can use to improve and also offer an additional feature to the architecture. The way of how he perceived colour can be developed a plastic outcome and reflecting a precise appeal on an urban scape, also refining it into the neighboring scenery. He uses colour to widen the interpretation of drive in architecture, in understanding of crafting shape to create a pleasant structure improved by a human’s artistic aspect.

Figure 3.7 Bruno Taut’s Glass Pavilion Coulthart, J. (2011) Bruno Taut’s Glass Pavilion. http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/2011/08/24/bruno-tauts-glasspavilion/ (Accessed: 12 November 2019)

Figure 3.9 Casa Gilardi Schielke, T. (2018) How Luis Barragán Used Light to Make Us See Color. https://www. archdaily.com/898028/how-luis-barragan-used-light-to-make-us-see-color (Accessed: 12 November 2019)

How Luis Barragán make us see colour by using light?

In Luis Barragán’s poetic imagination colour plays significant a role as dimension or space. He would design “emotional architecture”, places where people could feel and think. He would integrate sensuous colours into his designs to give dimension to space and add “a touch of magic” (Schielke, 2018).

In Barragán’s architecture, the casting of shadow into the building is well design and how he also frames views by using just walls with both rough and smooth texture. While overall structure of his walls is kept minimalist, the element of texture and colour create a poetic experience. A few of his projects for example, the chapel for Capuchinas Sacramentaries where he minimizes any direct view to the sky in order to avoid the hot and harsh sunlight into the building. Walls are functioned as shades to contribute a comfortable atmosphere. To achieve that, walls are painted in bright colours with light being filtered through the minimal openings making the spaces looks brighter even with minimum daylight. Barragán’s unique color and texture design introduces a poetic dimension to balance his monumental sets of walls.

In his clever way of using colour to achieve the need of human beings for half-light, I have learnt that how colour can be used in a way that light can be imposes a sense of tranquility with the use of colour. The spatial strategy should not be neglected to contribute a comfortable environment within a space.

Figure 3.10 The surreal world in Casa Luis Barragán Eifler, E. (2013) Luis Barragan, Architect of Color. http://blog.colourstudio.com/2013/03/luis-barragan-architect-of-color.html (Accessed: 12 November 2019)

Colours on Screen

The Grand Budapest Hotel, 2014: colour creating themes

In this film, Wes Anderson used colour in crafting different themes in the movie. The visual illustrations of the characters and the atmosphere added character to the individualities and encouraged character development. Wes Anderson used diverse colour scheme to help in forming the mood for viewers, through the setting and costumes.

There’s a distinct use of brown and mustard tone that associate itself with the soft and dissolving theme during the 1960s. This is in contrast to the pastels and rose colours that are signature of the 1930s hotel. The background, he uses muted hues, letting the characters themselves and the key objects have a brighter more pure colours to stand out also highlighting their importance.

Figure 3.11 Screenshots from the movie Muses, M. (2016) The Grand Budapest Hotel: A Dissection of Colour & Style. https:// movietime.guru/the-grand-budapest-hotel-a-dissection-of-colour-style-60203b3eab13 (Accessed: 22 November 2019)