Urban apartments are frequently praised for their clever use of space, but what of their approach to color? Thoughtfully incorporating color is more than an aesthetic decision; it has the potential to shape emotional responses, influence mood, and create spatial illusions. Research in color psychology shows that colors affect our social, cultural, and psychological reactions, making them powerful design tools. Variations of blue, for instance, have been shown to slow melatonin production, keeping people more awake and alert, while shades of green relieve strain on our nervous systems, helping us feel calmer and more grounded. Color in architectural spaces can even alter our perception, creating illusions of depth, movement, and texture that influence how we experience space. Warmer hues like oranges and reds tend to make a room feel more intimate and cozy, while cool whites and blues lend a sense of openness, making spaces appear taller and more expansive.
Gallaudet University was established in 1864, becoming the first American educational institution for the deaf and hard of hearing. The university is officially bilingual, with American Sign Language (ASL) and written English used throughout the educational programs. Over the years, the university has grown, adapting both its teaching methods and its spaces to the needs of its students, in turn learning from them how to counter the challenges they face and create a safer and more comfortable environment. These lessons turned into design guidelines, created to educate the architectural community about the strategies they can employ to create more accessible spaces for all.
In the perception of many, the favela embodies contradictory and opposed representations. For those outside its boundaries, the favela is frequently associated with crime, poverty, or illness. Yet, it is also regarded as the aesthetic embodiment of a nation, serving as the birthplace of culturally renowned elements worldwide, such as samba in the case of Brazil.
In recent decades, the term "adaptive reuse" has gained tremendous popularity as an eco-friendly construction approach. But what if there was something more poetic about reframing a space and its stories for new users? These architects show that once-deemed disposable facades, walls, and textures can obtain new meaning through bold and clever juxtapositions. These adaptations proudly display their conversions and layers of historical patina under them as a batch of honor and speak to the permanence of buildings and their impermanence in use and interpretation. Through subtle formal moves and daring material choices, they transformed structures that would have been otherwise demolished and reimagined them in new and intriguing ways.
The influence of design on our physical and mental health has been largely explored in various contexts, ranging from spatial configuration to furniture. The topic has gained notoriety due to the growing awareness of human well-being, especially in recent times. An example of this bond between design and health is the emergence of concepts such as Neuroarchitecture, which seeks to understand the built environment’s potential in our brain. Another case that illustrates this approach, this time in furniture design, is the Paimio Sanatorium, where Alvar Aalto designed the tuberculosis sanatorium and all its furnishings. The chair created for the patient’s lounge —the Paimio Chair— facilitated their breathing due to its shape and the inclination of the backrest.
These approaches are examples of how design can be applied in a specific way to enhance people's well-being through gestures like spatial organization, color and shapes, thereby promoting architecture that contributes to health, care, and recovery, In this context, and as a result of explorations in this field, HEWI has developed ICONIC, infusing emotionally appealing color concepts for its design icon, the 477/801 barrier-free sanitary range. An essential element of this range's design was the concept of "healing architecture" within healthcareand daycare buildings and its influence on not just the physical and mental well-being of patients but also the welfare of other users, such as relatives and staff.
https://www.archdaily.com/1012377/healing-architecture-for-care-and-recovery-iconic-design-with-colorful-conceptsEnrique Tovar
Give your bathroom a fresh look with a modest investment, avoiding the hassle of extensive construction. Transform the space by adding plants, reconsidering lighting, or experimenting with new colors. If opting for a color change, explore painting the walls or tiles to revitalize the environment. To assist you in this endeavor, we present the perfect paints for the job along with inspiring projects to spark your creativity
Known internationally as the world’s foremost voice on all things color, Pantone’s Color of the Year program has been predicting and even directing color trends for 25 years – reflecting the cultural environment across multiple creative sectors that use the language of color and color psychology such as branding, marketing, fashion, and product design to name a few, as well as architecture and design.
But color trends aren’t just about what’s hot and what’s not. Color plays an important role in stimulating the senses, evoking memories or feelings based on past experiences and collective influences around the world. In the color psychology of retail design, for example, specific hues have been found to alter consumers’ comfort and energy levels, ultimately dictating shoppers’ preferences and behavior. In medical environments, combining a neutral base with calming accent colors has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety.
As we head towards the end of 2023, an eventful year that could be defined as the year of "shifts", we take a look at how global events and trends impacted the design of interior spaces. Looking back, people questioned everything, and the architectural practice was no exception. A new voice was given to nations often forgotten as architects searched for alternative ways of designing and building. We questioned colonialism, consumer culture, waste, tradition, and authenticity, bringing about new perspectives within the discipline. Interior design in 2023, however, was reserved; explorative, but a lot more modest and subtle compared to previous years. Following years of constant changes, it seems as though people felt the need to pause, slow down, and embrace simplicity, while expressing their individuality through acupuncture interventions.
Pantone has just just announced “Peach Fuzz” or PANTONE 13-1023,” the 2024 Color of the Year. Known for its color standards and digital solutions in the design community, Pantone announced the color aiming to move towards empathy and understanding. A hue between pink and orange, the color is soft and inviting and offers “tenderness and communicating a message of caring, community, and collaboration.”
In Greater Boston's city of Malden, Massachusetts, an inter-generational community of thirty households hired an architecture firm and collectively designed their cohousing community. Responding to the cohousing community's request for collective living in an urban setting, French2D designed a typology-challenging building with individual residential units connected by a framework of shared spaces. The result is a 48,700 sqft unique and colorful type of multi-family housing. It is one of a growing number of cohousing projects in the United States.
Videos
I Was Born Installation / HAJIME YOSHIDA ARCHITECTURE + YOSHIHIRO MIKAMI. Photo: Courtesy of HAJIME YOSHIDA ARCHITECTURE + YOSHIHIRO MIKAMI
A space is much more than just its appearance. Textures, smells, and sounds can strongly affect the user's experience. Based on this, sensory architecture can transform the interaction between people and the built environment into something even deeper.
Rammed earth is one of the oldest methods of constructing walls and still holds great potential for modern earth construction. One aspect of this potential is the gift of its colors and layers, which become visible as the formworks are removed, revealing a layered character. As a process that involves the layer-by-layer compression of gravel, sand, silt, and clay, its resulting appearance is a horizontal stratification of earth tones, material content, and curing procedures. This colorful appearance of rammed earth walls can be controlled and explored through patterns, texture, pigmentation, and natural clay colors, offering an opportunity to push its boundaries within architecture.
There’s something about the saturated hues of blossoming springtime flowers and the fiery, warm tones of a sunset descending upon a cityscape that brings us joy. Humans crave color. In fact, we’ve been fascinated by them since the beginning of our existence. So much so that everything from the color of our clothes to the brightly illuminated pixels on this screen is an attempt to recreate –and enhance– the vibrant shades present in nature, finding in them a source of inspiration and vitality. Our brains are wired to link colors with sensations and experiences: the lush greens of a forest evoke feelings of tranquility and renewal, while the deep blues of the ocean stir a sense of mystery and adventure. It is this ability to elicit emotion that makes colors an invaluable tool for architects and designers –and which also explains why trends are moving away from the once-reigning neutral minimalism towards a more maximalist aesthetic that embraces pops of color, dimension and playful texture.
The year 2024 brings forth an intriguing array of Color of the Year selections from renowned paint manufacturers, each offering a unique perspective on the hues that will influence our living spaces. Striving to capture the moods and aspirations of the coming year, color experts have veered towards soft and calming shades, hoping to bring a sense of serenity to counter the hectic and tumulus passing year. Countering the bold color chosen by Pantone in 2023 as their previous Color of the Year, Benjamin Moore embraces a softly saturated and nuanced shade, AkzoNobel emphasizes calmness and stability, Sherwin Williams aims to inspire mindfulness, Graham & Brown fosters warmth and tranquility, and C2 Paint focuses on freshness and sustainability.
The history of 'neutral colors' is a fascinating journey through the evolution of human aesthetics and design sensibilities. Closely related to the makeup of materials organically found in nature, the color chorus of whites, grays, and earthy brown tones has played a pivotal role in artistic expression, fashion, interior design, and architecture for millenia. From the understated hues of early clay, straw, wood, or brick architectural structures to the now prevalent contemporary interior style, neutral colors have transcended cultural boundaries and continue to hold a special place in our visual landscape – offering a sophisticated elegance and versatility that has stood the test of time.
Colors have played an essential role in the history of modern architecture - from Le Corbusier's theory of polychromy to the aesthetic conceptions of the Bauhaus. However, we find ourselves at the beginning of an era where the interpretation and implementation of colors in architecture are undergoing a transformation based on their impact on the built environment.
Throughout the month, we conducted an open call to listen and learn from our readers, exploring their predictions and thoughts related to the future of colors in architecture. After reviewing an immense number of comments and opinions, it was surprising to discover commonalities regarding the importance of considering energy efficiency in color choices. Check out the main viewpoints below.
Color plays a significant role in the world. Partly because of the significance attached to each hue, the use of color in architecture – especially in interiors – changes the ambiance of each project. In commercial establishments, color has a considerable influence on highlighting a given brand, and in homes, it can reflect the resident’s personality and complement the language adopted in the project. This exploration can take place directly in the tectonic object (architecture) through the surfaces that constitute the building, or it can take advantage of mobile elements, easily changeable.
Agrivoltaic Pavilion prototype & designs in 'Sustainable Architecture & Aesthetics.' Transforming BIPVs with custom 3D-printed filters and panels for site-specific solar collection. Courtesy Sabin Design Lab at Cornell College of Architecture, Art, and Planning and the DEfECT Lab at Arizona State University. Image Courtesy of Jenny E. Sabin
Why research and innovate in architecture? In a conversation with architectural designer Jenny E. Sabin, we delve into the critical link between research and practice in architecture. Seeking the development of a new model, her team incorporates an interdisciplinary approach that introduces connections between these areas, fostering collaboration with both scientists and engineers.
Observing nature’s behavior, the proposed method integrates biological and mathematical discoveries into the design process. After undergoing a systematic testing process, these insights are applied in the project’s generative design phase to create adaptive and responsive material solutions. Analyzing her research and design strategies, we showcase how she translates research into architectural practice.
