Colour/space : its quality management in architecture : the colour/space unity as an unity of visual communication

Moreira da Silva, FJC

Abstract

In external city environment areas there is a poor understanding and often no
conscious use of colour.
The experts that work with colour, in terms of the built environment either as projectmakers,
or as managers (decision-makers), are poorly prepared to deal with it.
As an answer they minimise the problem of colour in architecture, especially in
exteriors, simply by omission; or, they introduce colour mostly without criteria - in
some projects colour plays only a cosmetic role - supposedly aesthetical.
Most project-makers do not consider colour as an integral part of the global
design process.
Colour theory and teaching courses have been considered supplemental to the
mainstream of architectural education; for most part of the students of architecture
or landscaping architecture, colour remains a matter of individual taste.
People in general are very conscious of colour and texture in the built environment
and they really like variations (as some studies done in Sweden (Koller 1981;
Mahnke 1993) have already showed). They are negative and critical of austere,
colourless environments in our cities; also colour has psycho-therapeutic effects
that can be utilised to meet the physiological needs of people living in crowded
environments.
Colour is one of the basic components of the environment which influences life quality
and it can be approached from different perspectives and different disciplines.
This research addresses the issue of colour in the architecture of the built environment
analysing the behaviour of the unity which results from the straight relationship between
colour and space(as quantity of colour): the Colour/Space Unity. The investigation
shows not only the existence of this unity, but also that it is a unity of visual
communication.
In terms of allocating the findings and interpretations through a review of the
relevant theory, the author uses a survey methodology - a full test response questionnaire to a wide range of members of society (to test theory) and semistructured interviews with a panel of experts(as a feasibility test of the questionnaire
design and contents). The questionnaire findings are used to test the theoretical
position through further comments from the expert panel.
The research presents as results, not only the existence and importance of the
colour/space unity, as a visual communicational one, such as the levels of
articulation of the messages in the built environment or the contrast in the relationship
between qualification and quantification in colour/space language; but it
demonstrates the major importance of the colour/space unity in the architectural
project and in the colour planning management within the built environment.

Citation

Moreira da Silva, F. Colour/space : its quality management in architecture : the colour/space unity as an unity of visual communication. (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Sep 19, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 19, 2011
• Award Date: Jan 1, 1999