- Use of Color
We can no longer assume the "only" role of color is to provide a pleasant looking space. Studies prove that we are influenced psychologically and physiologically by the application of color in the built environment.
The use of color architecturally impacts our perception of the space as to whether it is inviting, warm, cold, expensive, cheap, inspiring, harsh, personal, nurturing, etc.
- Case Study - 1976 - Richard Koller
Electrocardiogram (EKG) showing heart rate was slower in a more colorful room than in a gray room.
A dull environment leads us to turn to our inner self, showing symptoms of restlessness, irritation, and difficulty in concentration.
A white or neutral environment does not provide a neutral effect on the user.
Research shows color variety benefits people psychologically.
- Case Study - Louis Cheskin - Color Research Institute of America
Compares four (4) rooms decorated in one color.
Red room:
Increase in blood pressure.
Difficulty working, over-stimulation.
Blue Room:
Blood pressure drops.
Activity slows down.
Bright Yellow Room:
No affect on blood pressure.
Eyestrain making many activities difficult.
Green Room:
No abnormal reactions.
Produced monotony.
- Common Characteristics and Effects
Red:
Exciting, stimulates appetite, promotes extroversion, dissipates tension
Orange:
Cheerful, lively, energetic
Brown:
Comfort, security
Earthly, motherly, dependable
Certain hues - glum, drab
Yellow:
Cheerful, high-spirited, hopeful
Green:
Relaxing, tranquil, refreshing, quiet, natural
Blue:
Calmness, security, comfort, contemplation, quietness
Purple/Violet:
Regal, dignified, exclusive
White:
Hope, light, clean, sterile
Ominous, status, elegance, richness
Gray:
Quiet, conservative, calm, dreary, tedious, and passive
- School Dilemma
- Demands of tax-paying community - efficiency, quality, security, ease of maintenance - "less color the better."
- Choosing color based on subjective reasons not proven research.
- Thought that children alone bring enough color to schools, yet an impersonal environment attributes to irritability, fidgeting, and lack of interest.
- Wohlfarth Study - ElementarV School. Dr. Harry Wohlfarth of Canada
Control School:
Dark brown, gray, off-white, putty, and orange (no mention of which colors to what surfaces)
Color-Changed School:
Warm light yellow on three walls that students faced.
Light blue on wall and vertical surfaces of desk teacher faced.
Blackboard color changed from green to blue.
All carpets - warm golden-gray.
Third School:
Color changed as above and lights changed to "full spectrum."
Results:
- Blood pressure tests taken over a year - "Least stressed students" - Third School, color and light change.
- Color-Changed School - reduced incidents of disruptive behavior, aggressiveness, and habitual disruption.
- Third School highest improvement in academic performance and IQ scores. Control School showed lowest.
The Study also found that good intentions by teachers to make classrooms bright and cheery backfired: Bright primary colors with posters, charts, alphabets, number, lines, and other items produced "visual noise." This created a distraction for students.
- Grangaard Study - Dr Ellen Grangaard, IACC
- Changed color of classroom, originally mostly white to blue.
- Removed visual noise, i.e. student work.
- Installed full spectrum lighting.
Results: Academic rating improved, disruptive behavior declined.
- Age Color Preferences - Heinrich Frieling studied 10,000 children:
Ages 5 - 8
Preferred: Red, orange, yellow, and violet
Rejected: Black, white, gray, dark brown
Ages 9 - 10
Preferred: Red, red-orange, and green-blue
Rejected: Gray, dark brown, black, pastel green and blue
Ages 11 - 12
Rejected: Black, white, gray, olive, violet, and lilac
Ages 13 - 14
Preferred: Blue, ultramarine, and orange
- Recommended Preschool and Elementary
Warm, bright-color scheme reduces tension and nervousness.
Light salmon, soft warm yellow, pale yellow-orange, coral and peach.
Colors of opposing temperature as accents.
Child's need for hued color intensity not satisfied by drawings pinned up on wall.
Upper Grade and Secondary
Soft and cooler hues help with concentration. Beige, pale green, blue-green. Make front wall different color than side walls to suggested colors: Medium gold, green, blue, or terracotta relax student eyes when looking up from task. Side and back walls: Beige, sandstone, and light tan.
Libraries
Pale or light green produces quietness and concentration.
Home Economics
Light yellow and light orange.
Manual Training Workshops
Tan and light green.
Corridors
Attractive colors to give school personality. Complimentary colors.
Cafeterias
Light red-orange, light orange, pale yellow, warm yellow, apricot, and pale green.
Administration
Warm gray or wood desktops Window walls - light colors to eliminate brightness contrasts. Soft yellow, sandstone, pale gold, pale green, and blue-green colors are appropriate.
Best Environment
Colors in changing degree of lightness, temperature (warm and cold) and intensity. As in nature our senses expect to be somewhat stimulated at all times. An environment that is unchanging or static is not natural. Monotony induces anxiety, tension, boredom, fear, and distress.
- Supports building function and tasks involved.
- Does not produce over or under-stimulation.
- Does not provoke negative emotional and physiological effects.
A building should not have color for colors sake, instead appropriate colors, that benefit the occupants of the environment.
