COLOR PERCEPTION IN ARCHITECTURE
Color is a fundamental aspect of both the natural and built environments. Throughout human evolution, it has played a significant role in how we perceive and interact with the world. Our brains process and judge colors both objectively and subjectively, influencing us psychologically and emotionally. In architecture, color goes beyond decoration; it directly affects how we experience spaces.
In the past century, research has demonstrated that color perception in architecture significantly influences how we react to our surroundings. Fields like psychology, color theory, neuropsychology, and even ergonomics have explored the connection between color and human behavior. These studies consistently show that color impacts us both psychologically and physically.
Color is a sensory experience with symbolic, associative, and emotional effects. Scientific evidence confirms that because the mind and body function as a unit, color’s influence on mental and physical well-being must be considered in architectural design. Designers must understand how color affects visual stimuli, hormonal responses, and human behavior. This is particularly important in settings like healthcare, offices, schools, and even prisons, where the environment impacts mental health and well-being.
THE HISTORICAL ROLE OF COLOR IN ARCHITECTURE
Historically, color has been closely tied to architectural design. In ancient civilizations, architecture was often richly adorned with color to glorify gods, rulers, or the buildings themselves. For example, temples in ancient Greece, once thought to be neutral stone, have been discovered to have been brightly painted with deep, jewel-toned pigments. Medieval cathedrals and Chinese palaces were similarly filled with symbolic colors.
Today, architects need to consider how color affects every element of a building—from construction materials like wood and stone to painted surfaces, doors, windows, and trim.
COLOR PSYCHOLOGY IN ARCHITECTURE
One of the most significant findings about color is that its psychological and emotional impact tends to be consistent across cultures. Studies show that people, regardless of age, gender, or background, have similar responses to specific colors. For instance, red often signals caution or danger, while blue evokes calmness. These associations are not only culturally ingrained but also biologically rooted.
Since the 1960s, researchers have delved into the psychological and physiological effects of color on humans. Faber Birren, one of the pioneers in color psychology, extensively studied how we perceive and react to colors. More recently, experts like Carlton Wagner have explored how color functions in our everyday environments. Their work helps us understand how colors influence the mood and ambiance of spaces, making them an essential tool for architects.
WE EXPERIENCE COLOR ON SEVERAL LEVELS:
- BIOLOGICAL REACTIONS: Colors can trigger physical responses. For example, exposure to red can increase heart rate, while blue tends to have a calming effect. This happens even when we are blindfolded, showing that color impacts us beyond conscious awareness.
- SUBCONSCIOUS REACTIONS: Some color responses stem from our genetic makeup, while others are shaped by past experiences. For instance, after a traumatic event, someone might develop an aversion to the color red because of its association with blood.
- CONSCIOUS SYMBOLISM: Colors often have universal meanings—blue is linked to the sky and water, yellow to sunlight, and red to fire and blood. These associations can influence how we feel in a space.
- CULTURAL INFLUENCE: Cultural differences shape how people perceive color. For example, in English, “green” can mean feeling sick, while in German, it signifies hope.
- TRENDS AND FASHION: Color trends come and go, particularly in fashion. However, architects should avoid following these fleeting trends, as they rarely consider the psychological effects of color.
- PERSONAL PREFERENCES: Individuals’ color preferences vary based on factors like age and personality. Younger people tend to prefer bold, saturated colors, while older individuals may favor softer, more subdued tones.
DIFFERENT COLORS EVOKE UNIQUE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL REACTIONS:
RED: Stimulating and attention-grabbing, red is often linked with passion and energy but can also appear aggressive or overwhelming.
Effect: exciting, stimulating
Association:
Positive: passionate, fervid, active, strong, warm
Negative: intense, aggressive, raging, fierce, bloody
Character: Red is the most dominant and dynamic color. The eye actually has to adjust focus, since the natural focal point of red lies behind the retina. Consequently red appears closer than it is.
Ceiling: intruding, disturbing, heavy
Walls: aggressive, advancing
Floor: conscious, alert
Private Residence: SIG 1
ORANGE: Lively and cheerful, orange is less intense than red but still energetic.
Effect: exciting, stimulating, cheering
Association:
Positive: jovial, lively, energetic, extroverted
Negative: intrusive, blustering
Character: Orange is less masculine than red. It has very few negative associations. However, it may appear cheap or without vigor if low in saturation.
Ceiling: stimulating, attention-seeking
Walls: warm, luminous
Floor: activating, motion-oriented
BRP Energy by Razvan Barsan + Partners | Photo: Stelian Popa
YELLOW: Bright and uplifting, yellow conveys warmth but can be too glaring if overused.
Effect: cheering
Association:
Positive: sunny, cheerful, radiant, vital
Negative: egocentric, glaring
Character: When pure, yellow is the happiest of all colors. In radiates warmth, cheerfulness, and inspiration and signifies enlightenment, and communication.
Ceiling: light (towards lemon), luminous, stimulating
Walls: warm (towards orange), exciting to irritating (highly saturated)
Floor: elevating, diverting
Project: Flight House | Photo: Anatol Struna
GREEN: Calming and natural, green is easy on the eyes and often represents tranquility.
Effect: retiring, relaxing
Association:
Positive: tranquil, refreshing, quiet, natural
Negative: common, tiresome, guilty
Character: Contrary to red, when looking at green the eye focuses exactly on the retina, which makes green the most restful color to the eye. Green can symbolize nature but also mold and sickness.
Ceiling: protective, reflection on the skin can be unattractive
Walls: cool, secure, calm, reliable, passive, irritating if glaring (electric green)
Floor: natural (if not too saturated), soft, relaxing, cold (if towards blue)
Project: Technology Synergy by Razvan Barsan + Partners
BLUE: Relaxing and secure, blue can reduce blood pressure but may also evoke sadness in some contexts.
Effect: retiring, relaxing
Association:
Positive: calm, sober, secure, comfortable, noble
Negative: frightening, depressing, melancholy, cold
Character: Blue appears to be transparent, wet, cool, and relaxing. Opposite to red, blue will decrease a person’s blood pressure and pulse rate.
Ceiling: celestial, cool, receding (if light), heavy and oppressive (if dark)
Walls: cool and distant (if light), encouraging and space deepening (if dark)
Floor: inspiring feeling of effortless movement (if light), substantial (if dark)
Project: Experimental Lobby by Razvan Barsan + Partners
PURPLE: A mix of red and blue, purple is often seen as luxurious but can also feel somber or heavy.
Effect: subduing
Association:
Positive: dignified, exclusive
Negative: lonely, mournful, pompous, conceited
Character: Purple is a mixture of red and blue (the two colors that are psychologically most opposed). Purple can appear delicate and rich, or unsettling and degenerate.
Ceiling: disconcerting, subduing
Walls: heavy, overpowering
Floor: fleeting, magical
Project: Headquarters RB+P by Razvan Barsan + Partners
PINK: Light pink is calming, while brighter shades can feel playful.
Effect: lively (bubble-gum pink), calming (light pink)
Association:
Positive: lively, calming, intimate
Negative: too sweet, weak
Character: Pink must be handled carefully. It is generally considered feminine, but depends much on the nuance used (bubble-gum pink, or old rose)
Ceiling: delicate, comforting
Walls: aggression-inhibiting, intimate, too sweet if not grayed down
Floor: too delicate, not used very often
Project: Headquarters RB+P by Razvan Barsan + Partners
BROWN: Warm and stable, but can feel oppressive if overused.
Effect: subduing
Association:
Positive: warm, secure, stable
Negative: oppressive, heavy
Character: There is a great difference between wood and brown paint. In certain institutions brown should be avoided since it evokes fecal associations. Wood and stone on the other hand appear very comfortable, and warm.
Ceiling: oppressive and heavy (if dark)
Walls: secure and assuring if wood, much less so if paint
Floor: steady, stable
Project: Chalet Royal Hotel | Photo: DAN MALUREANU
WHITE: Clean and crisp, white can feel sterile or empty in large amounts.
Effect: disconcerning
Association:
Positive: clean, crisp, bright
Negative: empty, sterile
Character: There are a lot of psychological and physiological justifications for not using white as a dominant color.
Ceiling: empty, no design objections-helps diffuse light sources and reduce shadows
Walls: neutral to empty, sterile, without energy
Floor: touch-inhibiting (not to be walked upon)
Project: Rex Hotel Mamaia by Razvan Barsan + Partners
GRAY: Neutral and calming but can also be dull and uninspiring.
Effect: neutral to calming
Association:
Positive: neutral
Negative: boring
Character: Gray fails to have much psychotherapeutic application. Thus, the current fashion of using it with various accent walls defies all logic.
Ceiling: shadowy
Walls: neutral to boring
Floor: neutral
Project: H-Holding by Razvan Barsan + Partners
BLACK: Deep and abstract, black can evoke feelings of power but also darkness and grief.
Effect: ominous
Association:
Positive: deep, abstract
Negative: dungeonlike, night, grief, death
Character: Black is associated with oppressive power, darkness, and the unknown. In architecture it is often used to make something appear as receding, such as the HVAC in a ceiling.
Ceiling: hollow to oppressive
Walls: ominous, dungeonlike
Floor: odd, abstract
Project: Seafarer’s Haven Apartment
ARCHITECTURAL ENVIRONMENTS AND HUMAN EMOTIONS
The spaces we inhabit affect our emotions, which in turn influence our physical health. Research in psycho-neuro-immunology shows that a positive emotional state can strengthen the immune system, while stress and negative emotions weaken it. This highlights the importance of designing environments that promote emotional well-being.
VISUAL ERGONOMICS AND COLOR
Color plays a vital role in visual ergonomics, ensuring that spaces are comfortable and efficient for the human eye. The eye adjusts to different levels of illumination, and color helps regulate these adjustments. For instance, light-colored surfaces reflect more light, reducing eye strain and improving visual acuity. In contrast, extreme differences in light reflection between surfaces can cause fatigue. Therefore, architects must consider light reflection values (LRVs) when selecting colors for floors, walls, and ceilings to create visually comfortable environments.
THE SCIENCE OF COLOR PERCEPTION
Understanding color perception requires a basic grasp of how our eyes and brains process light. Sir Isaac Newton discovered that light contains the full color spectrum, from red (longest wavelength) to violet (shortest). Our perception of color depends on three factors: light, the eye’s ability to detect color, and the brain’s capacity to process that information.
Isaac Newton’s visible spectrum
Light enters the eye, passing through the cornea and pupil before focusing on the retina, which contains photoreceptor cells called rods and cones. Rods help us see in dim light, while cones enable us to perceive color. Although much about how the brain processes color remains under debate, the connection between color and perception is clear.
CONCLUSION
Color is far more than a decorative element in architecture—it is a powerful tool that shapes human experience. Architects must prioritize human well-being in their designs, considering both the psychological and physiological effects of color. Understanding the science of color perception and its impact on emotions, health, and comfort is key to creating spaces that truly benefit those who inhabit them.
