Colour in architectural space and its impact on the user : case studies - contemporary office spaces in Sri Lanka

Abstract

"Colour in particular is so much part of our lives that we often take it for granted – until such time as we are deprived of it.~Parikh A. (1996) P 13 All natural and built environments are colourful. We cannot find a place without colours. Colour gives life and meaning to the space. Sometimes colour may hide the reality and sometimes colour improve the reality Colour defines boundaries, progression, and orderliness. Benefits of colour are wider in present. It may widen even more in the future. Power of colour can be used as to give messages, healing purposes etc ... In addition, colour is a one of the represents of emotions. In particular, occasions colour express the required meaning and it may impact the mood of people. Today, most buildings tend to use colour. But clients wish, inconsistency of using colours, less knowledge of colour psychology etc, may cause less meaningful architectural spaces in regard to the use of colour. It can be seen that the use of bright hues in order to attract people and gain attention is the most popular use of the concept of colour in contemporary buildings. This practice may be questionable in light of the knowledge that is available on the critical impact of colour. It can be seen that colour usage does not quite often reflect the correct architectural quality and can have negative impacts on the user. This issue can become more critical and may even effect and damage the architectural, historical and economic structure of the country in the long run. Thus, it is seen as a responsibility of the architect to think deeply about the present trend and actually be aware of the impact of colour from the beginning stages of the design. This study is limited to four different contemporary Sri Lankan offices chosen as case studies to examine the use of colour in architectural space, and to determine the impact of the use of colour in those working environments. It was found through the study that no matter what architectural concepts lay behinds the colour usage; one of the most important factors was that it had to create a positive impact on the users of the environment in ordered for it to be successful