DTB302 Colour Studies

Tutorial 6

The interdependence of colour and light

• The experiences of colour and light are interdependent inextricably linked and cannot be analysed separately, and the colours of surrounding environments (built and virtual) influence our experiences of light and the need for lighting.

• The intensity, quality and distribution of light are essential for the perception and experience of colour. The aesthetics of colour and light play an important role in the fields of art, design and communication.

• Colour and light in interior and architectural spaces influence our experiences and feelings, our comfort and our physiological well-being, therefore, a deep understanding of the interaction between colour and light demands an interdisciplinary approach, including such fields as psychology, neurology and lighting technology, as well as an in-depth understanding of colour and light applications in the built, manufactured and forms

• We live in a continuously changing, three-dimensional reality. Our cognitive and perceptive systems have been formed within this context. The most important spatial sense is sight. Colour and light together construct our mental image of space

• The experiences of colour and light are interdependent and cannot be analysed separately. Colour and light in built, manufactured and virtual forms influence our experiences and feelings, our comfort and our physiological well-being

The interdependence of colour and light

• Klaren (2010) argues that a deep understanding of the interaction between colour and light demands an interdisciplinary approach, including psychology, neurology and lighting technology, as well as a deep understanding or colour and light applications in interior and architectural spaces

• Although relevant research has long been carried out within these areas, knowledge still remains fragmented and lacks cohesion. Research about light is usually largely concentrated on the development of technical applications, but also includes more basic research on light and human response to light (Küller et al., 2006; Matusiak, 2006; Vogels, 2008). Research about colour is mostly concerned with colour measurement and colour reproduction in different media, and only to some extent relevant to spatial design (Fridell & Billger, 2010).

• Academic research (such as what you are doing) in colour and light is split among several disciplines and much of the research is done within industrial companies. This division between different institutions and organisations has led to diverging research traditions and cognitive cultures. Therefore, researchers and practitioners often have difficulty understanding and relating to one another’s methods and results, although they work with similar questions. One important aspect of this is the absence of common and generally accepted concepts and the interdependence of light and colour (Green-Armytage, 2006).

• The poor epistemological foundations regarding colour, light and their spatial interaction have led to a number of theories that have tried but failed to describe the experienced reality, thus providing poor guidance for practical applications. Consequently, there are different non-compatible worlds of knowledge (Klaren, 2010).

The interdependence of colour and light: Fragmented knowledge

• The field of colour and light includes a number of disciplines ranging from technical to philosophical. Within them we can identify three major scientific approaches based on the theories and concepts of psycho-physics, biology/neurology and perception/cognition.

• The psycho-physical approach provides the theoretical basis for lighting technology and the instruments and algorithms of colour science. Its main foundations are experiments carried out in the early 20th century (as discussed in the lectures), since which time the understanding of the human visual system has advanced greatly. This has, however, not affected the basic colorimetric functions and concepts, which, although much debated, remain the same.

• The biological/neurological approach is based on an understanding of the human visual sense, derived from investigations of neural and chemical signals in functioning systems as well as an analysis of their microscopic design. It has implications regarding such phenomena as colour vision and contrast perceptions, as well as non-visual effects like the production of hormones due to electromagnetic radiation.

• The approach of perception and cognition starts from the fact that colour phenomena and significant perceptive patterns are related to an inherent constituent order and/or to perceived logical structures in the surrounding world around. Qualities like atmosphere and spatial experience are being investigated scientifically both within architectural research and by the light source industry, but, as the theories and methods are not physically based, this understanding is difficult to combine with results achieved with more technological methods (Billger, 1999; Hårleman, 2009).

The interdependence of colour and light: Different scientific approaches

• For practitioners the built, manufactured and virtual environments, the lack of a coherent field of knowledge means that efforts to gather and use relevant knowledge risk leading to random results. Consequently, colour and light are not used effectively to create positive experiences, but rather tend to give poorly integrated spaces creating disrupting experiences.

• Epistemological problems have led to a praxis for lighting planning that is focused on the measurable intensity of light rather than on visual qualities like contrast and colour rendering, or non-visual effects like hormone production. Qualities like atmosphere and spatial experience are considered even less.

• The established methods and measurements for describing the colour of light and the colour rendering qualities of a light source (correlated colour temperature and Ra-index) are not fully adequate even for the traditionally existing light sources, and have proven even more inadequate for new light sources like LED. Window glass is marketed based on several qualities developed for reducing such factors as heat inflow and reflection, but its impact on interior light and colour is not systematically considered.

The interdependence of colour and light: Problems around application

• As you can see, it is necessary to regard the physical and mental aspects of colour and light as related and functional parts of a comprehensive, coordinated and dynamic process that influences our experience of the world as a whole.

• This project aims to help you contribute to new knowledge and address the lack of interdisciplinary co-ordination of knowledge in the areas of colour and light

• One of your primary objectives is to synthesise your existing knowledge from assignment 1 and apply it in assignment 2. By doing so, you will contribute to new knowledge and assist in forming a coherent field of research dealing with the interdependence and interrelationships between colour and light, and their spatial interaction.

The interdependence of colour and light: how this project fits in

Linking assignment 1 + 2

• A process of developing a question or statement from your research findings from assignment 1

• From there, you develop several stages and show your design process

REVIEW FINDINGS FROM RESEARCH + DEVELOP

NEEDS

DEVELOP DESIGN OBJECTIVES

SITE/CONTEXTUAL

ANALYSIS

CONCEPT DESIGN

FINAL DESIGN

PROCESS

STAGE 1

STAGE 2

STAGE 3

REVIEW

REVIEW

REVIEW

PRESENTATION

RESEARCH TO

DESIG

N

STAGE 4

STAGE 5

• This is your opportunity to highlight how your research reflects, differs from, and extends current knowledge of the area in which you have chosen to carry out research

• This exercise allows you to demonstrate exactly what you know about this topic by interpreting your findings and outlining what they mean

Reviewing your research findings

• Outline what is new (your findings) and how this compares to what is already known

• Try to provide an explanation as to why your research identified these differences

• Now, you need to consider how your results extend knowledge about the topic in the context of colour and light

Reviewing your research findings

Reviewing your research findings

• Reflect on your research and ask yourself:– What are the core findings from my research?– What do the results indicate?– Are there new critical questions that arise from my

findings?– Are my findings relevant to current knowledge of

colour and light in the context of my topic?– What new knowledge have I contributed to the

fields of colour and light?

• Based on your responses, you need to then ask yourself:– What are the implications for my findings?– In what way do they lead toward change?– How do my findings support change or adaptation

of what is currently in place?

Reviewing your research findings

Translating research to design

• What are the salient points from your findings?1. If you could describe them in 6-8 simple terms or

words, how would you do this?2. What are the needs/requirements of the user

group/people in the space I researched?• I have provided an example of a project

examining how children’s notion of play may impact on the design of play spaces in the context of colour and light

My research exampleRESE ARCH

Play

Piaget

Children’s play spaces

precedents

History

Developmental needs of children

What is known about the notion of play

What are the precedents

Playground and play spaces history

Piaget discovered a direct relationship between learning and play

Exploration of the world

Natural learning through play

The theory of loose parts

Colours and how they impact on learning ability

Natural and artificial light and it’s impact on play, and in turn, education

Salient points of my

research

RESE ARCH

Salient points from my research

Play

Piaget

Children’s play spaces

precedents

History

Developmental needs of children

NEEDS

What did my research find are the needs of the

user group?

Intimate spacesGroup activity areas

Skill buildingVariety of movement oppt’ies

Bright ‘happy’ huesNatural light

Varied scalesNatural material

Ability to influence spaceAesthetic quality (incl colour)

Plenty of choicesExperiential learningVariety of materials

Moveable partsNon-uniform elements

Social

Physical

Creative

Emotional

Cognitive

Instinctual Developmental research

RESE ARCH

Salient points from my research

Play

Piaget

Children’s play spaces

precedents

History

Developmental needs of children

NEEDS

What did my research find are the needs

of the user group?

Translating research to design

Social

Physical

Creative

Emotional

Cognitive

Instinctual

SITE

ANALYSIS

Isolated

Dilapidated, no colours

Dull

Boring, uninteresting

Difficult to navigate

POTENTIALS:Great natural

filtered light with good outlook

Your site/contextual analysis

• What is it about the site/user/context that I need to understand, based on my knowledge (research) so far?

• What have I learnt through my research which identify elements of the past and the present that can inform me for the potential and possibilities for the future?

Your site/contextual analysis

• What is the ‘gap’ between what is existing and the needs of the user/context?

• How can we integrate the needs of the user/context into future design?

• Are there certain elements that exist that I could draw upon and use? Why would I use these?

Based on the needs of the user group

Develop design objectives

Social

Physical

Creative

Emotional

Cognitive

Instinctual

SITE

ANALYSIS

Isolated

Dilapidated, no colours

Dull

Boring, uninteresting

Difficult to navigate

POTENTIALS:Great natural filtered light with good

outlook

DESIGN

OBJECTIVES

Design a play space that stimulates the imagination and engages the child in creative play

Design a play space that involves the user in the formation of the play experience: construction/ deconstruction/manipulation

Design a play space that allows the child to play in natural filtered light, and/or with appropriate lighting, with the appropriate colour hues encouraging an intimate connection with the play space

Design a play space that encourages social interaction and problem solving

Developing your design objectives

• To define your design objectives, identifying the needs and requirements of the user/context is imperative; you cannot develop your design objectives without first knowing the ‘problem’ you are trying to address

• So, take the list of needs identified by the research findings

and examine how you can meet the needs of the user based on the site/contextual analysis

• Develop your design objectives based on careful scrutiny of the user/context needs and align them with the brief

• Once you have developed your design objectives, these then serve as the fundamental and essential grounding for the development of a conceptual design

• For each design objective, one or more design concepts are developed which describe how the design will meet the design objective, including a rationale of how it meets it

Developing your design objectives

Conceptual plan and design

• Following the development of design objectives, the concept needs to become a physical artefact, but prior to it becoming physical, we need to develop it conceptually

• As it is only conceptual at this stage, it usually exists in

our mind, as a collection of thoughts and questions, and also organised and embodied as sketches or a collection of schemes, but NOT as a physical 3D entity as yet – that comes after your process of exploration

DESIGN

OBJECTIVES

Design a play space that stimulates the imagination and engages the child in creative play

Design a play space that involves the user in the formation of the play experience: construction/ deconstruction/manipulation

Design a play space that allows the child to play in natural filtered light, and/or with appropriate lighting, with the appropriate colour hues encouraging an intimate connection with the play space

Design a play space that encourages social interaction and problem solving

CONCEPT

PLAN

Comparative analysis of design elements in concept plan

Which play needs are met by the design solutions?

In what way does the concept plan reflect the research?

Evaluate how the site analysis influenced the design

How applicable is this approach to other situations that are similar?

My concept plan thoughts and questions

Final Design

• Now you have completed stages 1 – 4, you should be able to begin your final stage; the final design

• It is very important to complete the first four stages in order to contextualise your design. If you don’t do this, your design will be irrelevant to the research you have done

• This process can be applied to any design, as it is pertinent from engineering design, architecture and industrial design, to interior design

REVIEW FINDINGS FROM RESEARCH + DEVELOP

NEEDS

DEVELOP DESIGN OBJECTIVES

SITE/CONTEXTUAL

ANALYSIS

CONCEPT DESIGN

FINAL DESIGN

PROCESS

STAGE 1

STAGE 2

STAGE 3

REVIEW

REVIEW

REVIEW

PRESENTATION

RESEARCH TO

DESIG

N

STAGE 4

STAGE 5

RESE ARCH

NEEDS

SITE

ANALYSIS

DESIGN

OBJECTIVES

CONCEPT

PLAN

Play

Piaget

Children’s play spaces precedents

History

Develop-mental

needs of children

Social

Physical

Creative

Emotional

Cognitive

Instinctual

Isolated

Dilapidated, no colours

Dull

Boring, uninteresting

Difficult to navigate

POTENTIALS:Great natural filtered light with good

outlook

Design a play space that stimulates the imagination and engages the child in creative play

Design a play space that involves the user in the formation of the play experience: construction/ deconstruction/manipulation

Design a play space that allows the child to play in natural filtered light, and/or with appropriate lighting, with the appropriate colour hues encouraging an intimate connection with the play space

Design a play space that encourages social interaction and problem solving

Comparative analysis of design elements in concept plan

Which play needs are met by the design solutions?

In what way does the concept plan reflect the research?

Evaluate how the site analysis influenced the design

How applicable is this approach to other situations that are similar?

FINAL

DESIGN

+

PRES

STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3 STAGE 4 STAGE 5

Drawings

3D model

Visual represent-ation that identifies relevant research, the needs of the user /context, site/context analysis,Developed design objectives, and concept plan

What your Assignment 2 Part A may look like

• INTRODUCTION• GOALS AND OBJECTIVES• RELEVANT LITERATURE • RESEARCH METHODS• RESEARCH FINDINGS• NEEDS• SITE/CONTEXTUAL UNDERSTANDINGS AND ANALYSIS • DESIGN OBJECTIVES • CONCEPT PLANNING• FINAL DESIGN • DISCUSSION & REFLECTIONS• REFERENCES

References • Küller R, Ballal S, Laike T, Mikellides B, Tonello G., ”The impact of light and colour on

psychological mood: A cross-cultural study of indoor work environments”, Ergonomics 2006;49:1496-1507.

• Matusiak B., ”The impact of window form on the size impression of the room. Fullscale studies”, Architectural Science Review 2006;49(1).

• Vogels I., ”Effect of coloured light on atmosphere perception”, Proceedings from AIC Interim Meeting Colour - Effects and Affects, Stockholm June 2008 Research paper 060, web publication www.aic2008.org.

• Fridell Anter K, Billger M., ”Colour research with architectural relevance: How can different approaches gain from each other?” Color Res. Appl. 2010;35(2): 145-152.

• Green-Armytage P., ”The Value of Knowledge for Colour Design”, Color Res. Appl. 2006;31(4):253-269.

• Valberg A., Light Vision Color: John Wiley & Sons; 2005.• Billger M., Colour in Enclosed Space. Göteborg: Dep. of Building Design, Chalmers

University of Technology; 1999.• Hårleman M., Daylight Influence on Colour Design. Empirical study on perceived colour and

colour experience indoors. Stockholm: Axl Books; 2007.