Besides changing our perception of interior spaces, colors are an excellent device for architects. With them, it is possible to highlight some elements or areas, create rhythm in the environment and give possible hints on how the eye can travel through it. One of the alternatives to achieve these goals is to paint the structures, which can bring a solid identity to the project since its components stand out and make the spatial notion even more playful.
Painting the structure is nothing new. Classics by Lina Bo Bardi are some of the examples that highlight their structural components - pillars, beams, trusses - as part of the architectural design
Looking for contemporary examples that demonstrate different ways of coloring the building based on the structural system, we have selected projects that adopt the colors in the structure in order to generate the necessary contrast to make the environment more playful or highlight certain parts of its composition.
The colors of painted structures are enhanced when they are placed next to constructive and natural materials, such as timber, stone, concrete, or straw. They become protagonists of the project, expanding the perception of the space.
In some cases, the stairs, handrails and frames also follow the same color chosen for the structural components. Painting them creates dynamics and a hierarchy in the space. As a result, the eye travels along the rhythm determined by the structure and the possible movements in the area and its connections to the outside.
