Color: The Latest Architecture and News

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Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a plastic material widely used for thermal insulation (and in some cases, acoustics) in building envelopes.

So is it possible to recycle it and apply it again in other construction processes? Yes, EPS can be crushed and compacted to be used in the manufacture of new plastic products. But it can also be recycled and live again in the construction of architectural and urban projects in the form of paints and coatings.

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Some architects love color, some are unmoved by it, some hate it, and some love to dismiss it as too whimsical or non-serious for architecture. In an essay on the subject, Timothy Brittain-Catlin mentions the “innate puritanism among clients of architecture,” architects and their “embarrassment of confronting color,” and how “Modernism tried to ‘educate out’ bright colors.” So, while the debate on color in architecture is far from being a new one, it is not finished, and probably never will be.

In today’s world where the exhausted stereotype of the no-nonsense architect clad in black still persists, and while we quietly mull over the strange pull of the Cosmic Latte, there are some architects who haven’t been afraid of using broad swathes of color in their work at all. Read on for a list of 7 such exemplary architects both from the past and the present.

A few days ago, the Pantone Color Institute ended the annual suspense of fashionistas and color connoisseurs everywhere by announcing its 2019 Color of the Year: Living Coral. Described by the Institute as “an animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edge,” [1] PANTONE 16-1546 will surely be seen throughout the new year and perhaps in places you wouldn’t expect.

What comes to mind when you think of Brazilian architecture? The strong forms of Oscar Niemeyer? Neutral-toned works of brutalism? Cobogós? In spite of the fact that colors are present in Brazil's colonial architecture, the aforementioned qualities tend to dominate the perception of the architecture of South America's largest country.

However, current architectural production in Brazil is bringing more and more colorful elements that shy away from the gray and beige purity. We've selected fifteen projects that use color to highlight architectural elements and generate dynamic perceptions of space.

"Anyone can be a photographer nowadays, all you need is a smartphone." Although this is a well-known cliche, that doesn't mean it's entirely untrue. Recently, with the advancement of smartphone technology, aided by social networks, the growth of photographic capabilities on these devices has increased at an exponential speed. 

A post shared by Franky Lam (@frankylamchops) on Apr 16, 2018 at 5:02am PDT

UK-based design studio NEWSUBSTANCE has debuted at the Coachella Valley Music & Art Festival with a seven-floor pavilion taking visitors on an “ever-changing journey of light, color and perspective.” The 75-foot-high (23-meter-high) pavilion named “Spectra” consists of a spiral form featuring an observation deck at its peak, projecting a rainbow band of color.

The dazzling color scheme is produced by the separation of light waves by their varying degrees of refraction, embodying the lively spirit of the Coachella festival. Through this manipulation of the physical properties of light, Spectra is capable of producing over 16 million colors.

Architect Emmanuelle Moureaux’s latest art experience, “COLOR OF TIME,” allows observers to experience the passage of time through color. Moureaux’s installation is one of a series called, “Art and Design, dialogue with materials,” for Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art & Design’s opening ceremonies. Throughout the series artists played with different materials, showing their varying potentials and characteristics.

Moureaux chose paper; layering over 100,000 number cutouts into a 3D grid. From sunrise at 6:30 to 19:49, the numbers turn over 100 shades of color, ending in black. A color changing experience totaling 799 minutes.

Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) has selected Steven Holl Architects in collaboration with Rüssli Architekten as the winners of an international competition for the design of their new Geneva Operational Center, beating out proposals from Pool Architekten & Mak Architecture, Sauerbruch Hutton, Emilio Tuñon Arquitectos & Ruckstuhl Architekten, Blue Architects, and Consortium Sou Foujimoto with The New Talent Workshop.

Clad in an innovative colored photovoltaic glass facade system, the energy-efficient building will provide flexible work and social spaces for more than 250 employees.

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In any city across the world, there are countless examples of unsung architecture – well-designed if inoffensive buildings that strive to please by not standing out from the crowd. For German photographer Paul Eis, these buildings provide the perfect canvas for his work. Displayed on his Instagram account, the_architecture_photographer, Eis captures these buildings in their best light, and then digitally adds in bright colors, elevating these structures from mundane to magnificent.

Colored concrete is being used increasingly as a premium building material. Numerous buildings are constructed every year around the world that are colored with inorganic pigments. Specialty chemicals company LANXESS will be presenting in the third Colored Concrete Works Award in 2017 to architects who create modern architecture with colored concrete and focus on their work, the beauty and aesthetic quality of this special, natural building material.

Looking for a challenging new diversion that will keep your architectural mind humming? A new puzzle game from developers Dusty Road, Empty, may just fit the bill.

In an effort to spark new ideas for "zero value landscapes," Amanda Williams has been painting abandoned houses in Chicago's South Side with a "palette of culturally coded, monochromatic colors" to "explore how academic and theoretical definitions of color map across veiled language used in American media/popular culture to describe racially charged city spaces... Think a female Gordon Matta-Clark parading around as a Black Josef Albers," says the artist.

Watch the video above, commissioned by the Chicago Architecture Biennial and produced by Spirit of Space, to learn more.

OMA and Buro Ole Scheeren's vertical village in Singapore, The Interlace has been named the World Building of the Year 2015 at culmination of the World Architecture Festival (WAF). Celebrated for being "an example of bold, contemporary architectural thinking," as WAF Director Paul Finch described, the project is eighth building to ever win the illustrious award. It is considered to be a "radical new approach to contemporary living in a tropical environment."

Winners of the year's Future Project, Landscape, Small Project and Color Prize awards were also announced. Read on to see the who won with comments from the jury.

The World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced the shortlist for its Colour Prize, which is supported by three-time Headline Sponsor AkzoNobel. Last year, the Innovative Use of Color on Exteriors Prize was awarded to the Vienna University of Economics and Business’ Department of Law and Central Administration, for its use of Copper Orange in a 200-meter-long pairing of buildings.

This year’s Color Prize shortlist includes nine projects that span the wide spectrum of WAF award categories: