Colour is one of the most powerful design tools for evoking the entire human range of emotions. Cool blue buildings by the sea compliment the calm of the water, while moody greys and blacks lend to a feeling of mystery. And when all the colours of the rainbow come together in a masterful blend of pattern and light, a sense of excitement forms. Here are six buildings that dazzle, inspire and provoke thought –all through the use of colour.
The Chapel (Ho Chi Minh City)
Photo Credit: de zeen
The World Architecture Festival’s Building of the Year in 2014 is made just as beautiful by its use of colour as its use of no colour at all. The lightweight steel-framed chapel has a modern, ethereal quality thanks to its sparse, white interior, visible from outside through a large open-aired entrance. Meanwhile, overlaid curtains in multiple colours harken to the stained glass windows of traditional churches.
Pacific Design Center (Hollywood)
Photo Credit: Pinterest
Three buildings, all in a single colour each, PDC is as dramatic as Hollywood itself. The Blue building, often referred to as the “blue whale” for its size, was built in 1975 and houses showrooms and office spaces. Added in 1988, the Green building contains a film theatre and conference room. The most recent addition, the Red building, is the most visually stunning and is composed of two curved towers clad in both red and transparent glass.
Ministry of Communications and Information (Singapore)
Photo Credit: Flickr
A perfect example of how colour can modernize any building design. The Government of Singapore’s Ministry of Communications and Information building pairs an ornate neo-classical facade with multi-coloured shutters on every window. The rainbow coloured shutters (927 in total) have become iconic and are a favourite Instagram-worthy travel spot.
Pixel Building (Melbourne)
Photo Credit: Inhabit
Australia’s first carbon neutral building is just as sustainable as it is cool. Located in Melbourne, this office building scores a perfect 100 – plus five bonus pointes – on Australia’s Green Star Rating System. Hoping to inspire other architects and designers with its eco-friendly features – the building is capable of collecting its own water – this funky and colourful building playfully calls out: “Look at me!”
Historic Church Mural (Washington)
Photo Credit: SWTLQTC
From graffiti to high art, street artists such as Alex Brewer (aka HENSE) have gone legit, with commissions for graffiti-inspired murals coming in from around the globe. HENSE’s work has drawn praise for its playful use of colour – particular in bright or pastel shades. His historic church mural in Washington, DC is meant to induce happiness in passers-by and invokes an almost fairy-tale quality.
BioMuseo (Panama City)
Photo Credit: Inhabitat
Is any beautiful building list complete without a mention of legendary Canadian-born architect Frank Gehry? Just as tropical as its location, the BioMuseo is a tribute to both the country’s biodiversity and its tiled tin roofs. Vibrant metal canopies of different shapes and sizes are stacked atop the museum in an almost haphazard fashion, while the building’s location on the tip of a peninsula is simply breathtaking.
Count on Colour
At Cadillac Coatings, we know that colour has the power to tell a story. Your story. Which is why we offer custom colour matching on any order. Exact colour matching guaranteed!
