A Decade of No Colour
Colour is an inseparable characteristic of architecture that has its distinct, long and diverse traditions independent of the developments in fine arts.
“Architects, at large, seem to suffer from an epidemic of total colour blindness. They do not see the bursts of colour on the posters covering the walls of their city, nor do they distinguish the warmth of tones in ladies’ garments or, I fear, the azure of their eyes. They choose not to learn about the triumphs of chemists, the inventors of new yellows and oranges, the pioneers of the already beautiful range of purples and violets, the explorers who have deepened the brilliance of blue and green and enriched the range of ‘visible colours’ to such an extent that would leave a Renaissance painter awe-struck.”
This quote could easily be taken for a criticism of bland contemporary architecture, but it is, in fact, an excerpt from a commentary by French artist Edgard Pillet published in this magazine in 1953. Pillet’s words stemmed from his campaign with likeminded peers for a new synthesis of the arts, now taking aim at the sphere of abstract design. The mission brought Pillet all the way to Helsinki, where a division of the international Groupe Espace was established at his initiative. The group’s influence on the Finnish cultural field remained modest, however, even though the collaborations between architect Aarno Ruusuvuori and artist Jaakko Somersalo as well as Anitra Lucander in the Weiling & Göös Printing Works (1964), the Roihuvuori School (1967) and Helsinki City Hall (1970) can be considered to be among the yield of the artistic movement.
The pursuit of synthesis of the arts also led to the – perhaps unintended – notion that the application of colour is an area that is separate from the actual architectural design and better left to artists or other colour specialists. This mindset is still evident in the fact that students of architecture primarily receive their instruction in colour in connection with art courses, even though it would be more beneficial from the perspective of an architect’s professional competence to integrate this theme into design courses.
Students of architecture primarily receive their instruction in colour in connection with art courses, even though it would be more beneficial to integrate this theme into design courses.
Our current issue approaches the matter from a different perspective: colour is an inseparable characteristic of architecture that has its distinct, long and diverse traditions independent of the developments in fine arts. Landscape architect Saara Pyykkö and architect Kati Winterhalter have contributed greatly to shaping the content of this instalment, representing the multidisciplinary group of professionals applying themselves to the world of colour research. In their own articles, Pyykkö and Winterhalter delve into the benefits of this area of research from the point of view of practical design work.
But why put out an issue focusing on colour now, when the very phenomenon of colour seems to have all but vanished from an architect’s toolbox – or, at the very least, the tools that are available are significantly more limited than they were just a few years ago? The previous colour issue came out in 2010, in a completely different environment. The field was still riding on the crest of the previous colour trend, and vibrant accent colours and dizzying pixellated facades were all the rage in architecture. A counter-reaction was, no doubt, necessary, but when all one sees in new residential areas are dire-brown, murky-grey and drab-yellow brick facades, the lack of variety does begin to pall. Not even the revival of interest in 1980s postmodernism has managed to inspire colourful or playful design in Finland, but has rather veered towards a highly disciplined articulation of form and a monochromatic palette.
Of course, impactful architecture can be created through a number of design approaches, also based on a restrained colour palette, as demonstrated by the projects introduced in this issue. The pale brick exterior of a student housing unit in Jyväskylä hides an intense red central lobby, while the identity of a residential block in Helsinki is made up of a dialogue between three buildings in different colours. The new Lamminrahka School Centre, then, represents the tradition that relies on the natural colours of materials. The architects designing the Supreme Administrative Court renovation have been faithful in observing the colour scheme that was introduced during the previous 1980s refurbishment, while also making their own interpretations of the 1950s colour palette. In fact, restoration appears to be the area of architectural design where we are currently seeing the most adventurous approach to the use of colour.
Every trend has its natural lifespan, and it is easy to predict that the current one will also eventually fade. But we do not seem to have a clear answer yet as to what will come next. It looks like we might be as clueless as we were when the previous colour issue appeared 14 years ago with not a whisper of the monochromatic trend that was soon to take over. I hope we are in for an at least somewhat more colourful future. ↙