A Computational Tool for the Use of Colour Harmony Rules in Facade Design

Abstract

The quality and availability of exterior paints has led to a new vernacular use of colour in Ireland and Scotland. Communal colour designs highlight the conflict between individual colour preference and the community desire for harmony. This is often expressed as a fixed colour design by an individual designer. The provision of the widest possible range of colour designs, all of which express communal harmony, can help to accommodate individual preferences. This project uses computation to apply colour harmony rules within a chosen environment and to generate all the possible colour combinations which conform to these rules. The Colour Combinations program uses two steps to establish a colour design: palette selection and colour combination. The harmony rules can be adjusted for each step depending on the context for the design or the type of colour combination required. Once an appropriate palette has been selected all possible colour combinations for a terrace of six houses are generated. Each combination is then tested for harmony and the number of combinations which conform to the specified rules is displayed. Each harmonious combination can then be displayed in turn for manual selection. The program allows the effects of adjusted harmony rules to be tested and examined quickly. This could allow individual colour preferences to be accommodated within a communal colour design.