Abstract
Architects’ approach towards colour in architectural design evolved radically in the recent 50 years, and ranges from a modernist aversion to a vernacular appreciation. These changes were linked to the development of culture, technology and scientific knowledge in different areas connected to human functioning. The authors have examined evolution in design of tall buildings in the Isle of Dogs in London (UK) since the 1980s. The area experienced major growth spurs in the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, resulting in the greatest concentration of tall buildings in London today. The Island has been a playground for architects who have developed a range of approaches to the design of towers. The authors observed the evolution of architectural style, analyzed application of colour and made connections between scale, beauty and human behaviour. They concluded that colour in tall buildings’ architecture on the Isle of Dogs is predominantly used to disguise their massing. Colour detail facilitates the domestic feel of a public realm. Therefore, alongside decorative quality, and if considerately applied, colour may positively influence the quality of living and working environments.
Highlights
Definition of colour in architecture reflects two characteristics of materials: Variation of colour inherent to the material or applied colour (Thadani 2010)
The Isle of Dogs remains the largest collection of tall buildings in London, with its skyline recognized as being of strategic importance in the Local Plan 2020 (London Borough of Tower Hamlets 2020a)
The review of architecture of tall buildings on the Isle of Dogs from the 1990s to 2021 identified five main strands of design styles informed by the mix of use and general trends such as post-modernism, expressionist structuralism or London vernacular
Summary
Definition of colour in architecture reflects two characteristics of materials: Variation of colour inherent to the material or applied colour (Thadani 2010). As such it is treated in theory of architecture as an intrinsic element of ornamentation, adding beauty, meaning and emphasis (Lewis 2008). After C20 searched for appropriate architectural detailing for buildings of rather monotonous basic prism form, new technologies opened gates for parametrical design, testing mega scale structural expressionism or even deconstructive experimentations. The architecture of skyscrapers entered new territories literally as Asian cities dominate in high buildings, and in terms of their aesthetics.
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