Gender differences in color perceptions and preferences of urban façades based on a virtual comparison

Abstract

In the context of refined urban development, current façade color designs cannot effectively meet the diverse emotional needs of each sex. Thus, distinguishing the differences in emotional needs between genders by considering color psychology is necessary to establish a scientific evaluation model and, ultimately, design a gender-oriented façade color. This study extracts a typical space-combination prototype as an experiment given the context of block renewal in China. Based on multiple case studies, 16 color schemes were incorporated into this prototype, and a cognitive semantic scale for architectural colors was developed and established. This study used a combination of virtual reality technology and questionnaires to conduct color-perception experiments with 72 college students (36 males and 36 females). Subsequently, participants' preferences for façade colors were assessed using questionnaires. Finally, a comparative analysis of data on the respondents' color perception results revealed gender differences in interest in façade colors within the same spatial environment. Depression, darkness, and heaviness have similar meanings in the perceptual evaluation of façade colors in China; females' identification of perceived similarities among the three common factors was more prominent than males’. Regarding preferences for urban façade colors, females preferred schemes that combined base and accent colors, with the base color accounting for approximately 95 % of the total façade color. Males, on the other hand, had no particular preference for this pattern. Regardless of gender, both males and females preferred urban façade color schemes that lean towards bright and warm tones.