AR – 408 (HUMANITIES)

PSYCHOLOGY IN ARCHITECTURE

WAHAB HUSSAIN
B.ARCH 4th YEAR (DAY)
 CHILD PSYCHOLOGY

BASIC SHAPES

• Forming a conceptual understanding of geometric shapes begins in early

years of life and that children's understanding becomes pretty stable at the
age of 6.
• National Association for the Education of Young Children identify five
mathematics content areas for teachers to introduce: numbers and
operations, geometry and spatial sense, measurement, patterns/algebraic
thinking, and displaying and analysing data.
• As articulated in content standards, geometry has been identified by as one
of three major areas (the other two being number and measurement) that are
particularly important for 3- to 6-year-olds.
• Recognize and create shapes that have symmetry.
• Create mental images of geometric shapes using spatial memory and spatial
visualization.
• Children recognizes shapes that have lesser angles; i.e. attract to shapes
having more 90-degree angles.
• Interior spaces in a kids school has more smooth surfaces and have basic
square, circular forms.
• School play areas have some basic shapes which easily recognizable by the
kids.

PSYCHOLOGY IN ARCHITECTURE WAHAB HUSSAIN B.ARCH 4th YEAR (DAY)

COLOURS

• The first things that children are able to recognize them are the colours.
• Initially, Children recognize the black and white colours (light and dark).
Usually, any colour has a special meaning psychologically. The Colour has
been always an indicator and a means to express the feelings and ideas, so
that we can speak with the language of colours.
• A colour can have a concept in a certain social system that in the other
system means the opposite of it. The issue that is considered more about
colours is their psychological content. Colours are divided into two groups;
warm colours and cool colours that each group induces some certain
features.
• The warm colours are stimuli and cause activity, movement, happiness and
vibrant, while the cool colours on the contrary, lead to the passive state,
stationary, motionless and grief.
• Children are usually attracted by the warm colours. Numerous studies show
the tendency of children to colours will vary during the different stages of
growth. Many children who are under ten years old select the red or pink as
their favourite colour.
• The exterior façade or even interior facades of the schools have lots of warm
colour and basic shapes of the windows and walls.

PSYCHOLOGY IN ARCHITECTURE WAHAB HUSSAIN B.ARCH 4th YEAR (DAY)

MATERIALS

• During early ages of children, we know that the touch sense has been
considered as the mother of the senses.
• The sense of touch embraces the perceptions of pain, temperature, pressure,
weight, texture, hardness and several other feeling.
• We as an architect can create several senses by adding some materials in the
interiors or exteriors of the building.

• The spaces designed in this kindergarten school, there is a internal

courtyard, all the classes faces it directly, its purpose is to have a space for
entertainment and breathing fresh air.
• The ceilings of the corridors in every floor are painted 18 variety of colors,
and installed the louvers.
• Walking in the corridor, the color change can be felt from the louver gap.
• The pillar facing the inner court are also with 18 colors, therefore children
can recognize the place through change of colors.

PSYCHOLOGY IN ARCHITECTURE WAHAB HUSSAIN B.ARCH 4th YEAR (DAY)

 MATERIALS

• Its one of the kindergarten school where architect has vertically placed
aluminum slats enforced 100mm spacing which extended to all elevations.
• The colors are deployed in accordance with a repeated sequence whereby
with white slats alternate with colored slats.

• Classroom broken profile in this school allows dual lighting.

• The building is defined by a continuous roof of inclined walls over a
ventilated façade made by a large-format ceramic extruded cladding and
aluminum slats on the exterior façade.
• The building makes a clear differentiation between the surfaces accessible to
the children in the processed range of materials, textures and color in
contrast within sober finish above.

PSYCHOLOGY IN ARCHITECTURE WAHAB HUSSAIN B.ARCH 4th YEAR (DAY)

PSYCHOLOGY IN ARCHITECTURE

• Buildings have a direct effect on our emotions.

• They can be uplifting or depressing, soothing or surprising.
• Most of us live inside a building or in a enclosed walls, also our thoughts
shaped inside that particular enclosed walls and the way we perceive things
is influenced by our surrounding.
• Architectural design undoubtedly effects a persons health, behaviour,
mood, decisions, as well as interactions with others.
• Architecture effects human psychology through certain elements such as
colour, form, shape, light, space etc. Its important to consider these
elements to design a comfortable and healthy spaces.

SPACE

• Space controls people movements, creating a flow from element to

element.
• While designing a particular space we take into consideration some
points like function of the space, time people will spent there, the mood
we want the space should evoke.
• Open spaces or having high ceiling are more inviting and positive, which
gives people to think freely and to improve focus.
• Whereas more tight or closed spaces limits thinking and distraction,
which gives negative impact.

PSYCHOLOGY IN ARCHITECTURE WAHAB HUSSAIN B.ARCH 4th YEAR (DAY)

LIGHT

• Light the most important aspect of architecture and psychological

behavior, without light we see nothing,
• Light offers everything apparent, defines its meaning and proves its
existence.
• Natural light provide sense of calmness, peacefulness helping in
relaxation and concentration, and reducing tension.
• People prefer walking outdoors in morning or evening to seek natural
light.

COLOR

• We as a human, our nerves, body organs gets effected by color, as they

create vibrations in our nerves.
• Colors not only influence our moods but also change architectural
perspectives.
• We can use color depending upon the emotions we want to bring.
• Hospitals have blue, light green, i.e. cool color schemes, more
comfortable to the eye which helps healing mentally.
• Restaurants have warms or bright colors to encourage customers to enjoy
the evening.

PSYCHOLOGY IN ARCHITECTURE WAHAB HUSSAIN B.ARCH 4th YEAR (DAY)

ROLE OF COLORS IN MAN-MADE
ARCHITECTURAL ENVIRONMENT

• Color is an integral element of the world. Scientific studies have proven that human-environment-reaction in the architectural environment is to a
large percentage based on the sensory perception of color.
• Color is a sensory perception, and as any sensory perception, it has effects that are symbolic, associative, synesthetic, and emotional.

COLORS IN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE

The use of colors inside ancient Egyptian The use of colors in temples, imitations of The use of natural colors on columns
tombs describing their lives in details. nature. of ancient Egyptian temples,
prolonged for centuries.

PSYCHOLOGY IN ARCHITECTURE WAHAB HUSSAIN B.ARCH 4th YEAR (DAY)

ARCHITECTS AND PERCEPTION OF COLORS

• Le Corbusier's work has affected architectural planning and design. For Le

Corbusier, colors was pretty much as critical as format or frame for his
buildings and designs.
• Stimulated by the adjusted colors in nature, Le Corbusier made his
Polychrome Architectural with a view of both sharp and aesthetic
determination of colors.
• However the utilization of a limitless cluster of splendid hues, both in
exteriors and inside of structures. He considered the colors a fundamental
piece of architectural design.
Park Guell. Gaudi. Barcelona Colorful houses, as a part of a colorful
urban fabric

COLOR IN ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE

• Islam prohibits the portrayal of the prophet Mohammad in any illustration,

sculpture or other form, and thus a non-figurative style evolved in the hands
of Islamic artists who used colored mosaics and patterns to their advantage.
• The color blue is especially prevalent in these designs, with a variety of
shades, including turquoise and deep ultramarine, used to illustrate floral
patterns.
• The Taj Mahal is another example of the bold use of natural color in a
building's facade to communicate power, piety and riches.
Simple white marble used with floral
pattern to show power and dominace.
Using colored mosaic tiles in Islamic
architecture, with a blue dominant
color which shows royalty

PSYCHOLOGY IN ARCHITECTURE WAHAB HUSSAIN B.ARCH 4th YEAR (DAY)

ROLE OF COLORS IN NATURAL
ARCHITECTURAL ENVIRONMENT

• When we hear a word ‘natural environment’ the first thing or color

that’s comes in our mind is green or greenery.
• “Greenness” is said several times portraying the condition of the
occupants of heaven, and what encompasses them of favors in an
extravagance environment of bliss, delight and consolation.
• Colors in nature influence our eagerness, it likewise gives a soothing
or warm feeling, brings bliss and bitterness and affect our identity and
the way we see life.
• The orange color in nature brings consolation and quiet.
• Blue color makes individuals feel calmness.
• The red color of the sky during dusk or dawn, gives us sense of hope
and opportunities.
• Green one of the most prominent color in nature helps us to feel more
livelihood.

Nature is mainly characterized by Colors

PSYCHOLOGY IN ARCHITECTURE WAHAB HUSSAIN B.ARCH 4th YEAR (DAY)

REFFERENCES

• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308439013_Color_in_Arc
hitecture_is_it_Just_an_Aesthetic_Value_or_a_True_Human_Need
/link/57e4612908aee9b409fbff6f/download

• https://medium.com/studiotmd/the-perception-of-color-in-
architecture-cf360676776c

• http://www.sapub.org/global/showpaperpdf.aspx?doi=10.5923/j.arc
h.20170704.04

• https://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-
636X2016000200830&lng=en&tlng=en

• https://issuu.com/hidesignpublish/docs/_______________ii-issuu

PSYCHOLOGY IN ARCHITECTURE WAHAB HUSSAIN B.ARCH 4th YEAR (DAY)