Hannah Singh
M.Arch, IIT Roorkee 2018-20
Supervisor : Dr.Tina Pujara

Research- Urban street façades and their colour-emotion association
The psychological and physiological effects of colour can contribute to a happier and more satisfying quality of life, in both the natural and built environments. Janssens (2001) found in a study that, the colours of the built-environment increase brain activation by contributing to the feelings of pleasantness and spaciousness. Consciously or subconsciously, colour influences our thoughts, emotions and perceptions of the external environment.  

Design communities have witnessed a growing interest in the role of emotions in design. With the development of philosophies like the gross happiness index, we can see the emergence of emotion as a significant field in contemporary design research. In light of this paradigm shift, colour being one of the most important triggers of emotion has become an essential field of research in architectural design, urban planning, environmental psychology etc.

Harnessing the use of colour in urban design to promote good mental health is an interesting field that may have potential, warranting further scientific exploration (McCay, 2019). The nature of the relationship between urban street façades and colour-emotion association is unclear, and few studies exist that focus on this in particular. This area is a realm of little research, particularly in Indian cities, lacking scientific literature and analysis of the problem.  

The focus of this dissertation is the study of perception of emotion on the urban street due to façade colour; through mixed method studies in cities like Mumbai, Pondicherry and Panjim. In the study; façade colors are analyzed with a specific emphasis on the following research question: How do colours or colour compositions as part of urban street facades affect people’s emotional state?

The research would study the kinds of emotion people face in those particular streets, the colours and colour schemes that play a role there and the connection between these. The results obtained cannot be extrapolated to all cities as culture and perception also play a role here. However, it would be a step towards formulating façade colour schemes that not only takes into account the parameters of the street and physical environment; but also people’s emotional response to colour. This can be applied in street design guidelines or city by-laws for creating and improving the emotional well-being and quality of cities.