Color Wavelength ~620-740nm
Color Frequency~480-400 THz
Perception of any color depends on the condition of our eyesight and nervous system. In general, all colors are the reflected light waves, each with an exact length and frequency. While the tones are divided to cold and warm in art, psychologists sort them to active and passive categories. No doubt, RED is the leader of actives. RED is bright and distinct by itself and becomes a dominant in any space it appears. In addition to this, it activates a human mind and emotional state. This is the reason why designers avoid usage of it in some type of interiors and even famous professional architects are careful while coloring a volume in RED. The color of RED has a various meaning in different cultures: Asia – good luck, sun; Europe – excitement, energy, love, anger; Africa – mourning; many others can be listed. Each of them uses red in art and architecture differently in accordance with symbolic understanding of the one. RED is the color which definitely needs a huge scene to act. Its activity can’t stand to be in the number of secondary features. It’s even possible to transform a common shape into easily recognizable and bright building with a help of RED. There are not a lot of places in nature, where you can find a big amount of RED and even if you do usually it’s temporary or seasonal. The tones which are dominate in environment around us – blue, green, grey, white – make a big contrast with RED. This type of architecture affects people a bit shocking at the beginning. After the first excitement passes, a wish to study the space and building comes to mind.
Casa das Historias Paula Rego
Author: Souto Moura Arquitectos
Location: Cascais,Portugal
Year: 2008
Photo by: Vitor Gabriel
Traditional characteristics of local culture were taken into consideration, while implementing the building design. Also, the artworks exhibited in space are quite expressive. And, no doubt the last point is environment in which RED concrete gets its own meaning and individuality.
ProCredit Bank Head Office
Author: GA Niekisch
Location: Tbilisi, Georgia
Year: 2013
Photo by: Salome Barbakadze
RED building is surrounded by evergreen vegetation. This is the reason, why bright color does not seem to look aggressive and one can even say it makes the building volume more attractive. In this project RED has a function of trademark, together with aesthetic beauty. Though, this does not take away from its magnificence and art volume.
International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts USSR Pavilion
Author: Konstantin Melnikov
Location: Paris, France (Pavilion was demolished in 1926)
Year: 1925
This is a case, when RED has a strictly and clearly defined ideological meaning. Despite the fact that the color was used by architect carefully and reasonably, it had acted as a dominant and used to fulfil a symbolic function.
Serpentine Gallery Pavilion
Author: Jean Nouvel
Location: London, United Kingdom
Year: 2009-2010
RED is a symbol of sun, heat, life, active positive and negative emotions, performed in a summer gallery pavilion. The pavilion is seasonal, as a color of RED in nature. Its existence is often short and temporary. The view from inside of the building through the gaps in RED and through the RED glass itself creates an unusual impression full with mystery and freshness.
Red Ribbon Park
Author: Turenscape
Location: Qinhuangdao, Hebei, China
Year: 2007
Photo by: Turenscape
This project is one of the interesting examples in park and urban design. Together with function Red Ribbon has a visual idea and cultural roots. Nature changes radically during different seasons in this region. Dynamic character of 500m length Red Ribbon stays unchanged all round year.
House of the Arts
Author: FAT Future Architecture Thinking
Location: Miranda do Corvo, Portugal
Year: 2013
Photo by: JoãoMorgado
House of the Arts is located in the surrounding of open field and low buildings, unlike the other listed projects. Volume shape corresponds with a mountain panorama, but with a background of green the redness of building is even more expressive. It accents and underlines the importance of the structure in the borders of quite a big area.
All the buildings presented in article are different with their function, form, location, time and many more other things. RED is also used in each of them with a different purpose and works in various ways. RED – MAGNIFICENT COLOR OF MOTION!
Author: Tata Alkhazashvili
