Does Toronto’s Skyline Need Some Colour?
By Penny on Mar 27, 2014
Does Toronto need a little colour? Considering that the vast majority of our skyscrapers are relatively monotone, it’s an interesting idea to contemplate.
Why colourful skyscrapers?
A recent study conducted by Emporis (an international source of information regarding buildings), shows that bright colours have a positive effect on mood and memory. Researchers involved in the study at the University of Essex in England discovered that colourful facades and creative structural designs stimulate the imagination while boosting mood and memory, as well as reaction time. Most interestingly, the study showed that this was particularly true in colder weather where the vibrant colours of buildings significantly raised the spirits of urban dwellers… Seeing as Toronto just experienced one of the coldest winters in recent history, maybe it’s time we adopt some rainbow colours for our buildings too!
Examples of colourful skyscrapers
Though we love our skyline as is and can’t wait to see how upcoming developments improve it, looking at some of the unique buildings from all around the globe got us thinking about how Toronto would be affected if our talented architects added a splash of colour here and there.
Take the Colorium in Dusseldorf, Germany for example; the building is anything but monotone, with 2,200 glass panels printed with a total of 17 patterns that vary between single colour to four colour. Architect Will Alsop is also a painter and many of the buildings he has designed (most found in the UK) are controversial for their bright colours and unique forms. You would probably recognize his Toronto project, the Sharp Centre for Design at OCAD University, which is very colourful, but it’s not exactly a high-rise.
How about the First World Hotel in Genting, Malaysia (featured image)? With colourful strokes of blue, yellow, green, red and orange, it’s nearly impossible to look at this building without cracking a smile. Though it might not be the best design for our city, it’s a great example of how to use colours to brighten up the ambience.
Less dramatic, but equally as vibrant, is the Mercury City tower in Moscow. Known for its glistening copper-coloured façade, this 75-storey building is just short of 1,112 feet. Praised for its environmentally conscious and sustainable characteristics, it’s easy to visualize a building like this in Toronto (in fact, the colour kind of resembles Toronto's Royal Bank Plaza).
With an abundance of buildings that serve as colourful examples from all over the world, we’re curious to know what you think about it! Could Toronto’s high-rises use more colour?
