The Balance Problem Set

Question: Which of the three images below is the best example of a balanced composition created by the use of color?

Tutorial:

Use of color for balance

color is often used in architecture to create a balanced composition. color is most often used to evoke emotions from the person experiencing the building. color is used in patterns, in fields, and in colored light.
The Yale Center for British Studies is an excellent example of a balanced composition created by the use of color. In this view of the interior you can see Louis Kahn' use of contrasting colors to create balance. The warmth of the wood contrasts with the cool grey of the concrete.	Louis I. Kahn, Yale Center for British Studies, New Haven, CN, (1969-72)

Use of colored fields for balance

Examples of colored fields can be seen in the work of Theo van Doesburg and Cornelius van Estern and in the work of Luis Barragan.
Van Doesburg and van Estern	Luis Barragan

Use of colored light for balance

The best examples of colored light are usually found in churches. The interior of gothic churches and Le Corbusier' Ronchamp are both excellent examples.
Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France	Le Corbusier, Notre-Dame du Haut Ronchamp, France (1950-1955)

Use of form for balance

Typically, if variety of color is not used, the architect intends the reading of the form to be primary. This is the case for the Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum and in Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye shown below.
Le Corbusier, Villa Savoye, Poissy near Paris, France, (1929-31)	Frank Lloyd Wright, The Guggenheim Museum, New York City, NY, (1956)

The Architecture Project
University of Arizona
Tuesday, September 2, 1997
lapointe@u.arizona.edu