ATRIUM 08

Cool colours for summer

Zwift is a great tool that allows people to fit cycling into a busy work schedule and comes into its own when the weather outside is cold and wet. It was only while riding a static bike through a virtual world during the heat of summer that Andrew fully realised the importance of colour to the perception of temperature in our built environment, and how small changes to the interior design can help improve comfort in warm weather.
"Zwift allows you to select a training programe while riding your normal bike on a static frame and choose a route through the virtual world of Watopia," explains Andrew. "The route 'Volcano Circuit' takes you through the heart of a lava-filled cavern and the heat radiating from the glowing magma on the screen was palpable. Coupled with an air temperature in the room of nearly 30˚C, the feeling was close to unbearable. Every time I cycled through the volcano I felt noticeably hotter."
"The effect was pronounced as another part of the circuit takes you through an aquarium where the route passes under the deep blue ocean via a glazed tunnel. I felt cooler even though the air temperature was the same. The perception of increased temperature with changes in colour was dramatic, and so I decided to research further and understand how this could be applied to the design of buildings."

“I discovered various papers from University College London and the University of Southampton that establish a psychological link between thermal comfort and colour perception. Supporting my own findings, they suggest that a room painted in reddish colours can feel warmer than one painted blue or green.”

 

“This reminded me of the Slovenian Pavilion at the 2023 Architecture Biennale, which the Mulroy team visited to celebrate our 15th birthday. The theme of the room was to draw attention to traditional building as a way to address climate change. It featured a Rothko-like painting in place of a log fire (left, below). The effect was amazing: it felt as though heat were radiating from the canvas. In contrast, the picture below right shows Rothko’s ‘Blue and Black’ (1951) in a room with similar finishes..”

 

“How this translates to buildings is interesting. In No Ordinary House, the colder north-facing rooms were painted darker, richer colours and the southerly rooms lighter shades albeit in cooler shades of green. I do not advocate repainting your home to match the seasons, but perhaps you might consider a set of summer artwork for your walls in cooler shades, such as the Rothko, and winter artwork containing oranges and reds, such as one of Joseph Albers’ ‘Homage to the Square/Red Series’ paintings from 1968, that is similar to the painting in the Slovenian Pavilion.”

 

“The other thing to think about is the room acoustics. Hard surfaces that make the room echo slightly will create an acoustic that feels cooler, whereas the muffled sounds caused by cushions, curtains and carpets will make the room feel warmer. With the increased temperature range between summer and winter, I think we will see the emergence of seasonality in room dressing.”

 

Andrew Mulroy

Mulroy Architects, May 2026