The Color of Cities: An International Perspective (Hardcover)

"Reviewed by Charles Redmon, FAIA, a principal of Cambridge Seven Associates in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a former president of the Boston Society of Architects

Excerpts from review:

What an original and fascinating way to look at city form and character: to dissect the built environment through the lens of color and light. Linking the perception of color to the incidence of light, Lois Swirnoff (who is also a brilliant photographer) takes us on a richly illustrated journey to many of the major urban centers of the Northern Hemisphere. Her thesis is that the color or urban environments is directly linked to the differing angle at which the sun's rays hit the earth's surface. The steeper the angle (closest to the equator), the more intense the use of bright, saturated colors reflecting this brilliant light; and the shallower the angle, the greater the prevelant use of softer, more subtle colors.

The book is organized as a series of written and photographic essays. These anecdotal travelogues tour different latitudes, focusing upon the impact of location, light, and shadow, and are coupled with descriptions of the elements of streetscape, facades, and building materials. When the text and images are tightly interlocked and developed, the book's thesis is clearly and forcefully presented. The author's description of how the colors of natural materials (such as in the temple at Segesta in Sicily) change from light to shade, transforming into complementary hues through the seasons and times of day, richly illustrates her message. And her description of the change in the color of the ocean through the seasons andwith proximity to the earth's equator also conveys a powerful message about the angle-of-light's impact upon regional colors.

...Lois Swirnoff undertook a difficult theis, linking solar positioning to urban colors. At the same time she rightfully discusses all the other factors that shape the character, form, and color of urban places: city plan and design; vernacular expressions; local traditions; building materials; natural setting; growth and change; people and personalities; and cultural heritage. In the final analysis, it is really this amalgam of influences that shapes and forms urban places. But looking at all these factors through her colored looking glass is certainly worth the journey.

Product Description
A photographic reference that documents the distinctive colour characteristics in urban design throughout the world. It shows how cultural colour preferences are grounded in perceptive differentials based on geographic determinants and variations.

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