Colour as an element ordering the common space in educational objects. On the example of Maria Dąbrowska Primary School No. 1 in Wrocław

Ewa Netczuk-Pol

doi:10.37190/arc220209

Abstract

The article discusses general issues related to creating the space of educational objects in terms of colour. The perception of school space is influenced by many factors such as light, temperature, air quality, space flexibility, sense of belonging, space complexity and colour. The latter plays an important role in the perception of rooms and influences human behaviour, because apart from sound and smell, it is one of the most important stimuli perceived by our brain. Nevertheless, most of the existing schools in Poland which were built up to 1990 do not take into account colour as a factor influencing student behaviour. This issue has only recently received attention. This article presents a case study of Maria’s Dąbrowska Primary School No. 1 in Wrocław. For the needs of this school, as part of the “Constructing Cultural Educational Space” program organized by Wrocław Contemporary Museum, a project was prepared to introduce colour into the interior while maintaining the historical character and substance of the object and taking into account the influence of colour on the child’s psyche. The presented interior rearrangement project may become the beginning of further research on the issue of colour and its role in shaping educational spaces.

Keywords:
article
colour
primary-school
composition

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2022

2(70)

DOI: 10.37190/arc220209

Ewa Netczuk-Pol*

Colour as an element ordering the common space

in educational buildings.

On the example of Maria Dąbrowska Primary School No. 1

in Wrocław

Introduction

Primary school is where a child rst begins his or her

education. It is here, after kindergarten, that a child’s early

childhood education begins. After kindergarten, most stu-

dents must learn to function in a new community and in

a new space (completely dierent from the one they have

known before).

Currently there are not many new primary schools in

Wrocław. Most of them are located in existing buildings.

These objects do not have a consistent visual identity in

the interiors. Each building is shaped separately and free-

ly. Taking into account these conditions, in 2016 Wro cław

Contemporary Museum, E. Geppert Academy of Fine Arts,

Institute of Psychology at Wrocław University, Tekturowo

– Katarzyna Bury and Wrocław Teacher Training Centre

came up with a project for principals and teachers of pri-

mary schools, entitled: “Constructing cultural educational

space” [1]. The aim of the project was to initiate the pro-

cess of conscious shaping of aesthetic and cultural policy

in Wrocław primary schools, as well as to draw attention

to the need to redene the space for creative and imagina-

tive work with children.

This article presents a key part of the idea of transform-

ing the common space in school facilities using selected

forms of artistic expression such as colour. For this pur-

pose, Maria Dąbrowska Primary School No. 1 in Wrocław

was chosen. However, the developed design of changing

the colours has not been implemented so far.

State of research

The results of a study conducted by researchers from

University of Salford published in 2015 presented what

factors aect the perception of space and thus the be-

haviour of a student [2]. They took primary school stu-

dents under observation. They studied not only the impact

of the school environment on students’ behaviour but also

on their learning ability and quality of education. After

the research, two types of students were selected: those

associated with the school space (mega-space), and those

associated with the classroom (micro-space).

The same researchers also selected factors inuenc-

ing the perception of space. They divided them into three

groups: natural, such as light, temperature, air quality; sub-

jective: sense of ownership and exibility of space; stim-

ulating: complexity of solutions, colour. Figure 1 shows

the extent to which they aect students. It shows that the

most important are natural conditions, and the perception

of space is especially inuenced by natural light (in 21%).

Colour turned out to be the most stimulating factor for the

student [2, pp. 8–15]. Most of these factors can be con-

trolled through proper space design. It would seem that re-

gardless of what colour and in what proportions it is used

in the space of a school or class, it will have a benecial

eect on us in the same way. The rst documented studies

on the inuence of colour on human behaviour appeared

in the 1840s [3], but they did not concern primary school

students directly. This topic was also dealt with by Pro-

fessor Andrew J. Elliot from the University of Rochester,

who in his publications deals with the subject of colour

and its inuence on human behaviour. In one of the works

entitled Historically based review of empirical work on

* ORCID: 0000-0002-2514-8314. Faculty of Architecture, Wro-

cław University of Science and Technology, Poland, e-mail: ewa.pol@

pwr.edu.pl

Published in open access. CC BY NC ND license

96 Ewa Netczuk-Pol

the phenomenon of colour perception in a scientic way.

Among contemporary art historians dealing with colour,

we should mention John Gage and his work Colour and

Culture: Practice and Meaning from Antiquity to Abstrac-

tion [9].

He describes the meaning of colour, colour theo-

ries and the way it was perceived in dierent periods and

cultures as well as in dierent elds of art. The knowledge

of colour until the 19

century was applied in an intuitive

way based on the experiences of past epochs and artists.

The colour theory is interdisciplinary – it denes the phe-

nomena of seeing colours on the ground of many sciences

like physics (optics), chemistry, biology and psychology,

but also on the ground of art, experiences and theories of

many artists, painters, as well as many others. Colour can

be dened in various ways as a phenomenon that is sci-

entic and physical (wavelength and frequency of vibra-

tions), psychological (dominant wavelength, purity, photo-

metric quantity) and artistic, which is the most subjective

of all because it depends on the viewer, his cognitive abil-

ities, biological conditions, as well as his own subjective

sensual and extrasensory perception, up to and including

the phenomenon of synesthesia [10, pp. 35–40]. The feel-

ing of colour and its perception de

pends on the percep-

tion of the world which is the result not only of visual

experience but also of cultural experience, knowledge, but

above all of individual sensitivity. This phenomenon is

uncountable

and dicult to examine objectively [11]. We

can talk about colours in a subjective way, but also use the

observation of their inuence on our mood as a more ob-

jective tool of analysis. There is a cultural norm that warm

colours are psychologically “active” and cool colours are

“neutral”, while bright colours are “light” and dark colours

are “heavy” and depressing [12, pp. 221–227]. In order to

assign a colour in space we must consider it as a surface

colour. It is the colour that appears on the surface of an ob-

ject, constant and unchangeable, but its reception depends

on many factors such as lighting, the

background on which

it appears and the texture of the surface [13].

Meaning of colour

All colours interact. The rst attempts to create a colour

wheel were made at the beginning of the 17

century by

Aron Sigfrid Forsius. The most perfect scale is considered

to be created in 1704 by Isaac Newton, which he placed in

his work Opticks [14] (Fig. 2). It shows the basic colours

that will be used to further analyse the inuence of colour

on the student’s behaviour (Fig. 3).

In the discussed project for analysis the inuence of

colour on student behaviour and the space in which the

selected colours could be located, colours dened as chro-

matic primary and complementary were used, such as red,

orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, purple, and achromat-

ic colours – grey, black, and white.

Red

It is the rst colour that appears in the language of co-

lours after black and white. It is the colour identied with

re, blood and also love. It is the colour full of emotions.

color and psychological functioning: content, methods,

and

recommendations for future research [4] he also ana-

lysed historical achievements in this eld. It is also worth

mentioning the book The beginner’s guide to color psy-

chology, which comprehensively describes the inuence

of colour on human behaviour [5], and the publication

Psy chological response to color: A critical review [6]

pre senting psychological reactions to colour in a cultural

context. Detailed research on individual colours was also

carried out. It is worth mentioning the publication Blue or

red? Exploring the eect of color on cognitive task per-

formances [7]. In Poland, no detailed rules for the use of

colour in individual school rooms have been published so

far. Another essential factor that aects the perception of

colour is natural light, since depending on its intensity,

a space can be perceived in dierent ways. Natural light is

best for the well-being of students and teachers. It should

be provided for as long as possible in the school rooms.

This can be achieved through large enough glass windows

that also allow direct contact with nature and a suitable

location in relation to the directions of the world. If it is

dicult to locate them conveniently, hence special blinds

or other devices for shading or shadowing should be used

to allow sucient sunlight into the interior [2, pp. 18, 19].

Another factor is exibility in the design of the space. It

can be used in both mega-spaces (common areas such as

corridors, common room, cafeteria, etc.) and micro-spac-

es (classrooms) [2, pp. 28, 29]. In dening the boundaries

of the space, colour can be used as an element that deter-

mines the area, such as a relaxation or study zone [8].

Colour as a phenomenon

Human perception of colour is a phenomenon that

combines two opposing disciplines – science and art. De-

pending on which discipline we use to describe it, we will

have a dierent point of view and reference. It was not

until the 19

century that an attempt was made to organize

Fig. 1. Graph showing the influence of factors on student behaviour

(elaborated by E. Netczuk-Pol based on [1, p. 15])

Il. 1. Wykres przedstawiający wpływ czynników na zachowanie ucznia

(oprac. E. Netczuk-Pol na podstawie [1, s. 15])

Colour as an element ordering the common space in educational buildings 97

In Roman mythology, it is considered to be the colour of

aggression, associated with the masculinity of the god Mars

and the red planet. Aristotle places it just after the colour of

light. Red combined with gold enhances the feeling of joy

[16, pp. 47, 48].

Red is the colour associated with strong behaviours such

as excitement, simulation, emotionality, passion, energy,

agitation, but it also has negative tones such as aggression

and intensity. It is the dominant colour over all colours,

optically it appears closer than the others [17, pp. 38–40].

This colour, due to its energizing nature, should be used

in outdoor spaces, gardens, where the stimulation of chil-

dren is not a problem, quite the opposite [16, p. 130].

Orange

It is a combination of two primary colours, red and

yellow, also in terms of their emotional signicance. It is

a positive colour in which yellow loses its benecial bright-

ness taking away from red its positive passion. It is the

colour of good destiny. It is associated with the ripe fruit

of late summer and the colours of autumn [16, pp. 50, 51].

Orange is the colour of balance between the vibrant red

and the intellectualizing yellow. It stimulates the nerves

and supports coping with emotions. Its shades evoke ex-

citement, stimulation, joy, it causes a positive attitude, and

energizes in a more subdued way in contrast to red [17,

p. 40].

Due to its positive emotional colouring it can be used in

workplaces, workshops, laboratories, cafeterias and gym-

nasiums [17, p. 130].

Yellow

It is the most joyful of all colours. It is associated with

the gold colour and has a similar meaning to red, but is not

as exciting as red. Yellow is the symbol of enlightenment.

It is the brightest of all colours [16, p. 48].

Yellow is the colour of the mind. It is the colour of the

sun, which stimulates and allows us to develop our mental

abilities. Yellow stimulates our nervous system and allows

it to relax and make it easier to solve problems. It also

deects negative emotions. Its emotional tone is positive

and evokes joy, encourages and inspires [17, pp. 40–43].

It should be used in the entrance area, where it will ini-

tially awaken positive energy and inspire further creative

work, and in verandas. It can also be used in classrooms,

sta rooms and art and music rooms [16, p. 130].

Green

This colour combines the contemplative meaning of

blue with the sense of happiness of yellow giving green

symboliz ing hope. It is the colour of hope, promise, ex-

pectation of happiness and good news. Green is bright,

warm, it is a symbol of new life and nature awakening

every spring. The secondary colour created from mixing

green orange and purple is considered the most positive of

all [16, pp. 49, 50].

Psychologically green is a colour that allows you to

calm down, cut o from stimuli, it is also the most calm-

ing colour for our eyesight, aects our circulatory system

by lowering its pressure. It is a symbol of nature, the hu-

man living environment. It is also the colour of balance

in the colour wheel located opposite the red and purple. It

gives a sense of equality between the material and spiritual

worlds. Green strongly determines the feeling of harmo-

ny and peace in space. However, not all of its shades are

so positive for our body. In the case of shades with low

light saturation and cold colour temperature, they evoke

completely opposite impressions. They are associated with

Fig. 2. Colour wheel based on Newton’s dial

(elaborated by E. Netczuk-Pol based on [15])

Il. 2. Koło barw na podstawie tarczy Isaaca Newtona

(oprac. E. Netczuk-Pol na podstawie [15]

Fig. 3. Colour and its meaning

(elaborated by E. Netczuk-Pol based on [10], [11])

Il. 3. Kolor i jego znaczenie

(oprac. E. Netczuk-Pol na podstawie [10], [11])

98 Ewa Netczuk-Pol

decay, poison, and therefore anger and jealousy. It is a co-

lour of opposites and the right spectrum of colours must be

used to achieve a benecial eect [17, pp. 49, 50].

Taking into account its calming character, it should be

used in rooms intended for gatherings, in corridors and

staircases and wherever there are large concentrations of

people [16, p. 130].

Blue

It is a symbol of the boundlessness of the sky and the

depths of the ocean. Blue is identied with depth, mys-

ticism, femininity, it is the colour of wisdom, peace and

contemplation. Blue is a symbol of purity. It is positioned

opposite yellow in the colour wheel, and therefore resem-

bles black when there is little or no light [16, p. 49].

Blue is the opposite colour to red, it is considered the

colour of water, which in its hue is relaxing and lowers

blood pressure levels. Currently, this colour is triumphant

precisely because of its nature. Blue evokes a sense of

comfort, peace, soothes our nerves [17, pp. 42–44].

Suitable locations for blue are the library, the comput-

er lab and, like in the case of yellow, classrooms, sta

rooms, music and art rooms [16, p. 130].

Indigo

It is a shade of blue, identied in artistic and ideologi-

cal life as a marker of beauty. It is an almost ideal colour,

evoking a sense of fullment. It is also a colour that can

heal because of its ethereal nature [17, pp. 44, 45].

Purple

It combines love symbolised by red with wisdom repre-

sented by blue to create a royal violet representing the two

most desirable character traits of wisdom and concern for

others. Purple is a blend of two opposing colours, where

blue gives us harmony and red gives us energy, providing

blue with an even more mystical depth. It also has a neg-

ative undertone because it has strong connotations with

black – it is the next colour after it [16, p. 51], [17, p. 45].

In some cultures it is a symbol of mourning.

Grey

It is formed from the combination of two opposite co-

lours – white and black, it is exactly between them. It is

an achromatic colour which is completely neutral and has

no meaning. It has a positive tint because of its colour

balance [17, p. 52].

Black

This colour starts the colour scale. It is considered

a negative colour but in combination with other colours its

meaning depends on the context and can have a positive

aspect. Generally black represents chaos, darkness and at

the same time pure potential. In some cases it gives things

an exclusive character. In a school the only place where

black can be used as a dominant colour is the theatre room

[16, p. 45].

White

It is the brightest of all colours and draws its radiance

from the sun, which symbolizes mystical illumination.

White because of its close proximity to yellow draws its

joyful character from it. It is a symbol of purity [16, p. 45].

White is the colour that provides the most reection of

the visible spectrum. The perception of this colour is vari-

able, it depends on the context and colours in its vicinity.

White used in rooms gives a sense of neutrality, purity,

sterility. It is also a background for other decorations [17,

pp. 46–48].

Principles of colour composition

When designing the colour scheme of the school, it is

necessary to pay attention to several important aspects.

It is necessary to combine the architectural idea with the

colour proposal of the interior. They should harmonize

with each other, not compete, according to the principle

that […] dierent colours should be mixed in such a way

that the painted object, viewed from a distance, gives the

impression of balance [18, p. 26]. At the same time, they

should reect the function of the space. Colour should

be used to aid the development of form and to help dis-

tinguish between objects or their parts or functions [18,

p. 25]. There are several factors that inuence the percep-

tion of a colour eect:

– size and proportion of the room – spaces that have

a light coloured ceiling appear taller,

– rhythm, patterns, texture and structure – the use of co-

lour when using a strong pattern can neutralise its rhythm,

– size and location of the coloured areas – warm co-

lours on walls with a cold background will have a positive

eect. If the area of the wall in relation to the rest is sig-

nicantly smaller,then we should intensify the colour to

get the same eect as on a large area,

– orientation in relation to daylight – the perception of

colour depends on the location of windows in relation to

the directions of the world and the availability of daylight,

– surface texture – the same colours will be perceived

dierently on dierent textures,

– dominant colour – introduce dominant colours to har-

monise the space [18, pp. 59–62],

– the use of colour is intended to support the eect of

light and shadow,

– primary colours should be used on the higher parts of

the object, while secondary and tertiary colours should be

used on the lower parts,

– colour planes should never overlap [18, pp. 25, 26].

Knowing the basic principles of composition and the

importance of colour and its eect on us, we can easily

choose the appropriate colour palette for a given school,

taking into account the functions to be found in the space.

In addition to the principles of composition and appropri-

ate selection of colours, cultural considerations should also

be taken into account when designing a colour scheme.

Colour as an element ordering the common space in educational buildings 99

The use of colours in school interiors.

Case study

In Poland we have become accustomed to the lack

of colour in the school space or its small amount, which

completely does not correspond to the function in a given

space. Most of the currently existing schools built before

the 1990s do not take into account colour as a factor inu-

encing student behaviour. At that time, knowledge of this

subject was scarce, not easily accessible, and if it was, it

was a dicult subject to push, and the eects of colour

were rather the result of many subjective factors, some-

times only intuitive awareness of the creation of space

favoured the appropriate choice of colours. Recently at-

tention has been drawn to this issue; however, it is still

done practically without deeper analysis, only on the ba-

sis of a certain sensitivity and intuition of the designers.

When designing new school spaces it is easy to introduce

the correct colours for the relevant spaces, all that needs

to be done is to carry out a detailed study of the function

in the space and the appropriate choice of colour for it,

taking into account the basic principles of composition in

the design phase.

There are many schools around the world that are in-

corporating the principles of colour composition, although

there are still far too few of them. Worth mentioning here

are some well-known examples such as Cassata Primary

School (Bengaluru, India), Anglo-Colombian Primary

School (Bogotá, Colombia), Kirkmichael Primary School

(Ayrshire House, UK), Vittra School Södermalm (Söder-

malm, Sweden), Family Box (Beijing, China), Saint-Jean’s

Schools (Strasbourg, France), Alto de Pinheiros School

(Alto de Pinheiros, São Paulo, Brazil), Kathleen Grimm

School (Staten Island, New York, USA), St. Joseph’s Pri-

mary School (Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, Scotland) and

The Sheikh Zayed Academy (Abu Dhabi, Emirates). Appro-

priately selected colours inuence the student’s behaviour

by stimulating them in the way the designer intended, in

places requiring silence we use harmonising colours, and

in places requiring physical activity – stimulating colours.

An appropriately chosen scheme helps the pupils to nd

themselves in the space and behave appropriately through

chromotherapy.

A more dicult task is faced by designers working on

projects for the renovation of existing historic buildings.

What can serve here as an example is the project of ren-

ovation of the oldest primary school in Wrocław (Maria

Dąbrowska Primary School No. 1). It is a characteristic

-century building with features of northern German

neo-Gothic with a brick face in an extremely decorative

coat under the inuence of Art Nouveau. It was construct-

ed in 1899–1900 as the Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi Peo-

ple’s School in the People’s School Complex at today’s

78–80 Nowowiejska Street, according to a design by

building advisor Richard Plüddemann and building in-

spector Hermann Froböse [20], [21]. The building is pro-

tected under the provisions of the local plan and in the pro-

vincial and commune register of historic monuments [22].

Currently, interiors are completely free of colour, which

is the result of random, individual decisions made in iso-

lation from the function of the rooms and the overall anal-

ysis of the object.

The aim of this project was to carry out a restoration

of the interior, taking into account colour as a stimulating

element for the student. For this purpose a detailed anal-

ysis of available scientic publications in this eld was

carried out. In addition, activities related to the conserva-

tion renovation are foreseen, i.e., it was initially planned

to carry out stratigraphic research into the historical co-

lour scheme of the building, and then to confront the

results with the proposed colour scheme. It assumed the

unication of colours of walls, light-coloured woodwork

and introduction of small architectural elements of varied

colours (yellow, green and blue) corresponding to partic-

ular storeys. The proposed range of colours was based on

available research and a detailed analysis of the existing

primary schools where colour plays a large role in shaping

the space. Three colours have been selected: yellow, green

and blue, which correspond to each oor, orange was used

as a complementary colour, which should be used in the

canteen room.

The original paint work is not fully known, however,

the preserved iconography (Fig. 4) clearly shows that all

corridor walls were painted with oil paints in the form of

dado up to a height of approximately 1.3 m in light pas-

tel shades. The upper part of the corridor walls and the

vaults were painted white. The dado were separated from

the upper, white part of the walls by a border composed

of a wide, light-coloured stripe framed by two narrow,

dark-coloured stripes with a oral pattern in the middle.

After 1945, monochromatic dados made with glue and

oil paints on both plaster and brick were introduced, which

were common at the time. The colour scheme varied from

beiges to celadons and greens, in keeping with the then

common colour scheme of oil paints for use in school in-

Fig. 4. Photo of the school’s corridor and staircase in 1901

with characteristic monochrome panelling

and subtle borders with a floral motif (source: [19])

Il. 4. Zdjęcie korytarza i klatki schodowej szkoły w 1901 r.

z charakterystycznymi monochromatycznymi lamperiami

i subtelnymi bordiurami z motywem florystycznym

(źródło: [19])

100 Ewa Netczuk-Pol

teriors. Over the decades, successive layers of these paints

were applied, only the shades were changed, the colours

of the woodwork were altered, and the brick details of the

corners, pilasters, and reveals were lost under the layers

of paint, depriving the building of its unique expression.

Old paint coats of the interiors are now also made in oil

painting technique in yellow and bright yellow colour.

They were made on plastered surfaces as well as on brick

pilasters and corners of corridor walls and brick reveals.

In order to reintegrate the colour scheme of the interi-

ors, it is necessary to remove the secondary layers of paint

with particular emphasis on the conservative cleaning of

brick reveals and pilasters. Also plastered surfaces should

be cleaned of secondary oil paints, mainly in yellow colour.

In the corridors, a new coat of paint in the colour of bro-

ken white (RAL 9002) is proposed, with a distinction of

the historical dado zone to a height of about 1.3 m and the

upper part of the wall. It is proposed to make new coatings

with mineral paints of grain matching the historic plaster

and paint. The dado area should be additionally covered

with washable paint ensuring the possibility of keeping

the surface clean. After conservator’s cleaning, the brick

faces of the pilasters, reveals and corners should be pro-

tected with an impregnating preparation which makes it

possible to preserve the natural colour of the brick face

and protect it against soiling, making it easier to keep the

brick surfaces clean. It was also planned to clean the steel

balustrades and to reconstruct the historical colours oscil-

lating in shades of warm grey. An analogous procedure

was to be applied to the door joinery. In this case, it was

proposed to standardize the paint coating in grey (RAL

7035), due to the internal variation and lack of informa-

tion about the original (not preserved) colour of the door

frames. Other surfaces, such as terrazzo oors and steps

should be preserved and left without colour changes.

Elements of furniture such as poues, foam blocks and

seats have been proposed as colourful elements in the in-

terior, which can be freely used in the space depending on

the needs, bearing in mind the requirements concerning

re protection of escape routes. Therefore, these elements

should be located outside the escape routes, and the ma-

terials from which they are made should be at least re

retardant and non-ammable. Such an assumption allows

for creative play, activates imagination and adaptation of

common spaces to the given moment. Based on the infor-

mation received about the layout of rooms in the school,

an analysis of the functional-spatial layout was carried out.

Ground floor

On the ground oor there are: a porter’s lodge, a library,

a common room, a canteen with a kitchen, a sanitary facil-

ity, a principal’s oce, a secretary’s oce, a school peda-

gogue’s room and an accounting oce. This zone is gen-

erally accessible to everybody, unlike the other oors. Due

to the public character of this storey, the colour scheme

should remain neutral, in this case grey is proposed. Chro-

matic elements may be used to complement the interiors

of such rooms as the cafeteria (orange), the library (blue),

the teacher’s room (green). Other rooms should keep

neu tral colours, i.e., grey and white. The entrance area is

currently a place of information for visitors and parents.

Unfortunately in front of the main entrance there is an ex-

tremely unsightly main energy distribution board of the

building, which dis-harmonises the space. It is proposed

to cover this wall with perforated non-ammable compos-

ite panels in white colour according to the accepted colour

scheme. It will be a place where information will be locat-

ed, as well as the plan of the building with the projections

of individual oors (Fig. 5). This place is to be a kind of

signpost facilitating moving around the facility.

floor

On the 1

oor there are rooms for children from the

elementary education (grades 1–3) and sanitary facilities.

In order to encourage children to play and stimulate them

to engage in creative activities, the yellow colour (RAL

1018) has been proposed (Fig. 6). It is associated with sun-

shine and joy, it is another element important at this age

because it is often dicult for such young children, espe-

cially during their rst days in a new place, to stay without

Fig. 5. Maria Dąbrowska Primary School No. 1 in Wrocław – ground floor: a) current state, b) planned changes

(elaborated and photo by E. Netczuk-Pol, 2017)

Il. 5. Wrocław, Szkoła Podstawowa nr 1 im. Marii Dąbrowskiej – parter: a) stan obecny, b) projektowane zmiany

(oprac. i fot. E. Netczuk-Pol, 2017)

Colour as an element ordering the common space in educational buildings 101

their caretakers. It allows them to dismiss negative emo-

tions. At the same time it is not as intense as the red colour.

–3

floor

On the following oors there are classrooms for chil-

dren from grades 4–8. On the 2

oor there are class-

rooms for Polish language, mathematics, science, histo-

ry and sanitary facilities. For this oor the colour green

(RAL 6018) was chosen, which is the colour allowing to

calm down and concentrate, giving the feeling of harmony

(Fig. 7). On the top oor there are rooms for German, En-

glish, art and music classes, a computer lab, speech ther-

apist, auditorium, psychological-pedagogical consulting

room and sanitary facilities. The colour which best suits

this functional arrangement is blue (Fig. 8). Similarly to

yellow, it is relaxing, evokes the feeling of comfort and at

the same time it is an inspiring colour.

The staircase is an important element connecting the

oors with each other. On the landing there are modern cast

iron radiators which cause spatial dissonance. In order to re-

duce this feeling, covers have been designed in the form of

cuboids made of perforated composite panels in the colour

corresponding to the particular storey they lead to (Fig. 9).

This is another element serving the purpose of visual iden-

tication, which is to facilitate moving around the school.

Conclusions

Colour is very important in our lives. Often we do not

even realize the role it plays in our daily perception of

the world and the eect it has on our well-being. School

education is a very important event in the life of a child,

especially in primary education. Here in particular, it is

important to facilitate a good start for children in a new

space by designing harmonious interiors adapted to the

development of children, rather than hindering their entry

into a new, supra-primary community, through disharmo-

nious school spaces that make integration, learning and

various activities dicult, as it is often the case in Polish

Fig. 6. Maria Dąbrowska Primary School No. 1 in Wrocław – 1

floor: a) current state, b) planned changes

(elaborated and photo by E. Netczuk-Pol, 2017)

Il. 6. Wrocław, Szkoła Podstawowa nr 1 im. Marii Dąbrowskiej – 1. piętro: a) stan obecny, b) projektowane zmiany

(oprac. i fot. E. Netczuk-Pol, 2017)

Fig. 7. Maria Dąbrowska Primary School No. 1 in Wrocław – 2

floor: a) current state, b) planned changes

(elaborated and photo by E. Netczuk-Pol, 2017)

Il. 7. Wrocław, Szkoła Podstawowa nr 1 im. Marii Dąbrowskiej – 2. piętro: a) stan obecny, b) projektowane zmiany

(oprac. i fot. E. Netczuk-Pol, 2017)

102 Ewa Netczuk-Pol

schools. The project “Constructing cultural educational

space” was a starting point for further considerations on

this subject. During meetings with teachers and headmas-

ters, a discussion was opened on the subject of colour in

the school space. They pointed out that it is possible, at

a low cost, to create a harmonious space in which it will

be easier to move around, and at the same time it will have

a positive impact on student behaviour. Maria Dąbrowska

Primary School in Wrocław can become an example of in-

troducing colour to a historic interior, taking into account

its inuence on the behaviour of the student and on the

consistency of visual identication. However, due to high

costs, the project is waiting for implementation.

Creating a template and a catalogue of good practices

for designers seems to be a good and necessary postulate.

Of course, individual needs and conditions should be tak-

en into account because it is impossible to create a univer-

sal template for all schools. However, knowing the impact

of colour on the psyche of children, we can shape their

behaviour through the appropriate selection of colours. As

shown by a study conducted by researchers from Stan-

ford University, a well-designed educational space can

increase the eciency of students, even by 16%. For this

reason alone, it is worth creating a space that is friendly to

students and all users of the facility. Colour schemes can

also be transferred to other areas of architecture, not only

to educational space, but also to public buildings.

Translated by

Biuro Yellow, Wrocław

Fig. 8. Maria Dąbrowska Primary School No. 1 in Wrocław – 3

floor: a) current state, b) planned changes

(elaborated and photo by E. Netczuk-Pol, 2017)

Il. 8. Wrocław, Szkoła Podstawowa nr 1 im. Marii Dąbrowskiej – 3. piętro: a) stan obecny, b) projektowane zmiany

(oprac. i fot. E. Netczuk-Pol, 2017)

Fig. 9. Maria Dąbrowska Primary School No. 1 in Wrocław – landing between the 2

and 3

floors: a) current state, b) planned changes

(elaborated and photo by E. Netczuk-Pol, 2017)

Il. 9. Wrocław, Szkoła Podstawowa nr 1 im. Marii Dąbrowskiej – spocznik między 2. a 3. piętrem: a) stan obecny, b) projektowane zmiany

(oprac. i fot. E. Netczuk-Pol, 2017)

Colour as an element ordering the common space in educational buildings 103

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Abstract

Colour as an element ordering the common space in educational objects.

On the example of Maria Dąbrowska Primary School No. 1 in Wrocław

The article discusses general issues related to creating the space of educational objects in terms of colour. The perception of school space is in-

uenced by many factors such as light, temperature, air quality, space exibility, sense of belonging, space complexity and colour. The latter plays

an important role in the perception of rooms and inuences human behaviour, because apart from sound and smell, it is one of the most important

stimuli perceived by our brain. Nevertheless, most of the existing schools in Poland which were built up to 1990 do not take into account colour as

a factor inuencing student behaviour. This issue has only recently received attention. This article presents a case study of Maria’s Dąbrowska Prima-

ry School No. 1 in Wrocław. For the needs of this school, as part of the “Constructing Cultural Educational Space” program organized by Wrocław

Contemporary Museum, a project was prepared to introduce colour into the interior while maintaining the historical character and substance of the

object and taking into account the inuence of colour on the child’s psyche. The presented interior rearrangement project may become the beginning

of further research on the issue of colour and its role in shaping educational spaces.

Key words: colour, primary school, composition

Streszczenie

Kolor jako element porządkujący przestrzeń wspólną w obiektach edukacyjnych.

Na przykładzie Szkoły Podstawowej nr 1 im. Marii Dąbrowskiej we Wrocławiu

W artykule zostały omówione ogólne zagadnienia dotyczące kreowania przestrzeni obiektów edukacyjnych pod względem kolorystycznym. Na

odbiór przestrzeni szkoły wpływa wiele czynników takich jak światło, temperatura, jakość powietrza, elastyczność przestrzeni, poczucie przynależ-

ności, kompleksowość miejsca i kolor. Ten ostatni odgrywa istotną rolę w odbiorze pomieszczeń i wpływa na zachowania człowieka, ponieważ jest

oprócz dźwięku i zapachu jednym z ważniejszych bodźców odbieranych przez nasz mózg. Mimo to większość z obecnie istniejących we Polsce szkół

wybudowanych do 1990 r. nie uwzględnia koloru jako czynnika wpływającego na zachowanie ucznia. Dopiero od niedawna zwraca się uwagę na

tę kwestię. W niniejszym artykule przedstawiono studium przypadku Szkoły Podstawowej nr 1 im. Marii Dąbrowskiej we Wrocławiu. Na potrzeby

tej właśnie szkoły w ramach programu „Konstruowanie Kulturalnej Przestrzeni Edukacyjnej” organizowanego przez wrocławskie Muzeum Współ-

czesne przygotowano projekt wprowadzenia koloru do wnętrza z zachowaniem historycznego charakteru oraz zabytkowej substancji obiektu i przy

uwzględnieniu wpływu koloru na psychikę dziecka. Zaprezentowany projekt przearanżowania wnętrza może stać się początkiem dalszych badań nad

zagadnieniem koloru i jego roli w kształtowaniu przestrzeni edukacyjnych.

Słowa kluczowe: kolor, szkoła podstawowa, kompozycja