Beyond Blue: The Non-Visual Effects of Light and Colour in Architecture

Although the influence of light and colour on architecture has resided largely in its visual impact, the non-visual aspects of light and colour have at times greatly influenced our built environment, and may do so again in the near future. Since Goethe opened a space for the consideration of light from physiological and psychological perspectives, research has revealed that there is more to light than meets the eye. By the early twentieth century, the effects of invisible colours shaped designs for open-air schools, ideal homes, and sanatoria. After having lain dormant since World War II, neuropsychological studies of the role of blue light upon the circadian rhythms of the body are rekindling interest in the relationship between colour, health, and architecture.