Colour for New Zealand primary schools

Abstract

The choice of colours for New Zealand's primary schools is not governed by any principles of physiology, psychology or design methodology. The range of colours used is limited by the availability of materials and finishes which comply with fire, acoustic and maintenance considerations; the colours chosen - and where they are used - depend largely on the preferences and intuition of the person responsible for the colour scheme design. This report includes basic physics, physiology and psychology of colour and goes on to discuss principles of colour use in schools which provide stimulus for both children and staff and a suitable background for their work, while minimising problems of glare, eye fatigue etc. It is intended that the report be used as a guide to where and how colours can be used to advantage: a selected range of standard colours is not included. The guidelines contained in this report have been applied to the colour designs for three types of New Zealand school (a "one-off" new design, a standard C75 classroom and an existing school building) - refer to Appendix 3. The colours used in these designs were based on the results of a survey conducted among Wellington school children