Abstract
This paper investigates the architectural environmental color of historical urban blocks, focusing on the Dufu Dike Historical Block in Wuhan. By employing digital color acquisition and computational analysis technologies, the study evaluates the chromatic characteristics of buildings, facilities, andthe surrounding natural environment. The findings reveal key issues in existing color planning, includinga lack of visual coherence and limited integration of the cultural meanings of color. To address these challenges, the research proposes a color management framework based on the principles of architectural restoration and heritage conservation. It develops color palettes suited to various building typologies and strategies for coordinating façade brightness and chromatic harmony across spatial zones. The final schemes consider local climatic conditions to ensure contextual harmony. At the urban block scale, the study offers a localized and adaptive approach to the renewal and conservation of historical architectural colors, providing a practical framework for strengthening the cultural identity and visual continuity of historic districts in contemporary cities.
Keywords
Urbanrenewal; Historicdistrict; Architecturalenvironmentcolorconservation
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.1173
Citation
Tang, C.,and Yang, D.(2025) Strategies for Conserving Architectural Environmental Colors in Historic Districts, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.1173
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 11 - Culture and Craft Design for Regenerative Practices
Strategies for Conserving Architectural Environmental Colors in Historic Districts
This paper investigates the architectural environmental color of historical urban blocks, focusing on the Dufu Dike Historical Block in Wuhan. By employing digital color acquisition and computational analysis technologies, the study evaluates the chromatic characteristics of buildings, facilities, andthe surrounding natural environment. The findings reveal key issues in existing color planning, includinga lack of visual coherence and limited integration of the cultural meanings of color. To address these challenges, the research proposes a color management framework based on the principles of architectural restoration and heritage conservation. It develops color palettes suited to various building typologies and strategies for coordinating façade brightness and chromatic harmony across spatial zones. The final schemes consider local climatic conditions to ensure contextual harmony. At the urban block scale, the study offers a localized and adaptive approach to the renewal and conservation of historical architectural colors, providing a practical framework for strengthening the cultural identity and visual continuity of historic districts in contemporary cities.