12 colour propositions for urban planning - Kleur Buiten Prijs

The past twenty years the Netherlands has
witnessed many and increasingly colourful
buildings. This was the reason the SKB updated
the ‘12 Colour Propositions’ in a new edition
that was preceded by extensive discussions
about the content and illustrated with recent
reference projects.
12 colour
propositions for urban planning
Floor van Dusseldorp

12 COLOUR PROPOSITIONS
for urban planning
Floor van Dusseldorp
STICHTING KLEUR BUITEN

Preface 3
PROPOSITION 1 Urban planning is designing with light 4
PROPOSITION 2 No shape without colour 6
PROPOSITION 3 Environmental variables 8
PROPOSITION 4 Time waves 10
PROPOSITION 5 Analysis per scale 12
PROPOSITION 6 Individual freedom in a colour framework 14
PROPOSITION 7 Urban coherence 16
PROPOSITION 8 The coloured space 18
PROPOSITION 9 Urban lighting 20
PROPOSITION 10 Clarity 22
PROPOSITION 11 Colour in the zoning plan 24
PROPOSITION 12 The stimulating role of social real estate owners 26
Epilogue 28
T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
Preface
Colour in our environment is like the weather or football: everyone has an opinion about it.
The Stichting Kleur Buiten (SKB) – Foundation for Colours Outdoors – was founded in 1984
on the initiative of the former Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment, W.F.
Schut. The foundation is not aiming to prescribe what is beautiful or what is ugly; its goal is
to create awareness of the function of colour in the urban environment. This was the
reason that we asked Floor van Dusseldorp and Alfons Cock, already twenty years ago, to
write a booklet which would highlight the different aspects of the use of colour in public
space. This booklet with Twelve Colour Propositions has proved its value repeatedly.
Colour is a comprehensive concept which plays an important role at all levels of spatial
design, from architecture to urban planning. It is not merely the designers who determine
our living environment. The people who commission the buildings also have a heavy
responsibility, as do the municipalities with their responsibility for their residential areas,
and of course those who commission viaducts, bridges, schools, hospitals and other semipublic
buildings.
Since the 1980s the Netherlands has witnessed many and increasingly more colourful
buildings. This was the reason the SKB updated the Twelve Colour Propositions. This
booklet is the result. This new edi -tion was preceded by extensive discussions about the
content of the propositions. The photographs with reference images have been renewed,
but some classic examples have been retained.
Colour in towns and villages has, when applied in a thoughtful manner, a positive influence
on the quality of the perception of the living environment. The SKB is hoping that these
propositions will give a new stimulus to the use of colour in the urban and built-up
environment.
Bas Eenhoorn
Chairman Stichting Kleur Buiten
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T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 1
LEFT: FOUR STUDIES IN WHICH THE THREE-DIMENSIONALITY OF THE APPLICATION OF COLOUR IS STUDIED DURING
DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY IN THE SAME SITUATION. PIERO BOTTONI 1928, FROM ‘DIE FARBISCHE STADT’.
RIGHT: THE DAYLIGHT, AND TO A LESSER EXTENT THE NIGHTLIGHT, SHINES ON LITERALLY ALL ASPECTS OF THE
URBAN ELEMENTS AND THEREBY MAKES THE IDENTITY OF THE CITY VISIBLE.
Urban planning is designing with light
The phenomenon of light should be an
integral part of the design process in
urban planning.

T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 1
Urban planning is designing with light
The phenomenon of light should be an integral part of the design process in
urban planning.
COMMENTARY
In urban planning the relationship between light and space is often not recognised.
Without light the representation of space is inconceivable. Space and light are mutual
components and in urban planning light is the binding factor.
The intensive relationship between space, shape and materials is only created by the
grace of the light and its reflection that we call colour. However, the colour of the light or
the object is not a constant, but part of our personal interpretation. Light makes everything
visible and breathes life into shape and colour, as it were. The incidence and reflection of
light determines the colour in all its nuances. On top of that, the movement within the light
spectrum creates different moods.
In urban planning the structure of the built-up environment is the key, along with floors,
walls, roofs and the layout together with, amongst other objects, trees. Architecture is
responsible for the walls and roofs, which create the public space and the layout of this
space gives shape to the urban interior. In this way a composition of light, shape and colour
is created, which supports the urban space and makes it inviting.
RECOMMENDATION
In urban planning design it is not only necessary to pay attention to accepted solar
orientation but it is also essential to examine the orientation of artificial light by day and
by night.
LEFT: THE ‘MOVEMENT’ OF THE DAYLIGHT WITH ALL ITS COLOUR NUANCES IS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO URBAN
PLANNING DESIGN.
RIGHT: THE SCHOUWBURGPLEIN IN ROTTERDAM ACQUIRES A DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERE IN THE EVENING AND BY
NIGHT DUE TO THE CHARMINGLY DESIGNED LIGHTING. BUREAU WEST 8.
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T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 2
In a plan concept shape and colour must
support one another.
LEFT: HOUSES BY THE ARCHITECT ALDO VAN EYCK IN THE REGENBOOG NEIGHBOURHOOD IN ALMERE. STARTING
FROM THE BRIGHT YELLOW OF THE FAÇADES AND BY MUTUAL AGREEMENT WITH LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT ALLE
HOSPER, THE TREES WERE CHOSEN FOR THEIR YELLOWISH FOLIAGE.
No shape without colour
RIGHT: ‘PALACE’ HOUSES BY ARCHITECT LIESBETH VAN DER POL IN THE REGENBOOG NEIGHBOURHOOD IN ALMERE.

T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 2
In a plan concept shape and colour must support one another.
COMMENTARY
LEFT: PALETTE OF ‘NEW GREENS’ ON THE BASIS OF COLOUR RESEARCH BY ROB VAN MAANEN/HET KLEURBUREAU
INTO THE MANY NUANCES OF ‘ZAANS GROEN’. IMAGE QUALITY PLAN ‘INVERDAN’ IN ZAANDAM, SOETERS VAN
ELDONK ARCHITECTS.
RIGHT: DESIGNING FOR THE URBAN CENTRE OF ZAANDAM, AS PART OF THE URBAN DEVELOPMENT PLAN
‘INVERDAN’ IN WHICH THE NEW GREENS HAVE BEEN APPLIED.
No shape without colour
Shape and colour do not exist independently. All there is, is coloured shape or shaped
colour, which is the same thing. Everything that is visible can be seen as shape and/or
as colour.
Even though the past 25 years have seen a greater consciousness in the implementation
of colour than the preceding 25 years, there are few urban planning projects in which colour
has been used as an integral part of the design. The Java island in Amsterdam is one
example of this. The use of materials and rhythm has created an urban development in
colour. In the Stadswerven plan in Dordrecht colour has been an important element in the
design from the start, as it has been in the Regenboog neighbourhood in Almere. Structural
thinking and designing in colour has not yet been implemented on a comprehensive scale
in various Vinex locations (large scale new housing developments), even though colour is
the most simple building material there is! The relationship between shape and colour in
the urban interior of floors, walls and trees is extremely delicate, especially when trees are
taken into consideration in the sense that their changing colour with the seasons enhance
the atmosphere of the urban spaces. In the Netherlands a large percentage of building
materials is chosen because of the price or technical characteristics. This weakens a
carefully devised colour plan and makes its execution usually impossible.
RECOMMENDATION
The importance of the intensive relationship between shape and colour must be
recognised from the start when designing for urban planning.
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PROPOSITION 3
LEFT: YOU CAN SEE THE INFLUENCE OF THE SEASONS IN THE FAÇADES AS SHOWN HERE AT SPORT PLAZA
MERCATOR OF VENHOEVEN CS ARCHITECTS AND IN THE ‘FLOOR’ OF LANGE VOORHOUT.
RIGHT: VARIOUS ELEMENTS SUCH AS CARS, TRAMS AND ADVERTISING OBJECTS CAUSE THE IMAGE OF STREETS
AND SQUARES TO CHANGE CONTINUOUSLY.
Environmental variables
When using colour in urban areas one must
examine characteristic colour patterns and
the relationships between the dynamic,
cyclical and static environmental variables.

T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 3
Environmental variables
When using colour in urban areas one must examine charac -teristic colour patterns and
the relationships between the dynamic, cyclical and static environmental variables.
COMMENTARY
Generally speaking we can discern cyclical, dynamic and static environmental variables in
urban areas. The natural environment with its changing seasons and day and night is a clear
example of the cyclical aspect. Mobile objects such as buses, trams and cars represent the
dynamic aspect.
Buildings, in contrast, are relatively static. Together these three different environmental
variables often form a figure-background-’Gestalt’: urban areas as a relatively static image
in a cyclical changing landscape, or the dynamic traffic in relation to the static street walls.
These three aspects together bring colour to the city. It is remark able that many people
associate the colour of the city with the dy namic or the cyclical: the yellow trams,
illuminated advertising, the purple, yellow and white crocuses in the spring etc. It is just
that strong colour effect that has inspired architects to treat environmental variables as
dynamic ones as well. Bright contrasting colour patterns are applied to façades, which
gained a striking advertising or décor effect.
RECOMMENDATION
Due to continuous changes which take place in urban areas, the developments in time
must be taken more into account.
LEFT, RIGHT: THE BUILT-UP AREA IS MORE OR LESS A STATIC DÉCOR IN WHICH INCREASINGLY BRIGHT COLOUR
COMBINATIONS OCCUR AS SHOWS THE THEATER IN LELYSTAD, DESIGNED BY UN STUDIO, AND THE NEW FAÇADE IN
THE CENTRE OF ALMERE STAD.
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T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 4
In the use of colour when building new
neighbourhoods and buildings the history
of the area, the style and the trend must
be taken into account.
LEFT: WHEN THE OLD SITUATION IS USED AS A CULTURAL VALUE, COLOUR CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT VISUAL ROLE
AS SHOWN IN THE PLAN FOR YPENBURG IN THE HAGUE.
RIGHT: USE WHEN DESIGNING NEW NEIGHBOURHOODS THE TIMESCALES IN THE SENSE OF STYLE, TREND AND
FASHION WAVES AND RELATE THIS TO THE USE OF COLOUR.
Times waves

T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 4
Time waves
In the use of colour when building new neighbourhoods and buildings the history of the
area, the style and the trend must be taken into account.
COMMENTARY
Former offices, factory buildings and residential areas are regaining appreciation and in
many cases they are used as a source of inspira tion and as a reminder of the place, its
history, and architecture and design from which new basic principles are created for urban
planning. The urban pattern appears to have unsuspected cultural planning values due to
the slow time wave. The buildings which form that pattern often have a short lifespan and
the lifespan of the components that make up the buildings (window frames, doors, etc.) is
even shorter still, unless frequent protective measures are taken, in example painting.
Shops, cafes and the like often have a lot of colour and are frequently subject to change.
With short time waves, in particular the dynamic ones, such as advertising, it is a given
that the use of colour is more intense and that it changes as fashion changes. With the very
long (style) waves, which represent the elements that change the least, not only the
warning function is of importance, but one should also depart from a more ambiguous use
of colour with different possibilities for interpretation.
RECOMMENDATION
Taking into account the continuous changes in purpose and use of spaces and buildings it
is essential to formulate a colour vision over time.
LEFT: THE FASCINATING MURALS IN THE QUARTIER DES ETATS-UNITS IN LYON, BY ARCHITECT GARNIER, MAKE THE
NEIGHBOURHOOD VERY ATTRACTIVE AND IMPROVE THE ORIENTATION.
RIGHT: LYON IS THE PRE-EMINENT CITY OF THE 'TROMPE L’OEIL'; THIS FINELY PAINTED ILLUSIONARY SCENE DEPICTS
THE LUMIÈRE FAMILY, INVENTORS OF THE FILM PROJECTION.
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T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 5
Colour models should be developed at
different scales in order to enhance the
character of the urban space.
LEFT ABOVE: COLOUR MODEL ON A NEIGHBOURHOOD SCALE FROM THE ONKEL TOMS HÜTTE RESIDENTIAL AREA IN
ZEHLENDORF, BERLIN, ARCHITECT BRUNO TAUT.
LEFT BELOW: COLOUR PLAN BY HEIDE HINTERTHÜR FOR AN URBAN PLANNING DESIGN FOR THE NEW LOCATION OF
YPENBURG IN THE HAGUE BY FRITS PALMBOOM.
RIGHT ABOVE: IN TIMAIOS PLATO DESCRIBES HIS IDEAL ISLAND STATE ATLANTIS WITH SEVEN CIRCULAR SHAPED
WALLS, WHICH EACH HAVE A DIFFERENT COLOUR. POSSIBLY THE FIRST COLOUR PLAN IN THE WORLD. IT IS THE PRE-
SENT DAY CITY OF ECBATANA (HAMADAN) IN IRAN.
RIGHT BELOW: CITÉ FRUGÈS, PRESSAC, 1924-1927, BY LE CORBUSIER.
Analysis per scale

T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 5
Analysis per scale
Colour models should be developed at different scales in order to enhance the character
of the urban space.
COMMENTARY
In many cases the increasing use of colour is limited to the colours of a building or block of
buildings, without attention being paid to the context in which they stand. All too often
variety is perceived as being synonymous with colourfulness. Through a lack of cultural
awareness Mediterranean, regional or rural applications of colour are copied and applied to
new urban designs. There are few recent examples of coherent use of colour at the higher
scales of the neighbourhood, district or city.
To gain insight into the question of whether or not there is an urban planning colour
model, it is necessary to use analytical models. This way it is possible to see if there is
actually a recognisable model. Colour schemes of walls, floors and urban layout with trees
are re p resented on a map. It is then possible to see per scale whether or not there is a
recognisable pattern. By comparing this pattern to the analy sis of the most important other
environmental variables, it can be determined whether they are supported, enhanced or
weakened.
RECOMMENDATION
Regard and analyse the city as a complete composition which attempts to stabilise its
individuality amidst constant change. Based on that analysis the choice of colour and
materials can be of great support to the design process.
LEFT: COLOUR PLAN VARIATIONS FOR MOSCOW (1929) BY L. ANTOKOLSKI.
RIGHT: THE FRENCHMAN J.P. LENCLOS DEVELOPED ‘CHROMATIC ALPHABETS’ FOR VARIOUS AREAS IN FRANCE.
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T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 6
LEFT: MONUMENTS OF THE URBAN APPLICATION OF COLOUR: ARGENTINISCHE ALLEE AND ONKEL TOMS HÜTTE
IN BERLIN, BY ARCHITECT BRUNO TAUT. THE BIRCHES APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN CONSCIOUSLY INCORPORATED
INTO THE DESIGN.
RIGHT: THE UNITY OF A STREET SCENE CAN CONSIST OF UNEQUIVOCAL USE OF COLOUR AND/OR MATERIAL.
HOWEVER, THROUGH A REFINED BALANCE, DIVERSITY IN APPLICATION OF COLOUR AND/OR MATERIAL CAN
ALSO BE A BINDING FACTOR AND CREATE A SPECIFIC ATMOSPHERE, AS IS SHOWN IN THE P.C. HOOFTSTRAAT
IN AMSTERDAM.
Individual freedom in a colour framework
Draw up a clear colour concept which
can be enhanced by individual variety.

T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 6
Draw up a clear colour concept which can be enhanced by
individual variety.
COMMENTARY
LEFT: FAÇADE COLOURS IN THE CITY CENTRE OF TURIN, BASED ON A COLOUR PLAN FROM THE EARLY
19TH CENTURY.
RIGHT: STUDIO ALDO ROSSI, DESIGN FOR A BLOCK WITH SHOPS, OFFICES AND HOUSES: MARCKGRAFENSTRASSE,
BERLIN.
Individual freedom in a colour framework
The endless addition of individual expressions of colour in urban areas can be just as
tedious as the dullness of a rigid colour model. In urban areas there are spaces with entirely
different atmospheres: from highly private to public. This can be expressed in the manner
in which colour is given to the city ‘top down’ or ‘bottom up’. In pre -dom inantly residential
areas a great deal of individual freedom is possible. Subsidiary building elements such as
windows and doors (with short durability) in particular lend themselves to that. However,
one colour concept for complete street walls can form the basis upon which individual
variations could be made.
A good example of this is ‘Onkel Tom’s Hütte’ by Bruno Taut in the Zehlendorf
neighbourhood in Berlin. For streets that run from east to west the colour yellow has been
set down, but the individual owners have applied it with different nuances: various shades
of yellow. This combination of a clear concept and the arbitrary, individual colour choices
create a surprising image.
RECOMMENDATION
Use the possibilities of a conscious use of colour to give streets, villages or urban districts
their own character.
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T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 7
Colour at the higher scales of for instance
an urban district can be a binding element,
which increases the ‘legibility’ of an urban
environment.
LEFT ABOVE: GREY URBAN DEVELOPMENT, EASTERN EUROPE;
LEFT BELOW: COLOUR MODEL FOR THE RENOVATION AREA KREUZBERG, BERLIN.
RIGHT: UNITY IN DIVERSITY: RIOMAGGIORE CINQUE TERRE, ITALY. CITY OF LUXEMBURG, TALLINN, ESTLAND AND
SIBIU, ROMANIA.
Urban coherence

T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 7
Urban coherence
Colour at the higher scales of for instance an urban district can be a binding element,
which increases the ‘legibility’ of an urban environment.
COMMENTARY
Many older centres often contrast sharply with the crumbled, additive construction of the
more recent urban extensions. The effect of several strict regimes has been grey urban
planning from East Germany to the coast of China for 40 to 50 years. The historical cities that
had been built in colour faded to dull, grey cities, causing them to lose the vitality of space and
radiance. After the political revolutions one of the first things to be undertaken was the
restoration of the original colouring and its many details. First in the town centres, then in the
surrounding areas and finally in the newer neighbourhoods. Tallinn in Estonia, Wismar in
Northern Germany, Sibiu in Romania and Tirana in Albania are examples of this. Here we see
that colour symbolises the new urban vitality and poetry and restores the coher ence at the
same time. In the Netherlands unfortunately there are still neighbourhoods that have
remained dull, for whatever reason, and that miss the vitality of living and life.
A delicate balance is needed between continuity and discontinuity with regard to shape,
material, texture and colour. It would be pref -erable to have the coherence at higher scales on
the one hand and have the variety at lower scales on the other. Choice of colour and material
fulfil an extremely important role. Models developed for this visualise the coherence through,
amongst other things:
- shaded tones for the whole, in which the buildings manifest them -selves through unusual
colours; - taking advantage of the supports of the structure, routes, junctions, and borders;
- attuning the urban interior, with its surfacing, trees etc. to this; - overlapping colour grids.
RECOMMENDATION
Draw up a structured colour plan which supports and vitalises the urban planning
coherence.
LEFT: FINE COHERENCE OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND ARCHITECTURE WHEREBY THE COLOUR OF THE MATERIAL
STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE WHOLE, APPLIED BY DUDOK IN HILVERSUM.
RIGHT: COLOUR AS BEARER OF URBAN RHYTHM: SIBIU AND JAVA-EILAND.
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PROPOSITION 8
LEFT AND RIGHT ABOVE: SCHOOL DE KIKKER OSDORP, AMSTERDAM, A GOOD COMBINATION OF
SHAPE AND COLOUR.
LEFT AND RIGHT BELOW: YPENBURG: SPATIAL COMPOSITION SUPPORTED BY BLUE SHADES.
The coloured space
The atmosphere and quality of urban spaces
is determined to a large degree by a
conscientious coherence between the colours
of the floor (surfacing), the trees (and street
furniture), the walls (buildings) and the roofs.

T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 8
The coloured space
The atmosphere and quality of urban spaces is determined to a large degree by a
conscientious coherence between the colours of the floor (surfacing), the trees
(and street furniture), the walls (buildings) and the roofs.
COMMENTARY
Responsibility for public space is shared: the architect serves his build ing or block of
buildings, the Parks and Public Gardens Department protects the ‘greenery’ and the Roads
Department takes care of the surfacing of the streets. It is telling that the natural
environment is consistently represented by the colour green, when it changes colour so
often.
The four elements that determine the urban interior, floor, walls, possibly roofs and the
layout with trees and street furniture, are often perceived to be separate responsibilities.
However, the relationships between these elements are essential for the whole.
The fragmented application of colour to the public spaces of new districts and in
renovation schemes, where experiments with colour are going on, more often detracts
from the spaces instead of enhanc-ing them.
RECOMMENDATION
Commissioning agents, designers, executors and administrators should view the public
space as one spatial entity. From this spatial entity light, shapes and colour can support
one another.
LEFT AND RIGHT ABOVE: RED BUILDINGS AS ENTRANCE TO THE PANAMALAAN IN AMSTERDAM,
BY DEDATO ARCHITECTS.
LEFT AND RIGHT BELOW: LA DEFENSE IN ALMERE BY UN STUDIO. THE COLOUR OF THE FAÇADES IS CONSTANTLY
CHANGED BY THE REFLECTION OF THE LIGHT.
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PROPOSITION 9
For covered and other public areas colours
must be chosen which will create warm
lighting when combined with the colour of
the incidence of natural and artificial light.
LEFT: IN COVERED AREAS SUCH AS HERE IN BRUSSELS NOT ONLY THE SHAPES OF THE WALLS, ROOFS AND FLOORS
DEMAND A BALANCED COMPOSITION, BUT LIGHT AND COLOUR SHOULD ALSO BE INTEGRATED.
RIGHT: COLOUR DIAGRAM: THE HATCHED TRIANGLE REPRESENTS THAT PART OF THE SPECTRUM WHICH IS
PERCEIVED TO BE WARM.
Urban lightning

T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 9
LEFT AND RIGHT ABOVE: IN THE UNDERPASS OF THE NAI ARCHIVES IN ROTTERDAM THE ARTIST P. STRUIJCKEN
CREATED A METAMORPHOSIS WHEREBY ENDLESS COLOUR SHIFTS OCCUR THROUGH THE USE OF LIGHT.
LEFT AND RIGHT BELOW: 'MOOD WALL' IN THE UNDERPASS OF AMSTERDAMSE POORT, REAL ISED BY THE URBAN
ALLIANCE COLLECTIVE. BOTH ARE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW A DARK COVERED SPACE CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO
AN ATTRACTIVE SPACE.
Urban lighting
For covered and other public areas colours must be chosen which will create warm
lighting when combined with the colour of the incidence of natural and artificial light.
COMMENTARY
There are warm colours and cold colours, respectively red, orange, yellow (warm) and blue,
green and grey (cold). However, it is by no means a rule that a space must be coloured red,
orange or yellow in order to evoke a pleasant atmosphere. A green lawn under a blue sky
does not have to be disagreeable at all. It is not the colour of a surface that determines
whether a space is perceived to be cold or warm, but the colour of the light. The colour of
the light in a space is depend -ent on the colour of the light source and of all the reflections
of that light in the space. Dark façades with grey pavements and black asphalt feel gloomy,
particularly on dark days and at night, because often no reflection is possible. In a colour
diagram we can indicate exactly with in which area of the diagram the wavelengths of the
resulting light must fall in order to be perceived as warm.
RECOMMENDATION
Facade lighting can form an atmospheric addition to covered public areas, shopping
centres, passageways, walkways, viaducts, streets and footpaths. In the context of urban
planning a targeted light direction is of great importance.
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PROPOSITION 10
More attention must be paid to the total
clarity of the space.
LEFT: LIGHT COLOURED FAÇADES REFLECT THE LIGHT AND CREATE A SENSE OF SPACE IN THE STREET AS SHOWN
HERE IN BETONDORP AND IJPLEIN IN AMSTERDAM.
RIGHT: THE BRIGHTNESS NOT ONLY OFFERS MORE LIGHTNESS TO THE STREETS, THE REFLECTION IS ALSO DONE
MORE JUSTICE.
Clarity

T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 10
More attention must be paid to the total clarity of the space.
COMMENTARY
LEFT: BLOCK OF BUILDINGS JUSTUS VAN EFFENSTRAAT, ROTTERDAM, BY ARCHITECT M. BRINKMAN (ABOVE).
(BELOW) KIEFHOEK ROTTERDAM, ARCHITECT J.J.J.P. OUD.
RIGHT: TOWN HALL THE HAGUE, ARCHITECT RICHARD MEIER (ABOVE).
(BELOW) WATER CAN CONTRIBUTE GREATLY TO THE ENHANCEMENT OF LIGHTER TONES THROUGH ITS CLEAR
REFLECTION, CITY THEATRE UTRECHT, BY ARCHITECT W. DUDOK.
Clarity
It is remarkable how positive the effect is of cleaning old grey façades, or renewing old
paintwork or plastering on the façades or replacing old roof tiles.
Besides the colour tone and the saturation, there is clarity: clarity represents the
percentage of light which is reflected from the sur face. For white surfaces that percentage
is 100, for black surfaces it is 0. Street spaces with great clarity underline the importance of
this aspect. Clarity of the spatial boundaries is of great importance, especially when the
emphasis lies on the colouring of the space.
RECOMMENDATION
When designing urban spaces, make sure street walls and the urban interior tantalise the
eye, in order to create a refinement of light and reflection.
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PROPOSITION 11
LEFT ABOVE: IN DORDRECHT, COLOUR IS ONE OF THE BASIC PRINCIPLES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN
STADSWERVEN, AS SHOWN IN THIS URBAN PLAN BY FRITS PALMBOOM.
LEFT BELOW: PART OF THE PALETTE OF 55 HISTORICAL COLOURS OF DORDRECHT, DEVELOPED BY
HENDRIK GROENEWEG AND KEES ROUW, WHICH ARE BEING APPLIED IN THE CITY CENTRE AND ALSO PLAY A ROLE IN
THE URBAN EXTENSION.
RIGHT: ERNST MAY: COLOUR MODEL FOR NEUMARKT (1928).
Colour in the zoning plan
When urban designs show a clear concept
in which materials and colours play a part,
this should be included in the zoning plan
or the plan for aesthetic quality.

T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 11
Colour in the zoning plan
When urban designs show a clear concept in which materials and colours play a part, this
should be included in the zoning plan or the plan for aesthetic quality.
COMMENTARY
Prescribing the use of colour and materials in a zoning plan is not possible. In all
jurisprudence since 1965 the Crown has stated that neither colour nor materials may be
prescribed in a zoning plan. An excep tion can only be made where urban and rural areas are
protected under the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act. The only colour in a
zoning plan is that of the zoning plan map. Here lies an important role for the building
inspectors in assessing external appearance.
Ernst May’s plan for the Neumarkt (1928) can be seen as inspirational in this context. The
main streets have the most vibrant colours: red, orange and yellow. In the residential
streets we find the more timid green and blue. The borders are white, in contrast to the
land -scape. The dominant shades are not laid down in a stringent recipe, but are proposals
to structure the completely random use of colour which existed up until that moment. In
the ‘Regenboog’ neighbourhood in Almere this has been achieved through the distribution
of plots amongst landowners. Stimulating and inspiring appears to be more effective than
implementing rigid rules and regulations.
RECOMMENDATION
Use inspiring examples and references when making plans.
LEFT: HOUSES IN THE ELZENHAGEN NEIGHBOURHOOD BY INBO ARCHITECTS, PART OF THE CAN PLAN IN
AMSTERDAM-NOORD BY SOETERS VAN ELDONK ARCHITECTS.
RIGHT: THE ‘REGENBOOG’ NEIGHBOURHOOD IN ALMERE, IN WHICH RELATION -SHIPS IN THE TREE PLAN ARE
DIRECTLY LINKED TO THE COLOUR PLAN. EACH PART OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD HAS A DIFFERENT SHADE OF
COLOUR WHICH FITS INTO THE ENTIRE CONCEPT WITH EASE.
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T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 12
The stimulating role of social real estate owners
The owners of social real estate, such as municipalities
with public space and public buildings,
housing corporations, railway stations, hospitals
and educational institutions must take responsibility
for the quality of the living environment in
stimulating a conscious use of colour.
LEFT: IN THE ‘DE MUZEN’ PROJECT IN THE MUZIEKWIJK DISTRICT OF ALMERE THE COMMISSIONER OF THE PROJECT
ASKED THE ATELIER PRO TO USE THE CLASSICAL COLOURS OF ROME AS A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION.
RIGHT: PEOPLE AND THEIR CLOTHING CONTRIBUTE TO A COLOURFUL IMAGE IN THE STREET, PARTICULARLY WITH
THE RHYTHM OF SMALLER AND LARGER TINTED FAÇADES; THEY CREATE A LIVELY URBAN INTERIOR.

T W E L V E C O L O U R P R O P O S I T I O N S
PROPOSITION 12
The stimulating role of social real estate owners
The owners of social real estate, such as municipalities with public space and public
buildings, housing corporations, railway stations, hospitals and educational
institutions must take responsibility for the quality of the living environment in
stimulating a conscious use of colour.
COMMENTARY
Public space is used by millions of people on a daily basis. The governing bodies of cities and
villages shape and maintain those public spaces. Conscious use of colour can play an
important part in that. The national government can take on a stimulating role as expressed
in the report ‘Pleidooi voor de openbare ruimte’ (‘Plea for Public Space’). The housing
corporations own almost half of all housing, among which are many buildings that may be
regarded as cultural heritage. Maintaining and renovating these buildings requires great
care in the choice of colour and materials. In new-build projects the use of colour should be
an integral part of the design process.
Corporations must set the example for private owners. Owners of large buildings with a
public use and purpose should also use colour consciously, because they can use it to
determine the atmosphere and the quality of the neighbourhoods.
RECOMMENDATION
Owners of public space and social real estate should consult professional colour experts
on new-build projects, maintenance and renovation.
THE URBAN WORLD BECOMES MORE VALUABLE BY INCLUDING FORM AND COLOUR IN ALL THE FACETS
OF DESIGN AND EXECUTION, AS SHOWN HERE IN THE PROJECTS IN ALMERE HAVEN, ALMERE STAD AND
ALMERE BUITEN.
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Epilogue
Over the past 25 years Kleur Buiten has undertaken various activities aimed at a conscious
use of colour in the public space. Renewing this booklet is one of those activities. Through
the years we have been supported by both private benefactors and companies*, but we
have also drawn support from the input from committed professionals such as architects,
town planners and colour consultants.
We believe our efforts have led to good results. Of course, we can always do more and
better, but in many places in our living environment we can see that colour plays a distinct
role in the design and the planning of the public space. There are several municipalities
which have published booklets with colour routes, like The Hague, Arnhem and Dordrecht.
Some municipalities, such as Almere and Ypenburg, have paid much attention to colour in
the development of new residential areas. The examples can be seen in this booklet.
Institutions such as the Dutch Department of Public Works and the Dutch National Rail, who
commission large projects, are also working with this theme.
The foundation’s committee has therefore asked itself the question: where to go from
here? The mission is a success, but has certainly not yet been accomplished.
That discussion has resulted in a decision to focus our attention on interesting research
and publications on this topic over the coming years. Stichting Kleur Buiten wants to award
a prize biannually to a person and/or an institution that has produced a very imported
contribution in the field of conscious use of colour in the public space. The way in which
this will be organised, will be set out in future publications. We hope to be able to award
this prize for the first time in 2010.
This booklet may play a stimulating role.
Committee of Stichting Kleur Buiten
* Regular sponsors are:
Sikkens Bouwverven, Sigma Coatings, Wienerberger and Keim Verven.
© 2010 Floor van Dusseldorp
© 2010 Stichting Kleur Buiten
Prinsessekade 38, 2012 MC Haarlem
www.kleurbuiten.nl
Stichting Kleur Buiten (SKB)
Chairman: drs Bas Eenhoorn
Vice chairman: ir Peter Jonquière
Secretary: drs Freek Frederiks
Treasurer: drs Jan de Vletter
The following companies are represented in the foundation:
Sikkens Bouwverven, Sassenheim
Sigma Coatings BV, Uithoorn
Wienerberger BV, Zaltbommel
Keim Verven, Almere.
Text and compilation:
Floor van Dusseldorp, Zunderdorp
on the basis of the original publication:
‘12 Kleurstellingen’, SKB 1987,
by Alfons Cock (1951 - 1986)
and Floor van Dusseldorp
Editing:
Marianne Houtzager
Jan de Vletter
Floor van Dusseldorp
Willem Schilder
Photography: Floor van Dussseldorp
Additional photography:
Aerophoto-Schiphol arial photography, p 25
Bas Evers, p 8, p 21-22, p 27
Wim Hooijmans, p 10, p 18
Marianne Houtzager, p 18
Jasper Klinkhamer, p 21
Rob van Maanen, p 23
archive Rob van Maarschalkerwaard, p 5
Marco Overeem, p 26-27
Roelof Pot, p 29
Willem Schilder, cover, p 9-10, p 18, p 25
archive Soeters Van Eldonk architecten, p 7, p 25
archive Soeters Van Eldonk architecten
Design:
Willem Schilder, AVM Amsterdam
Translation:
Word-ing, Meppel
Dave Hardy, Voorschoten
Cover:
Ypenburg, Den Haag. Architect: MVRDV.
Cover, flap:
Elzenhagen, Amsterdam Noord. Architect: Inbo
Architecten.
Betondorp, Amsterdam. Renovation: Greiner Van Goor
Huijten and Dick Peek.
Cover inside:
‘Gli effetti del Buon Governo in Città’, Palazzo Pubblico, Sienna,
Ambrogio Lorenzetti (±1337-1339)
ISBN/EAN 978-90-71999-15-4
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