Media-surface design for urban regeneration: the role of colour and light for public space usability

Abstract

The best use of media surfaces, urban screens and digital technologies in relation to urban communication leads to a massive use of lights and colours to make architecture visible and perceptible and they are thought to be communicating social, cultural or political messages aiming to astonish people and capture their attention. The consequences of this evolution are to be seen in the changes regarding the city’s physical aspects and the role of culture in the public environment. The media architectural surfaces can be useful means to stimulate people and invite them to have a deeper cultural sensibility. The aim of this paper is to describe the new design approaches to the use of chromatic and bright technology for the construction of media architectural surfaces. Especially it analyses the communicative and perceptive role of colour and light in the urban context and the relationship between architecture and its users.