Chromolume: A Study of How Colored Lights Inform Natural Healing Practices Through Architecture

Abstract

The built environments we occupy regularly have a strong and lasting impact on our mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. This leads to the question of: What role can architecture play in facilitating healing environments through the building design? This design project narrows in on a specific alternative medicinal method called chromotherapy, or color therapy, and shows how it can be applied in the design world. To further advance the research, a psychological research experiment was conducted on human subjects to record the correlation between colored environments and biophysical senses. The biophysical senses that were stimulated in the experiment were further analyzed in a correlational research study to determine which colors mitigate which illness. The results will then be implemented in architecture to create healing spaces through design.