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Albania revels in freedom of colour chaos
By Michael Geller
CanWest News Service - Published: Saturday, October 06, 2007
Michael Geller is a Vancouver architect, planner and property developer, who is travelling the world and sharing his discoveries.
During the planning for UniverCity, I promoted the idea of restricting the permitted materials and colours to create a more visually co-ordinated community. This idea was inspired by places like the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini, where all the buildings are white; and Jerusalem , where every building must incorporate the local stone.
I have now discovered other cities and towns that are remarkable because of their choice of materials, and more significantly, the colour of the buildings.
In Jaisalmer , India , all the buildings look like sandcastles. That is because, for centuries, they have been carved from local sandstone that has a consistent golden hue. Rarely are buildings painted any colour. On the other hand, in nearby Jaipur, the 19th-century Maharaja Ram Singh decreed that the entire walled city should be painted pink -- a colour associated with hospitality -- to welcome the then-Prince of Wales . The tradition has been maintained. Today, nearly all the buildings are various shades of pink. The overall effect is quite fascinating, especially at dusk when the town takes on a magical glow.
Along the Adriatic Coast , I was impressed by the older communities in Montenegro and Croatia . Here, too, there is a very limited colour palette. The streets are often paved in a beautiful white marble that glistens (except for those places where people have carelessly discarded their chewing gum).
With few exceptions, the buildings have terra cotta clay-tiled roofs. Over the years, the roofs fade or become discoloured and newer, brighter tiles are installed.
The resulting effect is an orange patchwork, best exemplified by Dubrovnik 's Old Town , when viewed from the walkway atop its medieval walls. The walls of buildings are usually constructed from a light coloured stone or finished in painted stucco. While warm beiges and greys predominate, occasionally different paint colours are used.
But they are generally not so vivid as to clash with the neighbouring properties. Most buildings have wooden shutters that are painted in a stronger accent colour. This results in places with very complementary and harmonious buildings.
I was curious to know whether this architectural consistency was achieved by government decree or self imposition. In fact, it is a combination of both.
In most communities, people select their roof tiles or paint their homes to harmonize with their neighbours as part of a longstanding tradition. While there are always a few deviants, they are usually scorned by their neighbours.
In other places, especially those that have a UNESCO World Cultural Site designation, design regulations restrict the choice of colour and materials. In these communities there is limited room for individual expression.
There is one very notable exception to all of this -- Albania . Here, I was both shocked and delighted by what I found. The country seems to have overcome its years of Communist rule by painting buildings in the most unimaginable colour combinations. They are purple and orange, chartreuse and burgundy, and bright green and red. And these are not just individual houses. An eight-storey apartment was painted a vivid yellow with green stripes and blue and red squares up the side. New highrises were equally colourful, often painted in five or six different colours.
And yet, within the context of the surrounding grey buildings, bright sunshine and vivid turquoise waters of the Adriatic , I thought these colours seemed to work just fine.
The one thing that did not work for me was the practice of allowing residents in some older apartments to paint their portion of the building exterior whatever colour they wanted. As a result, dilapidated grey buildings displayed yellow or pastel blue patches, and balconies seemed to be painted whatever colour was on sale at the local hardware store.
To add to the chaos, many residents had enclosed their balconies with different window frames and screens. Some were painted; others were not. As a result of what I have seen, I think there are some general lessons that could apply to our city and region. For one thing, some of Albania 's buildings clearly demonstrate that condominium strata councils are doing the right thing by controlling the exterior appearance of buildings, in terms of colour and the design of any balcony enclosures.
It is appropriate to limit the colour and materials in communities where there is a strong local context, especially as we look to the future. Many coastal towns like Budva and Kotor in Montenegro are more than 1,000 years old. These buildings have been designed with different architectural styles over the centuries, but through the use of a limited number of materials and colours, they have achieved a cohesiveness that residents and visitors find attractive and comfortable.
However, in other situations, a good case can be made for allowing a greater range of colours and materials. Many heritage areas have a tradition of strongly coloured buildings, and this should be continued. Other places have no overriding context or setting. They are not near the water, in a forest, or a place with a defined design tradition. In these instances, the buildings could benefit from the added interest that can come from a greater level of diversity.
I think we did the right thing at UniverCity by restricting the choice of materials and colours. Over time, this should result in a coordinated community design that complements the natural setting. But in other communities, it might be better to let residents select different materials and stronger colours, except when they are living in a multi-unit apartment or townhouse complex. Then there needs to be some control. Otherwise, their buildings could end up looking like those for sale in Albania .
