ABSTRACT
Allford hall monaghan morris (ahmm) is an architectural practice whose work is located predominately in London. eir work is rooted in a sense of pragmatic solutions, used not just to solve problems, but to spark further creative ideas wrought out of comparatively low budgets. Building elements are frequently both functional and decorative. eir use of colour evolved in the early days in practice, when it was seen as eectively cost-free and able to dene spatial ideas, give identity and reinforce the conceptual understanding of the building.1
Subsequently, as the practice has become well-established, their use of colour has developed an identiable set of principles. eir work in the urban realm provides insights into the role of colour in the multi-dimensional environment of the city. e ubiquitous peppering of global marketing, through which very specic hues become rmly associated with specic brands (such as CocaCola red) is one signicant aspect of the use of colour in contemporary urban environments. Used as part of waynding strategies, colour is also fundamental to navigation within complex visual environments. AHMM have used such contrasts to develop a form of branding of their own architecture and on behalf of their clients. In such environments, intense hues serve to contrast with the relatively bland, grey or so background colours of the contemporary city.
