Can a hybrid methodology facilitate a collaborative approach in the assistance of establishing how colour can support a healthy interior space for the ageing population including people with dementia?

Paper presented with a illustrated powerpoint in the Education for Colour Design ( ECD) panel of the 12th AIC conference 2013. Colour produces powerful sensory responses, yet its role in Interior Design for the ageing population is poorly researched. This paper interprets the phenomena of colour in interiors for older people through review of metadata and visual analysis of case studies in Northern Ireland and Amsterdam. Innovative investigations will seek to explore how a hybrid methodology facilitates a collaborative approach in the assistance of establishing how colour can support a healthy interior space for the ageing population. Colour is not passive; it is a functional component of the environment that can induce powerful sensory responses. The ageing population is a global research priority and there is demand for active and fluid functionality from all elements of the designed environment. Therefore by necessity, the complexity of interior design and colour research for the ageing population has had to bridge disciplines and in doing so not only opens up possibilities for interior designers, but begins a relationship with a process of enquiry that is intensely human, capturing how colour can shape space connecting one environment to another.