Material: Thermochromic paint
Functions: Psychological color effect and communicating helpful messages
Application: As wall paint, e.g., in nursing homes
One workshop group with a background in psychology developed a wall concept that uses the psychological effect of colors. Their idea was to paint interior walls with thermochromic paint. The color of the pigments changes depending on the temperature. When it is cold, the wall appears red, producing a feeling of warmth – and reducing the need for heating. If it is warm, the wall turns blue and a message appears, such as a symbol of a water bottle. This reminds people in the room to drink enough. The concept could be used in nursing homes, for example.
»Our project is called ›The Room As A Chameleon‹. We had the idea of combining the psychological effect of colors with thermal layers. When it’s cold outside, the thermally coated wall appears red, and you use the heating less because you feel warmer. And when it’s really warm, the red color disappears, and the blue color appears. And blue makes you feel cooler. We combine this with small hidden messages that might be important to the people living in these rooms. For example, we thought of people with dementia.«