Making our buildings more colourful would be an easy and effective way to achieve the aims of Thomas Heatherwick's Humanise campaign, writes Laura Guido-Clark.

When Thomas Heatherwick launched his Humanise campaign in 2023, skepticism came fast and furious. Decrying the negative psychological and public-health effects of what the designer calls "boring buildings", the campaign issues a well-meaning cry for interesting, soulful buildings that are better for people.
Heatherwick's campaign has been met with a barrage of criticism, but what if he's onto something" His line of inquiry offers an opportunity to take a step back and look at our built environment, at the places where our communities go to learn, connect, and find care, and ask, are these spaces actually designed to make us feel better" The trajectory of modernism has often led us away from bright, bold colours and towards a more restrained palette
When we look closely, we might see that our schools, libraries, and community centres in the US often feel like visual deserts ? devoid of character, variety and soulful details. Instead of being satisfied with this status quo, we could do well to join Heatherwick's campaign, banding together to create more visually interesting spaces that improve our wellbeing.
One often overlooked yet highly powerful way to create "unboring" buildings is through the use of colour. While the trajectory of modernism has often led us away from bright, bold col...