“I call Architecture frozen music” - Goethe
…RHYTHM is the regular occurrence of elements, in time or in space…. The essence of sonic rhythm is timing, such as the sound of a drum beat. The essence of visual rhythm is spacing, which is conveyed by a recurring design element…A texture can be thought of as a fine-scale rhythm.
…LIGHT is radiant energy that is perceived by the human eye…. its quality and color vary considerably in different regions… The light intensity of the hot, dry plains of India led to perforated screens that shielded as they ventilated. In a different climate, that of France, the stained glass of medieval cathedrals converted the often overcast northern light into a warm radiant glow…by relocating an opening from the middle to the top of a wall a space can be transformed into an environment of diffused light, thus emphasizing the unity of the space.
COLOR and light are inseparable; when we see a color, we are experiencing a sensation caused by radiation of a particular wave length of light. In very dim light all colors appear as shades of gray, almost colorless… We respond emotionally to color. Colors have associations such as warmth, coolness, weight, size, distance, even sound. For example, red is considered a “warm” color as well as a “loud” one.
Colors also have psychological effects. Red, for example is exciting. Green is soothing. Leathery browns are masculine. Pink is feminine. Black is solid but mysterious. Color can also affect the perception of time. In a green environment, time seems to pass more slowly than in a red one…
from the Kaplan study guide for the Programming, Planning, and Practice ARE