Colour perception is a fascinating area of design.

Colour can be used to excellent effect to highlight or zone areas of an environment which can help with navigation in large buildings.

Colour can also have an influence on our emotional wellbeing.

While the use of colour can be used to inspire, it is also very important to specify the correct level of visual or tonal contrast when selecting elements for an environment. An example of this is where a wall finish is used next to a floor finish. Both of these finishes should have an appropriate level of tonal contrast when viewed against each other. This is very important to help ensure that a person who is partially sighted can navigate an environment independently.

Design and Access will carefully select all surface finishes and fittings with the minimum recommended level of tonal contrast. We use a variety of methods to select suitable elements for a project including manufacturers data and specialist equipment to identify the light reflectance value (LRV) of a material.