Architects unhappy with blue & white combination

SNS, Kolkata, 12 June 2014: City-based architects opined that painting residential buildings in the city blue and white goes against the principle of modern architecture.

The modern style in architecture follows painting residential and apartment blocks in bright double colours. "The bright colours make the structures look resplendent against the backdrop of the sky," said a teacher in architecture, Bengal Engineering and Science University (Besu), on condition of anonymity. He said in modern cities every building is painted a different colour to give it a different identity.

Another well known restoration architect said in Greece buildings situated in heritage zones are painted white. But in Kolkata no definite policy is followed by the state government in colouring the buildings situated in the heritage zone. When identifying heritage buildings began in the mid 1990s by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), then architects were not consulted to specify the colours which would be used to paint structures located in the heritage zone.

Giving an example he said Writers' Buildings is red while the GPO is white though both are situated in the same heritage zone.

The old currency building which has recently been restored has been painted white. "There is no uniform policy in selecting colours of the old buildings in the heritage zone. It would have looked beautiful had all the old structures been painted either white or red."

Another famous architect said the decision will curb the freedom of architects.