Colour design in mental healthcare environments is acutely significant. Sensory acuity may be impaired through age, illness, or heightened stress and anxiety. While research has played a role in the development of guidance on the use of colour in such environments, this article suggests that this tends to be followed in a dogmatic, risk-averse manner and predominately without professional design input, leading to monotonous and under-stimulating environments. The article reports on two case study projects by the authors, involving user participation and student volunteers. These colour design installations provide examples of practice-led applied research within occupied healthcare facilities. The article discusses the significance of site-specific colour design in relation to place-making and wayfinding with reference to previous research that considers the role of colour as part of the everyday experience of all users, in contrast to an approach focused solely on the behavior of patients. It concludes that colour design knowledge developed and applied through "real world" live projects, involving students as part of their architectural education can address some of the shortcomings of laboratory or staged colour research.

Glazed ceramic cladding is a material with a very long history of use in the built environment, whether as roof tiles, wall tiles, or more recently, as part of a rainscreen cladding system. A key factor in the resurgence of interest in ceramic as a cladding material-in addition to its inherent qualities of sustainability, malleability, durability, and fire resistance-is as a means of incorporating color into the facade. Although polychromatic facades are commonly achieved using tessellation of a range of single-colored elements, this article will focus on complex layered and variegated color and texture within a single component. Historical glazes, such as the blue-red of Chinese Jun ware pottery from the 12th century CE were produced through carefully controlled reduction kiln processes, yet retained an element of uncertainty in the resultant patterns and remain an inspiration for contemporary ceramic artists. Drawing on historical research, literature review and interviews with ceramic artists and industrial manufacturers, six case studies from the United Kingdom and China are discussed that show collaborative processes at different scales of operation. These combine unique artisan and artistic glazes, with standardized, rigorously tested, and internationally manufactured products. These "fusion glazes" refer to historic hand-made practices to bring an element of unpredictability, and a layer of complexity in terms of color, texture and luster.