Maria Popva

First Question
It is common for houses in cold climates to be build out of wood, because the cold climate doesn 't weather wood, thus providing more longevity to the house; wood helps in trapping heat so the heat that is emitted from he lights in the houses during winter is captured by wood and stored in it, works as cold insulator, allows building layered walls that helps in installing a layer of cold insulator within the walls

References:
[1] http://home-and-constuctions.blogspot.ca/2010/02/wooden-houses.html
[2]http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Technologies_for_Rural_Development/Building_houses#
Housing_for_Cold_Climates
[3]http://www.teachengineering.org/view_lesson.php?url=collection/cub_/lessons/cub_c
hina/cub_china_lesson02.xml
.

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Second Question
"Color itself is a degree of darkness" Maria Popva.
Colors are a way to understand and recognize the world around us; a colorless world is a world of non existence. The first origins of color are the spectrum colors, the colors of the rainbow which includes the colors produced by the visible light, which include red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. There are many more colors in the world around us, these colors are all derived from mixing two or more visible colors.
The process of understanding the colors in the world allows us to understand cultures , behaviors, emotions, and even state of mind, this process is called Color psychology. Color psychology is a science which allows us to unlock secrets of colors and the affects that colors have on us, as well as, allowing us to use colors in ways most suited to human life.
The four main colors in color psychology are red, blue, green, and yellow, these colors are primary colors that relate to the body, mind, emotions, and balance of human beings. Each color holds many secrets and connotations behind it; the color red is one of the most powerful color because it has the longest wavelength, it can affect us
in more than one way; it can be considered as a sign of friendliness and simplicity, as well as, being a sign for aggressiveness and dominance. Red is a physics color that can easily capture our attention and raise our pulse rate, when used in indoor painting it can reflect certain senses and refract specific attitudes, red painted rooms can evoke string emotions, encourage appetite, passion or intensity, it can also symbolize love, for those reasons many brands, like KFC, McDonalds, and others, use red in their motto and in the inside design of their restaurants.
Another powerful color is yellow, it has the longest wavelength and is considered one of the most emotional colors, which makes it one the strongest colors physiologically. Just like red, yellow can evoke a multiple range of emotions, the 'right ' yellow can help with confidence and allows our state of mind to become more optimistic, but the wrong pitch of yellow can be a reason of fear and concern.

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Blue, the most productive color, is always considered for the color of the mind; it affect our minds more than any other color. Like red and yellow, ranges of blue arouse different behaviors; Strong blue will stimulate clear thought, light blue will help us in reaching a clam and eased state of mind. Unlike red, blue is considered unfriendly, unemotional, and cold. Also blue objects do not seem apparent to us unlike red objects.
Blue painted rooms evokes calmness, serenity, curbs appetite, and in most cases is associated to peace, they can be offices and corporate business rooms.
Lastly, green, the color of nature. Green is always accompanied with calming and restfulness attitude and behaviors.
"Being in the centre of the spectrum, it is the color of balance - a more important concept than many people realize" Color effects. The ranges of green as any other color can affect us in negative and positive ways; it can help us feel rested, balanced, and peaceful, but it can also make us feel bored, enervated, and bland. Green can be used in painting bedrooms; because it gives a sense of tranquility and health.
To sum up, color psychology affects our daily life, whether we know it or not; it can be you red bedroom that makes us wake up every day feeling angry and overdosed with emotions, or it can be your blue office that makes you feel most productive when working in it. Understanding the effects of color can help us paint our life in a way that would allow us, in a way, control or evoke the right emotions at the right times, it could also help us control other people 's emotions , behaviors, and attitudes. Color psychology is essential to architecture, "Successful design requires an awareness of how and why colors communicate meaning. The source of these meanings can be quite conspicuous, such as those found in nature " Akrisht, blogger and author of
Color:
Meaning, Symbolism and Psychology article.

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References:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color#Spectral_colors
[2] http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours
[3] http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/08/17/goethe-theory-of-colours/
[4] http://archinect.com/features/article/53292622/color-in-architecture-more-than-justdecoration
[5] http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1230/color-meaning-symbolism-andpsychology
[6] http://www.designrulz.com/product-design/2012/06/the-psychology-of-color-a-newguide-in-your-next-project/

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