Color-Knit Kashgar With Threads of Ethnicity, History, and Nature

We have been commissioned by the local government to undertake the urban color design for Kashgar. By analyzing the color genes of Kashgar's natural environment, historical culture, ethnic art, and architectural style, and integrating the concept of climate-adaptive color design, we have extracted a low-reflectance matte color palette suited to the arid, high-light, and sandy environment. For Kashgar, we established a recommended urban color spectrum composed of four major color systems: "Poplar Gold, Clay Red, Glacier Green, and Sky Blue." These are applied to the city's public spaces, buildings, and signage systems, creating Kashgar's exclusive urban color image system with the imagery of "Warm Sand Flowing Gold and Emerald Blue Starlight."
We separately studied and developed differentiated color images and tailored color strategies for the ancient city, old city, and new city. Combined with the design of the urban color spatial structure, we guided the urban spatial colors of the ancient city, old city, and new city to transition in an orderly gradient—from the heavy hues of sunset, to the elegant warm pinks, and finally to the bright pinks of sunrise.
In the renewal design of five key streets, we customized color schemes based on the "sunlight-color response curve": east-west streets adopted cool-toned shadow colors to mitigate the intense afternoon sunlight, while north-south streets used warm-toned light-absorbing colors to enhance comfort in winter. This approach adapts colors to the climatic environment and uses them to shape urban spaces.
The urban color design of Kashgar is a scientific practice centered on environmental adaptation, identity affirmation, cultural heritage, and future imagination—a visual manifesto imbued with sunlight reflections, windblown sand imprints, and historical memories. By establishing a distinctive urban color system, we have crafted a unique and captivating color identity for Kashgar, fostering a sense of belonging and pride among its residents. Through the language of color, we tell the story of Kashgar's sunlight, windblown sands, history, and future.