Red is the magic colour for Dunedin Canmore HA's Cathay Court

Cathay Court is a modern sheltered housing development managed by Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, catering exclusively for the community's Chinese elders. Built in 1995, Cathay Court was due to have refurbishment work carried out, and Dunedin Canmore HA wanted to make more of the residents' heritage as part of this. It turned to long-term supply partner, Dulux Trade, for colour and specification support and product advice for the project.

Dulux Trade Specifier Account Manager, Alan Guthrie, developed a paint specification around the colour red, due to its major significance in Chinese culture. "Red symbolises good fortune and joy for Chinese people," explains Alan. "It is found everywhere during Chinese New Year and at other holidays and family gatherings. Traditionally the colour of happiness, a red envelope is a monetary gift given in Chinese society during holidays or on special occasions, so it was really important to us to draw on the positive associations of this colour when developing the colour scheme for the refurbishment of Cathay Court."

As part of the refurbishment work, Dunedin Canmore HA also upgraded the lighting at Cathay Court, to create a welcoming and inviting atmosphere for residents and visitors. To complement this, Alan recommended that paints from the Dulux Trade Light & Space colour range were used in the communal areas to maximise the feeling of space. Dulux Trade Light & Space absorbs an average of 50 per cent less light than conventional emulsion paint, allowing more light to be reflected off the walls and distributing light around the rooms more effectively. A calming colour from the Light & Space palette was selected to complement the vibrant red of the scheme, to open up the communal spaces at Cathay Court.

A combination of special optical brighteners, more reflective paint components and cleaner tinting recipes means that the LumiTec^TM Technology in Dulux Trade Light & Space formulations optimises the Light Reflectance Value (LRV) of the paint, giving the rooms a bigger, brighter appearance. Additionally, an average of 22 per cent of lighting energy can be saved by allowing lower wattage energy efficient light bulbs to be used to the same effect as standard light bulbs, and lights can be switched on twenty minutes later every day on average - all of which equates to turning off one in every five 60W filament bulbs.

Dulux Trade Light & Space was used in a Diamond Matt formulation at Cathay Court, to bring superior durability to the high traffic communal areas. Up to ten times more durable and ten times more stain resistant than standard vinyl silk emulsions, Dulux Trade Light & Space Diamond Matt delivers sustainability and durability in a single paint product. Its hard-wearing matt finish increases maintenance cycles up to five years, keeping the communal areas at Cathay Court looking smart for years to come, and providing a strong return on investment for Dunedin Canmore HA.

Dunedin Canmore HA's David Baptie concludes: "Cathay Court has been transformed by using colour cleverly as part of the refurbishment work, proving that paint is a high-impact, cost-effective way of smartening up an area. The painting contractor, J&S Seddon's, workmanship has been superb and the residents of our 33 self-contained apartments are really happy with their carefully considered new surroundings."