1200 17th Street Features Boston Valley Terra Cotta’s New TerraPreCast Panels

1200 17th street is one of the first projects by Boston Valley Terra Cotta to feature our new TerraPreCast line of architectural terra cotta panels. Produced in collaboration with Modern Mosaic, a precast concrete facility located in Niagara Falls, Canada, these panels are embedded in concrete and then attached to the building in large segments. This new line allows us to offer terra cotta as a finish on precast concrete construction.

The typical TerraPreCast panel is 30mm thick and features a dovetail profile on the backside. This dovetail provides additional surface area for the concrete to adhere to the terra cotta, ensuring a high strength bond between the two products. The panels are laid face down in forms, caulk is poured between the tiles to ensure no concrete seeps to the front, and then concrete is poured over the panels.

After this, the panels are ready to go to the construction site—1200 17th street in Washington, DC, designed by ZGF Architects.