Industry Experts to Gather for the 2nd Annual ACAWorkshop
Architects, engineers and ceramic artists from across the country and Europe will be attending the second annual Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop (ACAW) being held Monday, August 14 through Thursday, August 17. Boston Valley Terra Cotta and the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning present the weeklong event that combines the models of academic research, artistic experimentation, and industry expertise to explore innovative façade solutions and develop large-scale applications for ceramic components. The ACAWorkshop agenda includes an introduction to digital design and traditional terra cotta manufacturing techniques, architectural tours, and daily lectures to stimulate the imagination on the potential of terra cotta.

Ceramicist and glaze artist, Christine Jetten talking with fellow 2016 ACAW participants in the Boston Valley Glaze Lab.
Building upon last year’s bioclimatic focus, ACAWorkshop 2017 will explore designs that utilize ceramic’s material properties to consider environmental factors like light, heat, cold, wind and precipitation.

ACAW 2016 Participant, Virginia San Fratello, working on clay prototypes.
Representatives from multinational engineering firms AECOM and Walter P. Moore, the architectural and design practice Morphosis, and educators from the UB Department of Architecture and Alfred University College will lead four teams to strategize ways to develop sustainable micro climates in and around buildings and address issues like energy mitigation, hybrid structural systems and high performance façade systems for shading, snow collecting, heat harvesting and air circulation. Assisted by experts from terra cotta manufacturers Boston Valley Terra Cotta, the participants will learn, create and get their hands dirty with industrial scale forming methods to develop designs and prototypes in response to the design challenge.

2016 ACAWorkshop participants work on their design prototypes, slip casting and hand packing molds, at the University at Buffalo.
Assisted by experts from terra cotta manufacturers Boston Valley Terra Cotta, the participants will learn, create and get their hands dirty with industrial scale forming methods to develop designs and prototypes in response to the design challenge.

Just a few of the design prototypes created during the 2016 Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop.
To learn more about the 2017 Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop, visit the website.