Industry Experts From Around the World to Attend the Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop in Buffalo
Industry experts from around the world to attend the Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop in Buffalo August 7-12
Six-day event will address the untapped potential for ceramic component systems to create large-scale bioclimatic structures and environments.
ORCHARD PARK, NY – Architects, engineers and ceramic artists from across the country and Europe will explore innovative ceramic façade solutions to architectural challenges when they attend the Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop (ACAW) being held in Buffalo this Sunday, August 7 through Friday, August 12. Hosted by Boston Valley Terra Cotta in partnership with University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning; Alfred University; Data Clay and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Workshop will combine academic research, artistic experimentation and industry expertise to focus on the bioclimatic use of façades in new construction and retrofitting buildings nearing the end of their façade life.
The Workshop will be housed jointly between the University at Buffalo’s historic Hayes Hall and the production facilities at Boston Valley Terra Cotta, with events in some of Buffalo’s most significant historic monuments, such as Louis Sullivan’s Guaranty Building, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin Martin House Complex. It will challenge architects, artists, designers and engineers to address the untapped potential for ceramic component systems in creating large-scale bioclimatic structures and environments.
“While many architects design with industrially-produced ceramic components, they may have little material understanding of clay, and most artists and designers trained in ceramics may have few opportunities to explore the medium at a scale beyond the object,” says Bill Pottle, International Sales and Marketing Manager at Boston Valley Terra Cotta. “By attending this Workshop, they will have the opportunity to collaborate and deepen their understanding of and experience with the potential for terra cotta in the architectural setting.”
“The Western New York region offers both a historical connection to clay experimentation and a contemporary ceramics research hub, anchored between Boston Valley, the University at Buffalo and Alfred University,” says Omar Khan, Associate Professor, University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning. “With its wealth of resources for terra cotta exploration, Buffalo is the perfect venue for this important Workshop.”
With the advent of modern climate control systems, buildings are increasingly tasked with having to negotiate two environments: man-made interior spaces and the natural environment. While ceramic materials played a crucial role in building construction through the mid-20th century, their possibilities for thermal performance have been relatively unexplored. As buildings have become increasingly larger, it becomes even more significant to test the potential impact of ceramic systems that move beyond the scale of brick masonry buildings and turn-of-the-century terra cotta façades.
Adding to this is the aging building stock of most American urban centers. In particular, many are reaching the end of their life spans as glass and cladding materials deteriorate. For many of these inefficient structures, it may prove more cost and resource effective to preserve and re-clad their original framework with new sustainable materials more appropriate for the next century and beyond.
For a list of Workshop presenters, click here.
For the Workshop agenda, click here.
