New Asian Center Turning Ringling Green
Article originally appeared in the Sunday Herald-Tribune in Sarasota, FL on Sunday, January 4, 2015. Written by Susan L. Rife
Three thousand handcrafted terra cotta tiles, glazed an iridescent green, are being painstakingly installed on the exterior of the future Helga Wall-Apelt Center for Asian Art on the campus of the Ringling Museum.
The tiles, made one at a time at Boston Valley Terra Cotta in Orchard Park, New York, weigh 60 to 70 pounds apiece, and are installed on a stainless-steel track and clip system.
…Bill Pottle, international sales manager for Boston Valley Terra Cotta, said the project is “all about how great buildings are built, a true collaboration with the architect, Boston Valley as the manufacturer, Steven High, even the board, working on the design and execution of the building in total.”
The building was designed by Machado and Silvetti Associates. Pottle said the green glaze color came from a magazine article Rodolfo Machado saw with a photograph of a man “standing in front of this magnificent 300-year-old fireplace and surround in green. ‘That’s the color I want,’ he said.”
