STORY OF TERRACOTTA

The tale of Terracotta Building Materials date backs to ages, and ages mean pre-historic days. Terracotta can is the only building material which is in use for construction since then and accessible now also. The beauty of terracotta ages gracefully and gets better with passing time. Usage of Terracotta Products changed from time to time. The man started using terracotta bricks for building walls, for roofing, and more. Artistic terracotta ornaments are also used to decorate buildings in later history. The role of this elegant building material is noticeable in modern architecture also.

The popularity of clay products is maybe because of the simplicity of its production. To brush up the memory, inviting your attention to the potters’ wheel. Yes, to the potter’s wheel. Be it the most complicated Terracotta Fa?ade of a simple pot. The production principle is the same. Creating the desired shape using ideal clay and bake it in a kiln.

TYPES OF TERRACOTTA FA?ADE

Terracotta Facades can be broadly classified into two, depending on the method of fixing. The most popular mode in India is still wet fixing, but dry fixing is getting attention with a slower momentum.

WET FIXING TERRACOTTA CLADDING

Wet fixing is the most traditional way of the usage of terracotta bricks for external use. This mode favored because of the ease of installation. No technical knowledge other than experience is required to install this type of tiles. The downside of this type of cladding is the probability of getting Efflorescence from the adhesive or cement used to fix it. The best way to prevent this is by using sealants.

DRY FIXING TERRECOTA FA?ADES

Mechanical fixing of clay facades is a smart merger of Engineering skills and the usage of traditional terracotta products. Terracotta facades are getting popular in India. The reason for the slower growth of this type of terracotta Facades is the lack of skilled installation team and the lack of supporting documents. As the manufacturing of this type of Terracotta Panels in not in India, yet, the cost of Dry cladding is comparatively on a higher side. 

The advantages of Dry Fixing Terracotta Facades are No direct contact of fixing chemicals or cement on the tile itself. This contactless fixing avoids the chances of Efflorescence or any other undesirable chemical actions on the surface.

PERMEABLE TERRACOTTA FA?ADE

A permeable terracotta Fa?ade is an ideal option in the current architectural scenario. The love for open space is desirable, and semi-open space can be a simple solution. Few advantages of Terracotta Permeable Fa?ades are, it gives better lighting, ventilation, and visibility. In urban housing or building scenario, when space is a significant concern, usage of this type of facades helps to make the interior feels roomier.

Permeable Facades can be constructed using Terracotta Jaalis. The size of each Jaalis block is 200 x 200 x 60 MM. The construction can do in two different ways, depends on the span and height of the fa?ade. If the span and height of the wall are less than three-meter, the construction can be done using tile adhesives or cement mortar like the brick masonry. And if the span is more than that the fa?ade should be designed with the help of a structural engineer to make sure the structural stability. The generally practiced method is fabricating a metal frame to accommodate the Jaalis. Even though the Jaalis can take its self-weight for more than three-meter, frames are recommended to counter the lateral forces, which may act of the fa?ade. As a thumb rule, using a mild steel flat element of the dimension of approximately 40 x 5 MM after every five rows of Jaalis also can act as a stiffener. Keep the thickness of the joints the same. That means the width of the joints with reinforcement and without stiffener is the same. The final fa?ade will look seamless.

The advantages of Terracotta Jaalis facades compared to other alternatives are

·        As its terracotta product, the durability is time tested and proved. Unlike any other human-made products. There is no definite durability limitation for clay products. Once properly installed. It will be there forever until purposefully demolish.

·        Terracotta Jaalis are available in different patterns. Jaalis also comes in smaller modules ( 200 x 200 x 60 MM ). Both these features are ideal for designing a wide variety of facades by mixing and matching. Like seven music notes can create an infinite number of melodies.

·        Easy installation is what made this product so famous in a short time. The installation of Jaalis as the facade is as simple as constructing a wall with regular bricks.

·        Compatible with Metal Fabricated Structure: Beautification of the prefabricated structure is a need. As Jaalis can use along with metal fabricated structures and is ideal for such kind of construction. The other way around, a metal fabricated structure can be used along with Jaalis to provide additional mechanical support and security.

·        Low thermal reflection: Glossy exterior facades reflect heat and create a high-temperature micro-environment around the construction. Being a reflection of terracotta products is negligible, this issue

·        Low Thermal Conductivity: The low thermal conductivity of the material is another advantage of using it as facades. Terracotta facades conduct heat much lesser than other alternatives.

·        It can be painted to any color after applying the right primers.

FUTURE OF TERRACOTTA FACADES

In the current environment-sensitive scenario, the relevance of terracotta facades is more than ever before. Terracotta - by the material itself is sustainable; this can be the only single reason for the love of it, in the future construction Industry. The incorporation of technological advancement in the production can assure the consistency of quality. The future of ever-evolving usages of terracotta is limited only to the imagination of the designer.