FXCollaborative was invited to participate in the Boston Valley Terracotta, Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop (ACAW). The workshop aims to encourage the use of terra cotta early in the architect's design process. This allows for the efficient production of high-performance facade solutions. Through pre-design and prototype research and development, we explored digital and hand production techniques of terra cotta assemblies and how the variable materiality of terra cotta (through-body color, finish, and glaze) can inform and enhance a facade's performance. The team coordinated closely with Boston Valley Terracotta, who produced a full-size mock-up of the design, which was assembled by FXCollaborative and the consultant team in Buffalo.
The Permeable Solids system modulates light through sculpted forms that are both apertures and reflectors. The conical apertures calibrate the depth of light penetration, glare, and view to enhance human comfort within. They can be adjusted for various daylighting controls to serve program types from offices to gallery spaces and reading rooms. The geometry of each module allows for a controlled amount of light to pass through the aperture and reflect off the adjacent modules' hoods, controlling light reflection and intensity while illuminating the rich interior material. Terracotta inherently has a high percentage of recycled content and lower embodied carbon than precast concrete. The design leverages the rich materiality and craft of terracotta to create a tension between opaque and transparent, dark and light. The variations allow for an expressive design language that dissolves the dichotomy of "mass vs. glass" and advocates for more expressive solid surfaces in building design.
