Webinar Recording: Restoring the Future: Rainscreen Cladding in Historic Terra Cotta Assemblies

Architectural terra cotta is a defining characteristic of 19th and 20th century architectural styles. The fired clay masonry provided architects with a new way to express artistic creativity. Today, the terra cotta industry faces numerous challenges related to facade restoration projects. One of the most prevalent is the use of alternative materials as a replacement for architectural terra cotta. Alternative materials have become an increasingly desirable solution for replacement of distressed terra cotta units over the last fifteen years, primarily because of their perceived lower costs and shorter fabrication lead times. Yet, at the same time, the use of terra cotta in rainscreen cladding systems has begun to gain traction in the world of contemporary architectural design. 

In this one-hour webinar, engineer Brett Laureys and architect Amanda Marshall discuss the results of a WJE in-house research project aimed at designing a more contemporary terra cotta rainscreen cladding system to replicate a historic cornice assembly at a lower cost and with a faster fabrication time than traditional architectural terra cotta. The system was originally created as part of the 2022 Architectural Ceramics Assemblies Workshop and then tested in WJE's Janney Technical Center.

By the end of the webinar, you will be able to:

• Distinguish key differences between historic and contemporary architectural terra cotta fabrication
• Explain recent challenges with reconstructing historic terra cotta assemblies and the use of alternative systems
• Summarize the test procedures used to evaluate the lightweight terra cotta cornice assembly and the preliminary results of the structural testing intended to replicate real-world scenarios
• Describe the benefits of using a more lightweight terra cotta rainscreen system to replicate a historic cornice and weigh potential design considerations
   

View Now