The Building Envelope and the Evolution of NBK Terracotta Façades
15 June, 2010

MIAMI (June 2010) – NBK Architectural Terracotta works with architects to develop custom terracotta façades worldwide. Bud Streff, director of sales at NBK, is tracking the evolution of building design and is consistently challenged by top architects to create new solutions for building envelope colors, profiles, textures and unique applications.

“Our products are driven by the innovations of designers,” said Streff. “We collaborate to meet their design intent. We’re seeing greater interest in pushing boundaries in a way that’s widespread.”

According to Streff, architects have increasingly opted to blend the traditional shape of terracotta panels with baguettes -- nearly half of NBK’s projects blend the two options.

“It’s interesting because it’s making for some really great buildings,” he said. “There isn’t another product on the market that has the flexibility of terracotta. The terracotta façade has become a mainstay product in architecture.”

Streff provided additional examples of architectural challenges to give perspective on the future of terracotta façades.

• The versatility of ventilated rainscreen facades makes terracotta ideal for re-cladding and retrofitting opportunities, upgrading the look and performance of virtually any type of existing superstructure. Architectural Alliance used this approach recently with great success at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College, rejuvenating and modernizing the feel of the campus.

• Architects looking to explore new options in façade texture are increasingly turning to NBK terracotta products. BBF Architects used terracotta panels in a selective and distinctive manner to clad the Pasteur Institute, a private foundation dedicated to the study of biological science in Lille, France, producing a uniquely textured façade pattern.

• Mixing sustainability with beauty is another rising architectural challenge that NBK meets. The structural composition of the terracotta façade creates a rainscreen with open ventilation joints that allow air to flow freely in and out. This prevents water buildup, keeps the air cavity dry, and allows the envelope to act as an insulating barrier. These key features of NBK Architectural Terracotta were indispensable to HOK architects when building the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), the largest LEED-Platinum project in the world, located in Thuwul, Saudi Arabia. This massive undertaking, completed in only three years, used 140,000 m² of NBK terracotta to prevent building overheating and aid in the campus’ energy efficiency.

• The ability to create distinctive façades is one more of NBK’s strong points. The size, shape, color, and profile of NBK tiles have evolved over time to meet the demands of designers who want to create a fresh façade for each building. To accomplish this, many architects have chosen striking colors when working with NBK. Several European projects have incorporated rainbow colors, or bold color effects, such as the Museum Brandhorst designed by Sauerbruch Hutton, which is made of 36,000 TERRART®-Baguettes in an assortment of 23 custom colors.


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