A building contributes to our lifecycle in unaccountable ways. The room or workroom plays a key role in moulding our physical and mental behaviour. Therefore, we must take care of our buildings with proper attention. Because not only the beauty of a building but the construction foundation that will stand the test of time and ages. But ‘look’ is the demand of the time, so how can we actually amalgamate strength and beauty, you may ask. Well, we have a solution.
If you are looking to construct a building or remodelling your existing building, then let us enlighten you the magical component known as ‘clay facades’.
Facades and clay:
Façade or facade originated from French language, which takes the literal meaning frontage or face. Although it generally means front part of any building it can also mean any side of the exterior part of the structure. The facade of your building is the first thing that strikes the eyes of people visiting you. It says a lot about your design choices. The kind of facade you opt for plays a major role in terms of making your building stand out aesthetics wise as well as function wise. Choosing facade made of natural material such as clay could give you an added benefits to enjoy over a long period of time.
Dili Clay facades are nothing but the panels made of terracotta that can be cladded on the exterior walls or facade of any building. Though glass and aluminium based facades have been recent additions to Indian cityscapes, borrowed largely from the west, but clay facades like facing bricks or clay facade tiles have been in use for many years.
http://schottremovals.co.uk/old-index.php The expediency of clay facades:
In an age where global warming is no longer a myth, and ever expanding city limits result in depleting natural resources to life-threatening consequences, it becomes a necessity to explore environmentally friendly options for any building material whether it’s a facade, or walling or roof. There are several supreme attributes of clay facades, some of the most predominant ones are listed below:
Immutable elegance with newfangled designs:
BuildingS can be extraordinary and stand the richness of time sensitive architectural elegance with clay facades. Clay facades eliminate the usage of grout or sealants, which means no uneven surfaces or cracks for years to come.Clay facade panels have no calcium leakages or efflorescence effect which helps you to retain the beauty of your structure over a period of time with little or no maintenance.
Modern clay facade tiles are of international quality standards, which provide your architect the flexibility of choices with colours that can be matched with other facade components like steel, wood or glass. With clay panels of superior finish made of naturally weather resistant material you can meet the demands of visualization in your office building bringing timeless elegance and lasting façade.
Longer life span:
Clay facades are the outcome of sophisticated technology and advanced firing processes and hence are highly resistant to the exterior environment. When compared to paint, which can look smudgy with dust and dirt, clay facades, retain the colour for a longer period of time. Since they are made of terracotta. Their weather resistance power makes them highly durable which last for decades
Sustainability:
Clay facade panels can be the best fit to build sustainable buildings. Clay facades are made of natural resources such as clay are highly energy efficient due to the property of thermal insulation. This is a completely contrary to use of paints which might contain volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which releases harmful chemicals into the atmosphere.
Easy maintenance:
Clay facade panels once installed, with care, then they are totally easy on maintenance, unlike painting which needs a coat of paint every now and then. Clay facades are the results of innovation in building materials and hence can easily prevent rattling of the panels. The indigenous system provided for rainwater drainage helps prevent soiling, which further results in low maintenance.
Clay-facades Always Better Than Exterior Paints, Glass and Metals: Expert Views
A common feature of glass façade is the double glazed glass designed to be stronger. Once the outer pane gets hot, it heats the air between them and transfers the same heat inside the building thereby raising the indoor temperatures. In the year 2012, National Environmental Engineering Institute (NEERI) said that the temperature around a glass-facade building can go up by 17 degrees Celsius. But glass facades are not responsible for raising indoor temperatures alone, but also bounce back the heat back into the atmosphere, which results in a rise in temperature in the area around the buildings. In cities like Bangalore, glass facades, are attributed to some extent, for this sudden rise in temperature
Expert Opinion:
- As per Chandrashekhar Hariharan, CEO, Biodiversity Conservation India Limited, “if Bangalore is home to more buildings with glass facades, the temperature of the city could increase by 2°C to 3°C when compared with outskirts”. This phenomenon is called urban heat island effect.
- According to Mr. Amarjit Singh Jhandwal, former chief fire officer (CFO) of the Brihan, Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), buildings with toughened glass facades lack adequate ventilation and when a fire breaks out, hot gases are not able to emit out leading to an explosion and a bigger threat.
In India, wienerberger has been the stalwart that has led a number of projects in the country as well as internationally on clay facades.
Recently, PM Modi inaugurated ESIC medical college & hospital building in Coimbatore. The PM stated that he strongly believed in the improvement of public service delivery standards and in keeping the same in mind, several initiatives had been started to improve the quality of service delivery in ESI hospitals. The building has been appreciated all over the nation for its the elegant looks, made out of Aspect clay facades.
Authored by a building expert from Wienerberger India
For any kind of assistance or tips on green building materials – drop us a word at gosmartbricks@gmail.com
