Top 5 Advantages of Architectural Terracotta for your Buildings!

Architectural Terracotta is known for its earthy tones and textured appearance and is one of the oldest man-made building materials. However, there’s so much more to it than age and aesthetics.

For construction purposes, terracotta makes sense in a world in which energy, environmental, and financial difficulties cannot be ignored. When made out of this type of clay, bricks, cladding and tiles are energy-wise and cost-effective.

Let us understand Advantages of Architectural Terracotta one-by-one

Advantage 1 -Sustainable and Recyclable
Architectural terracotta is made from natural clay fired in a kiln. As such, it’s environmentally friendly, and can be recycled. Bricks and panels can be repurposed or they can be reduced to rubble for use in the construction of roads.

You may also like to read on other ecofriendly materials used for building constructions.

Advantage 2 -An Energy Saving Alternative
In many places, the move toward renewable energy is not happening fast enough to contribute meaningfully to the fight against climate change. Architectural terracotta cannot offset that entirely, but its excellent thermal insulation properties mean it can help mitigate the heat-island effect of larger buildings, and it can lower energy consumption.

Terracotta long bricks store heat energy during the day and they release it slowly at night. This means it ultimately costs less to heat the building during cold periods and to cool it during hot weather. Rainscreens and sunshades made from the material have also been proven to lower energy consumption.

Advantage 3 -Durable & Corrosion-Resistant
Other advantages of architectural terracotta are its ability to withstand the exposure to the elements and its resistance to corrosion. If you remember the environmental concerns of the 1980s and early 90s, you may recall the buzz about acid rain. It’s not something we hear about much these days, but that doesn’t mean it disappeared.

The acidity of rainwater continues to rise with the increasing levels of industrial pollution. The effects of this on less-durable building materials are evident in every city on the planet. However, such effects are noticeably absent on structures built or cladded with terracotta. This is because it is essentially baked clay, which has a high alkaline level that makes it far more acid resistant.

Another of the reasons it lasts is because of its freeze-thaw resistance. For example, clay bricks with a water absorption rate of 10% don’t crack even if frozen at -45 ° C and thawed 50 times. Porcelain tiles with the same absorption rate crack after being frozen at -15 ° C and thawed three times.

Advantage 4 -Good For Noise Reduction
The World Health Organization has warned that noise pollution could be the next big crisis after climate change. Bricks made by architectural terracotta manufacturers can refract sound waves and minimize echoes. In addition to decreasing the echo inside a building, the bricks can also provide insulation against external noise, which makes it an ideal material for those looking to reduce the amount of city noise that filters into work and living spaces.

Advantage 5 -Maximum Fire Rating
During the manufacturing process, the clay is fired at such high temperatures it becomes almost fireproof. For this reason, the bricks can withstand large, intense fires for longer than almost any other building material. This is not to say that they are entirely fireproof, but that their durability even in a raging inferno is remarkable.

Do have a look on other fire-resistant building materials used in constructions with their melting points.

After all, the numerous advantages of architectural terracotta are impossible to ignore. As construction trends change, we may well end up looking to the past for a material that has thoroughly modern uses and benefits.