ACAW Team Feature: University at Buffalo

Originally posted on BostonValley.com

This August, Boston Valley Terra Cotta and University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning will hold the third annual Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop (ACAW), with support from the UB Sustainable Manufacturing and Advanced Robotic Technologies (SMART). To give an idea of the depth of exploration and the process engaged by the ACAW teams, this will offer a sneak peek into what is developing in the factory prior to the weeklong event, to be held this August 13–16.

For this year’s ACAWorkshop, the teams have come together prior to the event – as early as March and April – to begin the design and development of prototypes of their explorations. What began as an abstract earlier this year (and for some teams, last year) has been developed through sketches, drawings, models and discussions in meetings between the architects, designers, façade engineers and the manufacturers. Initial prototypes of the designs have been produced in the factory and are at one or more stages of production.

This is the third of our ACAW Team Features, continuing with the University at Buffalo team

Team: University at Buffalo

Individuals come together from the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning, Glaze Artist Christine Jetten, PLP Architecture, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, and Alfred University. Team UB is made up of experts in four critical areas: glazing design, architectural morphology, facade engineering, and ceramic arts. For the 2018 Architectural Ceramics Assemblies Workshop, Team University at Buffalo have been investigating the functional properties of iridescent glazes in architectural building skins.

Passive illumination is a technique used in the distant past to circumvent lighting issues prior to readily available electricity; iridescence is also found in the natural world in fish scales, feathers, and bubbles. The surface of the building skin will change the viewer’s perception of the form based on their location and how light moves across the surface of the glazed terra cotta. With glazes formulated by Christine Jetten, Team University at Buffalo will assess the luminous, iridescent glaze’s capacity to reduce both the energy consumption and light pollution of illuminated facades. Below are images showing preliminary glaze studies, tile patterning, and form development. At the ACAWorkshop, the team’s scaled prototype will be tested for performance, thermal absorption, and durability.

Team Members:

Omar Khan – Department Chair and Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Planning, University at Buffalo
Laura Garofolo – Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Planning, University at Buffalo
Christine Jetten – Glaze Artist, Owner, Studio Christine Jetten
Wayne McKiernan – Partner, PLP / Architecture
Jason Green – Visiting Assistant Professor, Alfred University
Maria Gasparian – Doctoral Researcher, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London

A preview of Team University at Buffalo’s prototype for the 2018 Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop.