Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners/Walter P. Moore and Associates, Inc.

At TWBTA, our work often enlists the use of materials where the “hand” is visible in the work. Modern terracotta cladding systems, however, are often monochromatic and thin. Through both manual and digital means, we propose an investigation of texture and its effects on glazing (i.e. pooling, double glazing) as well as use of larger and thicker panels. Our hope is to create affordable, variegated rather than uniform facades at large scale.  The ultimate goal is a new beauty that, although is the result of a manufactured process, doesn’t feel “manufactured” or “extruded”.

In our proposal for ACAW, we are investigating a terracotta ceiling system for the cladding of an outdoor canopy along the Brooklyn waterfront.  This cladding includes a field pattern for the canopy “ceiling” as well as soffit and vertical surfaces – each with differing texture, color and shape.