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Ceramic Architectures is a digital platform dedicated to the development of a specialized database of works in which ceramics play a central role as a design material. Aimed at technicians, students, and researchers in architecture and design, it is conceived as a dynamic channel for knowledge transfer between academic, industrial, and professional spheres, with the aim of inspiring newdesign practices and consolidating a reference space for dialogue between material and architecture.

Ceramic Architectures is a digital platform dedicated to the development of a specialized database of works in which ceramics play a central role as a design material. Aimed at technicians, students, and researchers in architecture and design, it is conceived as a dynamic channel for knowledge transfer between academic, industrial, and professional spheres, with the aim of inspiring newdesign practices and consolidating a reference space for dialogue between material and architecture.

About us

The Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) promotes an extensive programme of collaboration with the industrial and business sectors, with the University-Business Chairs being one of its most established models thanks to the close ties they foster between both spheres.

The Valencia Ceramic Chair began its activity in the 2007–08 academic year through an agreement between the Spanish Association of Ceramic Tile Manufacturers (ASCER) and the School of Architecture. Since then, its mission has been to promote the use of ceramic materials in the field of architecture through dissemination activities, teaching programmes, and research projects.

As a result of this research work, the Chair has been publishing Arquitecturas Cerámicas /Ceramic Architectures since 2015, a bilingual digital platform conceived as a tool for knowledge transfer across the industrial, academic, and professional sectors. Its purpose is to disseminate specialised knowledge, inspire new design practices, and establish a reference space for dialogue between material culture, innovation, and architectural practice.

After ten years of activity, we consider the platform to be a pioneering initiative in the reappraisal of the qualities of a specific material–ceramic–through the rigorous analysis of works recognised for their quality and critical acclaim. Its cross-disciplinary approach and methodological innovation give it clear transformative potential, linking industrial, academic,  and professional practice. Its value lies in facilitating access to ceramic knowledge as applied to architecture, consolidating itself as a living archive and a reference tool for manufacturers, professionals, students, and researchers.

Purpose

The history of architecture is closely intertwined with ceramics, a material that has evolved continuously over time. Far from being exhausted, its current development is undergoing a new technological and creative renaissance. Technological, because it is one of the most agile industries in adopting advanced production systems applied to cutting-edge ceramic manufacturing. And creative, due to the exceptional results emerging from collaborations between industry, architects, artists, and artisans.

In a context where architecture must respond to increasingly complex social, economic, and environmental challenges, a new stage opens in which it becomes essential to combine the latest technologies with processes inherited from tradition. Aware that many of the new ceramic products remain largely unknown to a significant part of the sector, the bilingual digital platform Arquitecturas Cerámicas / Ceramic Architectures is conceived as a dynamic channel for knowledge transfer between the academic, industrial, and professional spheres.

Aimed at technicians, students, and researchers in architecture and design, the platform organises its content into the following chapters:

Projects. A dynamic catalogue of projects in which ceramics play a defining role, structured into three sections: images, plans, and details.

Library. A section for analysing ceramic pieces through their patterns, dimensions, 3D modelling, and photographic documentation.

Posts. A space dedicated to the dissemination of updates from the ceramic world, organised into five thematic areas: art, design, technology, publications, and events.

Fundamentals. A fixed-content chapter describing the main manufacturing processes and the technical classification of ceramic products.

About. A section outlining the platform’s purpose, content structure, target audiences, and the team behind the project.

Dissemination

Ceramic Architectures is an independent, non-profit digital platform sponsored by ASCER. It offers an interference-free environment –with no advertising, banners, or pop-ups– dedicated exclusively to the documentation and dissemination of knowledge around ceramics and architecture.

Developed with a responsive design, the platform is accessible from any digital device —desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile. Every two months, a newsletter updates the archive with the addition of two new projects –one national and one international– along with three featured news items.

If you’re interested in receiving updates, join our newsletter.

The platform brings together a set of complementary contents that traverse the ceramic universe, from raw material to built work. A living archive that integrates projects, pieces, specialist news, and technical foundations to offer a transversal and critical perspective on the potential of ceramics in contemporary architecture.

The platform brings together a set of complementary contents that traverse the ceramic universe, from raw material to built work. A living archive that integrates projects, pieces, specialist news, and technical foundations to offer a transversal and critical perspective on the potential of ceramics in contemporary architecture.

Works

This dynamic-content chapter brings together a selection of national and international works by leading figures in contemporary architecture, in which the innovative use of ceramics forms the core of their proposals. The period covered spans from the early 2000s to the present, with the aim of showcasing the versatility of this material and its ability to meet functional, expressive, and environmental demands.

To facilitate navigation based on the user’s interests, search filters have been defined both by project data –author, use, location, and date– and by ceramic-specific features –position, forming method, surface treatment, and product type–.

Each selected project is presented in four sections that enable a clear, agile, and in-depth reading:

Images. A photographic selection of the built project that highlights the relationship between architecture and ceramic material.

Drawings. A set of graphic documents –sketches, plans, sections, axonometric views, and models– that help interpret and analyse the project.

Details. Information related to ceramic pieces –dimensions, layout patterns, 3D modelling, product photos, manufacturing and installation images–.

+ Info. Technical sheet of the project, descriptive and construction reports, and an interactive map that links the project with the full catalogue on the platform.

Library

This section allows for the exploration of the ceramic world starting from the individual building element. While Projects presents the finished result, here the focus shifts to the piece that makes it possible. Each entry is linked to its corresponding project and connects directly to the Details section within the Projects chapter.

The content is presented through the following sequence:

A record of the formal characteristics of the ceramic piece and the geometry that allows it to be integrated into a compositional order.

Dimensions. Sketches, dimensional data, and a printable 3D model, accompanied by a visual scale featuring Mr. Hulot, in homage to Jacques Tati.

Product. A photographic report documenting the piece from multiple angles to reveal its material qualities.

Installation. Images provided by manufacturers and architecture studios that show the production of the piece and its placement system.

All content has been developed by the Ceramic Chair –from sketches and pattern design to 3D modelling and product photography– in collaboration with architecture studios and manufacturers. As a result of this partnership, a valuable collection of pieces from built works has been assembled, forming a unique and carefully documented archive that highlights a material heritage too often overlooked.

Posts

This section offers a more agile and open-ended perspective on the ceramic world. Its primary aim is to give visibility to contributions from a range of fields that support critical reflection and development in relation to ceramic material and its connection to contemporary architecture.

Through a transversal approach, it seeks to disseminate news, research, and recent events related to the ceramic field, from local, national, and international perspectives. Structured like a blog, this section gathers a wide variety of content organised into five categories: art, design, technology, events, and publications.

Each update includes three independent entries addressing a range of topics –from artistic interventions, interior design, and new products, to technological innovations– as well as interviews, historical records of ceramic processes, key sector events, and specialised publications.

A variety of formats are supported –image carousels, videos, and downloadable PDFs– to ensure the content is accessible, easy to consult, and engaging to read.

Fundamentals

Written in accessible language for non-specialist users, this fixed-content chapter describes the raw materials, the main industrial processes involved in the production of ceramic products, and their classification. The information is presented in a concise, clear, and rigorous manner, with the aim of fostering a deeper understanding of the material while also supporting prescribers in selecting ceramic solutions based on their technical, formal, and functional characteristics.

To improve content accessibility, the information is organised according to the different phases of the production process:

Raw materials. Overview of the main components used and the corresponding grinding processes.

Forming. Description of the moulding techniques employed by the ceramic industry to shape products.

Surface treatment. Selection of the most common procedures used to finish ceramic pieces.

Firing. Definition of the material hardening process and the characteristics of the kilns used.

Products. Classification of ceramic materials according to their technical, formal, and functional properties.

Credits

Editor. Eduardo De Miguel. Director of the Ceramics Chair of Valencia

Editorial team. Carme Bosch, Javier Durán, Pablo Sánchez, Paula Manuel, Juan Diego

Graphic design. The Graphic Bureau

Website programming. NECTAR

Cooperation. Since the start of the digital platform, the following have collaborated on the editorial team: Albert Brenchat, Víctor Corell, Antonio Giner, Carlota Hernández, Eva Raga, Daniel Rueda and Javier Sorlí.

Ceramic Architectures is grateful to all the students at the Ceramics Chair of Valencia for their contribution, as the work carried out over the last few years has led to the creation of this digital platform, and also to the Institute of Ceramics Technology of Castellon for their advice on the preparation of the content in the Fundamentals section.

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