ACAW is a hands-on research and development workshop for architects and facade engineers to explore the use of terra cotta in high-performance facade design. Representatives of industry and academia from around the world gather in Buffalo, New York for the Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop. Presented by Boston Valley Terra Cotta and the Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning, the ACAWorkshop will take place from 12 to 15 of August 2019.
The workshop’s objective is to introduce and consider the properties of terra cotta earlier in the architect’s design process. Also to develop research and design models between manufacturing and architectural industries is useful to the efficient production of high-performance facade solutions. Through pre-design and prototype development, teams’ exploration includes the use of new digital tools in the production of terra cotta assemblies. The development of unitized façade systems, and how the variable materiality of terra cotta can inform and enhance a façade’s performance.
As in ACAW’18, ACAWorkshop 2019 culminates in a weeklong event, with teams constructing system models from their prototypes, and presenting their studies to peers in the industry.
