Media Advisory: The future of terra cotta will be on display as UB ceramics workshop wraps up

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Terra cotta specialists from around the U.S. have been in Buffalo this week as the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning hosts its fourth annual Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop (ACAW).

Architectural firms from New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles arrived for the workshop on Sunday and began developing prototypes for next-generation architectural applications.

They’re ready to unveil what they’ve been working on as part of a presentation happening Thursday (Aug. 15) inside the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB. Media are also invited to come to the teams’ final working session happening from 7-8 p.m. Wednesday (Aug. 14) in Parker Hall on UB’s South Campus.

Who: Representatives of industry and academia from across the U.S.

What: Fourth annual Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop

When:

• Wednesday, Aug. 14: 7-8 p.m., Parker Hall, UB South Campus
  
  
• Thursday, Aug. 15: Any time between 1 and 6:30 p.m., Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
  
  Here is the schedule of events for Thursday:
  
  
  • 1:15-2:30: Four teams will unveil and discuss their projects
  • 2:45-5: The remaining five teams will present
  • 5:30-6:30: Keynote address by Annabelle Selldorf, principal with Selldorf Architects in New York City

Why: ACAW is a hands-on research and development workshop for architects and façade engineers to explore the use of terra cotta in high-performance façade design.

“The Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop has become the national destination for cutting-edge research and applications for architectural terra cotta,” said Omar Khan, associate professor of architecture at UB.

“The workshop aims to situate Western New York as the nexus for architectural terra cotta research and manufacturing in the western hemisphere,” Khan said.

Working in teams, terra cotta experts and UB students created and assembled façade prototypes inside the school’s Fabrication Workshop. Teams also toured Boston Valley Terra Cotta and Rigidized Metals.

The workshop is presented by Boston Valley Terra Cotta and UB’s Community of Excellence in Sustainable Manufacturing and Advanced Robotic Technologies (SMART).