Circularity in building design
If the city becomes a raw material depot in which buildings and their components are designed at the planning stage in such a way that later reuse is possible without great technical and transport effort, then we are talking about "urban mining". Curtain-type ventilated façades continue to gain importance as an established construction principle with a view to recyclable building concepts. The KeraTwin ceramic façade system from Agrob Buchtal offers architects attractive options for new buildings and renovations.
MVRDV sets new standards with Ilot Queyries, the residential complex in Bordeaux. The building is a kind of laboratory for the architects, in which they explore urban sustainability as an interplay between intimacy and density, ecology and comfort. They chose the KeraTwin® ceramic system from Agrob Buchtal to create a forward-looking combination in terms of aesthetics, economy and sustainability. The ceramic system, which is versatile in terms of colour and profiling, opens up the necessary creative and innovative scope for every project. The ceramic is light, takes every slant horizontally and vertically, ensures energy efficiency on the one hand and resource conservation on the other. "It was very important to us that the façades and roofs have the same appearance. That's why we chose ceramic as the façade material. A high-quality material, robust and durable, which could easily be adapted to the different shapes," explains Charlotte Kientz, project manager MVRDV.
Haute Couture for the Quarter
In addition to colours, formats, shapes and surfaces are also versatile architectural stylistic devices on the façade: over the decades, more than 16,000 recipes for the most diverse special glazes have been developed in Agrob Buchtal's glaze laboratory.
In Bordeaux, MVRDV commissioned Agrob Buchtal's ceramic specialists to develop a bright exterior colour for Ilot Queyries, produced exactly to their specifications. According to Bertrand Schippan, a partner at MVRDV, the façade colour is also motivated by environmental concerns, apart from contextual and design considerations. The Dutch office thus gives the façade a high albedo - a high reflectivity to avoid the urban heat island effect.
Safe in every situation
Colour concepts in outdoor areas only make sense if the carefully selected shades do not change gradually or even abruptly due to weather influences or solar UV radiation. Ceramic façades fulfil this elementary requirement permanently through absolute colour and light fastness: tiles are unimpressed by intensive solar radiation, undesirable impairments such as fading, yellowing or fading are not an issue. Even when heated strongly or even in the event of a fire, no vapours or toxic gases are produced. Ceramics meet the highest classification "non-combustible" and also fulfil the additional requirements: "no smoke", "no burning fall-off/drop-off".
Every façade is unique
Formats are a proven means of proportioning and typifying buildings. In the case of ventilated façades, large formats such as 120 x 120 cm convey flatness and a sovereign presence; tiles in rectangular board formats, on the other hand, make even mono-mental surfaces appear filigree and rhythmic. This keyboard is expanded by the type of installation: Here, too, the KeraTwin® system from Agrob Buchtal scores points. It allows horizontal, vertical or, as a special solution, even diagonal installation in regular or irregular patterns. This allows buildings and façade surfaces to be stretched, compressed or "grounded", or proportions to be relativised, concealed or accentuated. A mega trend in ceramic building envelopes is the development of the third dimension through tiles with plastic profiles, grooves and waves. Depending on the time of day, the position of the sun and the position of the observer, delightful changing effects result. Light and shadow become natural design elements and offer aesthetic added value. For MVRDV, the Ilot Queyries project is a kind of laboratory of the modern city, combining intimacy with density, ecology, light and comfort. 200 metres of building length, 10,000 m² of ceramic façades installed, varying in height up to nine storeys and with a dynamic inclination of 14 to 45 degrees - a glance at the key data makes it clear: without the support of a project-specific and trend-setting surface design, this equally unconventional and identity-creating architecture would have been difficult to achieve. Here, the KeraTwin ceramic façade system from Agrob Buchtal actually became the key to successful realisation for the architects.
Press contact
Gabriele Busse (Press Officer / Senior Manager PR)
Deutsche Steinzeug Cremer & Breuer AG
T. +49 (0)228 391-1104
M. +49 (0)151 14976931
Email: gabriele.busse@deutsche-steinzeug.de
