The advantages of a terracotta façade

Terracotta: an eco-responsible material for a façade

Terracotta is an eco-responsible material with many advantages. The first advantage of terracotta is its bioavailability. Indeed, terracotta is made from clay. As clay is a raw material found in abundance in the soil, it is identified as a renewable and biosourced resource and therefore eco-responsible. 

The second advantage of clay is its high insulating power and inertia. When used in the construction of a façade, terracotta provides thermal comfort in all seasons, day and night. During the day, the terracotta façade stores heat in its walls while keeping the interior cool. During the night, this heat is diffused into the building. This heat restitution at night and on cool days means that a heating and/or air-conditioning system is not required.  

The 2020 Regulation, also known as the RE2020, defines the various building standards that will be in force from 1 January 2022. These standards encourage the use of eco-responsible materials such as terracotta. The excellent thermal performance of terracotta provides many good points for the calculation of the Bbio. The use of terracotta in an eco-responsible construction is therefore highly recommended. 

The third advantage of terracotta in facades is its durability, requiring almost no maintenance.  

Finally, terracotta used for facades is healthy for users, as it does not emit VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). As it contains no colouring agents or additives, it presents no danger of toxicity for humans or animals.