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TERRACOTTA BAGUETTES & FINS

Whether horizontal or vertical, square, rectangular or profiled we can provide fin and baguette solutions to suit your needs. The clay solutions create the aesthetic but the engineering design and the sophistication of support and restraint are key to performance and ease of installation.

— SIZES & PROFILES

Available in widths up to 1000mm and lengths up to 3000mm, anywhere in between in millimeter increments are readily achievable. We are here to provide the terracotta baguette profiles that work with your design and setting out unfettered by outdated standardisation. Profiling can fall into many generic categories through scalloped, undulating, angular and castellated to name but a few in depths of upto 150mm. We have provided a small selection of some of the possibilities but please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Terracotta Baguettes & Fins - Terracotta Sizes

— INSTALLATION CAPABILITIES

Vertical and Horizontal Terracotta Baguettes + Fins

The ease and simplicity of installing terracotta fins and baguettes is determined by a combination of great engineering design and off-site construction methodology.

Fins and baguettes need to span between connecting points and resist wind and impact loads. To do this a lot of challenging solutions need to be brought to bear which allow this seemingly effortless travel.

Our design engineers develop these project requirements in close coordination with the main contractor, facade contractor, architect and engineer to provide joined up integrated solutions.

Terracotta Baguettes & Fins - Installation

— FINISHES

FUSION GLAZING

Fusion Glazing can be defined as the use of complex glazes, with recipes that read like a Macbeth’s cauldron of ingredients, that when kiln fired create depth, lustre, beauty and variation. Applied in one or more glaze coats it is the fusion and interaction of the constituent elements that achieves such wonderful glazed effects.

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CRAQUELLE GLAZING

This crazed or “Craquelle” glaze effect takes one back in history to the Ming dynasty and is a glazed finish achieved by potters and artisans over the centuries. This aesthetic has now been successfully translated into today’s mainstream terracotta world and is available in the full colour palette.

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NATURAL FIRED CLAY

The sheer beauty of terracotta remains for many the use of natural kiln fired colours with the warmth, integrity and honesty of clay being simply and effortlessly what it is. We can offer a breath-taking range of natural fired clay colours of almost every hue and we regularly develop new colours for specific projects.

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STANDARD GLAZING

Defined broadly as any RAL colour in differing gloss levels from high gloss through satin to matt. Standard Glazing achieves dynamic washes of colour if used as a single bold statement. Using multiple colours in tandem creates facades of great interest and visual impact. The world of coloured glazes is yours to explore with us.

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Projects

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The Ceramic Building [London]

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PURE Aldgate [London]

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Boldrewood Campus

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Camden Lock Village, Block A

TECHNICAL

Supporting the gravity load of terracotta baguettes and fins and engineering restraint solutions underpins the success of the facades we provide. For us, all projects are unique and demand technical focus that drives detailed design. We have standard systems and solutions that are often brought to bear but increasingly our technical team are challenged to find bespoke answers for each project. Accommodating wind load, can the facade take barrier loads, dealing with deflections and thermal movement, optimising impact resistance, no visible fixing and much more is addressed and resolved by our technical specialists.

- FIXING SOLUTIONS

Not as sexy as the terracotta tiles you see but so important to make sure that all terracotta baguettes remain in place, perform well under impact, resist wind loads and align correctly. The number different types of substrates now being used are so diverse. Blockwork and concrete have been replaced by studwork, unitised panels and many more. Each substrate has its own unique requirements driven by ease of installation and performance. We have developed so many Fixing Solutions need to be tailored to each project and this is what we do.

- PERFORMANCE & TESTING

The various clays used in the manufacture of our terracotta tiles are completely frost resistant which is just one of the extensive independent performance test data we hold. It is important to recognise that terracotta baguettes and fins aren’t perfectly straight. The tolerances that are achieved are extremely tight but understanding and embracing these tolerances is critical. Under impact terracotta performs well under soft body impacts but less well for hard body impacts. Our technical and facade engineering team recognise and embrace the nuances and unique performance drivers of each project in concluding the optimum design and engineering solutions. The generic principles of rainscreen technology are embedded and understood but project specific testing for impact performance is an absolute must. This cannot be calculated it has to be tested.

FAQs

Can you fix terracotta baguettes / fins both vertically and horizontally?

Yes, by all means.

Will my baguettes / fin clear span a vision pane?

The span of any section is dictated by its size and what wind / suction load is applied. We have solutions that enable larger spans to be achieved as well as solutions for slender sections to be restrained at greater centres.

Can i take my baguettes / fins off?

Fixing solutions are available for both removable and fixed options. Removable baguettes are normally used for when the window cleaning / replacement regime dictates an external solution to the problem.

Can you glaze all four sides of a baguette in a single stage firing?

Yes. Our production partner Moeding have a batch kiln which allows elements to be 'strung up' so as to enable four sided glazed elements.

Does testing need to be carried out on baguettes / fins as well as my terracotta tiles?

Ultimately, yes. All elements should be tested so as to understand the performance that is achieved.

What are the difference between hard body and soft body impact tests?

Hard body tests re-enacts thrown objects at a facade, softy body impacts replicate people interacting with the facade.

What level of performance do i need to achieve?

A building facade requires different levels of performance at different locations. James & Taylor's technical staff can talk you through the requirements associated with each part of the building.

Does testing need to be carried out on baguettes / fins as well as my terracotta tiles?

Ultimately, yes. All elements should be tested so as to understand the performance that is achieved.

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