With its distinctive vibrant green glazed terracotta façade panels produced to order by SanMarco Terreal, the student building in Hill Court, Newcastle (UK) rises skyward like the prow of a huge ship. The 16,200 square metre structure was designed by architect Jonathan Mallinson from the practice Simpson Haugh and Partners and explores new horizons in contemporary architecture. In particular, the ventilated façade panels create dynamic three-dimensional effects while exploiting the quality of the natural light reflected and refracted by the projecting façades.
The project involved the use of 3,800 square metres of Piterak Slim terracotta panels, the revolutionary product by SanMarco Terreal that combines versatile sizes with exceptional technical characteristics. The new double-skin clay façade panel represents the latest technological advance in the Piterak system, maintaining the consolidated vertical upright mounting solution and sophisticated aesthetics (with a closed horizontal joint and a smaller thickness) while bringing further advantages in terms of low weight and flexibility of use.
Piterak Slim comes in a wide range of sizes (lengths from 50 cm to 150 cm and various heights) and colours, from the warm tones of red and pink clay through to the paler shades of champagne, beige, salmon, greys, browns and slate.
The striking aesthetics combine traditional natural terracotta colours with the modern appeal of the elongated format and closed joints. Piterak Slim, produced from a unique selection of high-quality clays fired using innovative technologies, offers outstanding mechanical strength and thermal and acoustic characteristics, not to mention excellent value for money.