Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/231

 a Marcu 15, 1872. THE BUILDING NEWS. 215 nn Durability.—Little need be said on this point. It is only necessary to remember that we have remains of terra-cotta from the Egyptians and Greeks, and if it be questioned, ean terra-cotta stand this climate? we need only refer to the works of the thirteenth century in this country to give the satisfac- tory answer. If further proof be wanted, I would quote Sir Charles Lyell, who says, ‘“‘In the vast changes this planet has under- gone few things remain to mark the art of its earlier inhabitants. Flints, spear-heads, frag- ments of iron, of bronze, and of pottery, are al- most all that remain of the latter; burn bricks, jars, vases, the human figure in burnt clay, are found in the remains of submerged towns, in the channels of the Nile, and in Upper Egypt, in the Mexican buried ruins of America and elsewhere, as the enduring types of civilisation of peoples and races whose names, even, are not known in the pages of history. Granite disintegrates and crumbles into particles of mica, quartz, and felspar. Marble soon moulders into dust of carbonate of lime; but hard well-burnt clay endures for ever in the ancient landmarks of mankind.” Non-absorbing Qualities—Osmuis.—Terra- eotta being, as Mr. Scott has so aptly called it, the highest development of brick, pos- sesses naturally its qualities, and, therefore, it has the great advantage on stone of having no osmatie action. Power of Resisting Discolouration.—To quote from the paper I have already alluded to : ‘The acid gases in the air have no effect ; the deposited dirt or soot washes off with the first heavy shower, and the work comes out again as pure and distinct as at the first. If it be said that this is, perhaps, not always de- sirable, and that a certain amount of decay adds to the picturesque effect of a building, I think it may fairly be replied that, if so, it is rather an evidence of the carelessness or defects of the design; if it be improved by such adventitious aids, the greater or less extent of the effect of which must be quite uncertain, dependent on local circumstances, and no creation, at any rate, of the architect’s mind, whereas his knowledge that as in form so in colour, any creation of his fancy will be handed down unchanged for centuries as it comes from him and will tend more than any stimulus to that tender carefulness of design which all architects ought to possess and foster, and which will give them credit, and delight the taste of those who come after them.” Iam sorry I cannot entirely endorse this opinion. My reader will find that terra- cotta, like old bricks, does appear to lose its colour, and to look, as Charles Dickens ex- presses it, grimy. Certainly my experience leads me to this result, and I regret that I cannot believe in the ‘first heavy shower re- storing all the pristine beauty or colour.” Iam not sure if it be not anadvantage that it does not do so, because I would affirm that any building, I care not by whom designed, will improve by time. In short, I am not certain that there is anything (or, in fact, anybody) which does not improve by that process. Economy.—This is most uncertain ground. In Dulwich College we find that terra-cotta is very little under the price of stone, and, of course, we may then, I think, fairly assume that the mouldings and ornamentation were designed especially with a view tothe use of the former. We can scarcely suppose the architect would do otherwise than design in accordance with the material he intended to employ, and yet what is the result? The saving only of £1 in £20 between terra-cotta and Bath stone on the ground-floor windows. The general opinion of our profession, it is but right to remark, is this, that with the larger in- troduction and more common use of this ma- terial its cost will be very much reduced, and I certainly see no reason why this should not be the case. The only danger I apprehend is that, should the consumption be increased, such increased demand will most assuredly There is no help that I see for this, when we are told by those hoiding high places in the Government of the country that to cheat (as we should call it) by selling an article having only a semblance in appearance and taste to that which you are supposing that youare pur- chasing, is no fraud, but is simply legitimate business, and is almost the necessity of com- | petition. Surely, if this be so, who will wonder, should terra-cotta become the rage, asit may very likely to, at any accidents that may occur if manufacturers console their consciences with such new and peculiar doc- trines? Therefore, I have placed among the disadvantages the difficulty of discovering if terra-cotta be good or had. Colour.—The advantage it possesses is the heightening of the effect of a design by the in- troduction of colour without extra cost. The surfaces may be also enamelled or glazed. The colours most easily available are buff (of various shades from gold colour to nearly brown), alight neutral tint or grey, and red, any tint from the palest to the deepest. Certainly this material does possess great advantage here, because compared with the granites and marbles which give the best colours, it is so much cheaper, and also because they require polish (which has already been pointed out to be objectionable) to bring out their beau- tiful colours, while terra-cotta, as it comes from the kiln, requires no touch, but is ready for fixing in position. Cost of-Carriage.—If stone be brought from a distance and then worked up, the re- quisite quantity of waste makes up a large amount of useless weight, which it has been requisite to bring to produce the necessary result. This naturally is saved where the work is sent ready for placing in the building, and the consequent extra packing may fairly be assumed to be less expensive by a good deal than the carriage of the unnecessary material. The fact of its being burnt before carriage reduces its weight to probably the minimum: the weight of the material, if solid, is 122lb. to the foot cube; if of the usual thickness, of about 2in., and hollow inside, about 68lb. to the foot cube. Disadvantages.—The warping — delay in production—cost where limited quantities only required—necessity of two sets of draw- ings to allow for shrinking. Works may be stopped in consequence of blocks turning out, after burning, defective. Difficulty of obtaining the blocks perfectly true and cor- rect inthe mouldings. Difficulty of know- ing if terra is really good. The Warping.—The risk in making and burning is very great at present. Of course this may be remedied after being built by rubbing down with sharp sand and water; but herein is a disadvantage in this age when expense is so much considered. Further, should rubbing down be requisite, and the material not be properly made, there is the risk by such rubbing down of exposing to the air a surface of less capability of resist- ing the action of the weather and time. In a long line of moulding, it will be generally observed that the lines are not straight, and the effect produced is most unpleasant. Delay in Production.—This is self-evident. Tneed only say every working drawing should be ready when contract is signed, to prevent stoppage of the works—if possible, before, or the works may be stopped for weeks, waiting for terra-cotta. Where limited quantity required.—Leay- ing for the moment the question of durability, it may be stated that, taking the ordinary mouldings of a building, they can be produced as cheaply in stone as terra-cotta. Add the question of durability, and terra- cotta carries the day; subject, nevertheless, to the drawbacks we have now to consider. Two Sets of Drawings.—This trouble con- cerns more especially the architect, but it is certainly a great additional burden on him who is already weighted enough, that he should throw into the market a very inferior article. | have to make additional, or double sets of working drawings so as to allow for the shrinking of this material. Works Turning out Failures——Another se- rious drawback is that sometimes the work when burnt is defective, andfresh has to be made. If this happens only to small por- tions, temporary blocks may be inserted to await the burning of fresh materials, but of necessity sometimes this must stop the work —a serious thing in this time saving age. Blocks True and Correct in the Mouldings. —This is less serious if material is good, be- cause I have shown the arrises can be rubbed down, the loss in this case being only the extra labour ; but, as I have already stated, where inferior materials are used this may be very serious, as the rubbing down may ex- pose imperfect surfaces to the action ot the weather, and so destroy very rapidly the work. Difficulty of Securing Good Materials.— This difficulty will increase with the in- creased use of the material, and it is certainly a disadvantage to this and to all artificial or manufactured materials, from which there is no escape, save only by the use of great caution and care on the part of the architect and those he employs to superin- tend the works. Treatment.—First, have all the blocks small, for two reasons: (1) because they more ac- cord with the esthetical treatment of the material; (2) because there is more cer- tainty, or at least the risk is reduced, of imperfection of line, surface, and mitres. Remember, in dealing with the terra-cotta, to bear in mind that it is as brick and so treat it that it may consort with ordinary brick- work. Itis out of place except in decora- ting a brick building; and I can see no objection to adding stone in small quantities, and think the contrast of colour an advan- tage. Should stone be used it should be for parapets and such-like exposed positions. I would so place it because the idea in the mind is that it is more enduring, on account of its being of greater dimension than brick or terra-cotta should be, and presents fewer mortar joints for the wind, rain, and frost to attack; and because, for the last-mentioned reason, it appears to cover projections more securely, and satisfies the judgment that they are so covered and protected. Use colour broadly. To exemplify: Fancy a stack of chimneys in which every terra-cotta pot should be different in colour, and so on downwards, variety of colour everywhere. Colour to the architect is almost like edged- tools to the child—dangerous. Of course each architect would use his own taste; the only general advice is, use colour in broad masses. I will conclude with the statement of Mr. Charles Barry (though I cannot exactly agree with him), who has most probably used terra-cotta more than any one, and who seems to have been led to the employ- ment of this material from studying in his youth the brick and terra-cotta buildings of Milan, Florence, Verona, Vicenza, Pavia, Sienna, and other oldtowns of North Italy: ‘‘Much might, of course, be said of the ap- plication of such a material for decorative purposes, such as diaper-wall enrichments, balustrades, terminals, bases, statues, foun- tains, garden edgings, and other matters con- nected with garden architecture, where no great qualities of strength or wear are ne- cessary, though the resistance of terra-cotta to the action of weather, and especially frost, makes it particularly valuable for these purposes, and far superior to any stone, while its cheapness is a further recommendation. For internal decoration its capabilities of being made in a great variety of colours, any of which can be enamelled and blended with portions gilt, silvered, or bronzed, make it peculiarly suitable—in short, I may repeat the remark, we have here a material which for structural, decorative, and many useful purposes, has not received from us the study
 * and attention it deserves.” b. F.