Fabricating Ceramic Covers Rethinking Roof Tiles in a Contemporary Context

This paper describes a studio experiment developed with the aim of exploring the design and fabrication of innovative roof systems based on ceramic tiles using digital technologies. History is rich in examples of the use of ceramic roof tiles since the ancient world. Today’s systems derive from such ancient systems and fall into several basic categories depending on the form of the tiles and how they interlock. These systems present acceptable functional performances due to centuries of refinement, but as they have suffered little formal evolution in recent centuries, to respond to modern needs they require complex layering and assemblies. Recent technological evolution has emphasized the optimization of the tile production process in terms of time saving and cost reduction, and the improvement of product quality in terms of material homogeneity and durability. Little attention has been paid to the tile form and the roof system as a whole, including the assembly process. As a result, despite the variety and performance of existing designs, they are often perceived as outdated by architects who refuse to use them following a stylistic trend in architectural design towards primary forms and flat roofs. The challenge of the experiment was to take advantage of digital design and fabrication technology to conceive systems with improved performance and contemporary designs. The hope was that this could lead architects to consider integrating roof tiles systems in their architectural proposals. Results yielded fi ve different roof systems. These systems are innovative from a formal viewpoint both at the tile and roof level. In addition, they are easy to assemble and possess better thermal and water-proofing performance. Digital technologies were determinant to enable students to design the complex shape of the tiles, to manipulate them into assemblies, and to assess the shape of the roofs, as well as their thermal and structural performance in some cases.