Solid bricks in terracotta are among the oldest and most widely used construction materials in the building industry. Their extensive use is certainly due to their versatility (the classic rectangular shape), durability (many archaeological sites are made from terracotta), resistance, and of course, their beauty.
Over time, growth and innovation have certainly improved production technologies, but the basic concept has always remained the same: a mixture of water and clay fired at over 1000°C for more than 30 hours. If the brick is handmade and wood-fired (as we at Fornace Bernasconi produce it today), it not only closely follows the ancient production tradition, but the brick becomes a material that elevates itself from a mere construction element to a product that can enrich and embellish.
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Bricks for stairs
From this perspective, and starting from the assumption that each brick is handmade one by one, the brick can have dimensions that best suit the environment, rather than the other way around, as is the case with industrial bricks. Terracotta bricks for stairs (whether internal or external) are most often custom-made based on the client’s specifications. This allows us to have perfectly sized bricks that cover the steps both in the tread and the rise, or even a single terracotta step made from one piece, resembling a stone or monolith.
Bricks for walls and columns
A conceptually similar result can be achieved with bricks for columns. We can create L-shaped bricks designed to cover a column with a specific diameter: this allows for a better aesthetic outcome (no cuts) and, at the same time, a faster construction process with cost savings (the worker won’t need to cut the bricks). This approach can also be replicated for bricks for walls, coping tiles, etc., meaning in all those cases where a custom-made brick can speed up the laying process (with cost savings) but, above all, improve the aesthetic result.
Fornace Bernasconi produces handmade clay bricks in standard sizes but also custom sizes, promoting the concept of product personalization with the ultimate goal of enhancing the final aesthetic result. Special attention is given to cost efficiency, always striving to optimize and minimize it through in-house production of wooden molds.
