Therma Testa

What are the aesthetic and technical perspectives of using local clay in building materials?

Therma Testa investigates and demonstrates how local clay can be shaped into expressive, functional and thermal building elements by taking a multidisciplinary approach that combines advanced design methods and simple manufacturing processes.

The project focuses on the idea that industrial processes of manufacturing building elements, combined with a craft-based, hands-on approach, enable the production of distinctive, expressive thermal functionalities. The objective is to understand and enhance the cooling potential of a modular clay-based assembly by configuring the material and its shape.

The project creates new knowledge, design methods and built examples to demonstrate new ways of utilising clay soil as a resource in the built environment.