The Klinker brick is manufactured with special clays that, when fired at high temperatures, reduces its porosity and increases its density to such an extent that it creates a material with less than 6% water absorption, a density greater than 2000kg/m³ and a mechanical compressive strength greater than 45 N/mm².
This unique brick is characterized by its exposed face, which showcases the natural texture and color variations inherent in the clay material. Each brick is meticulously crafted using traditional manufacturing techniques, ensuring unparalleled authenticity and character in every piece.
Beyond its visual appeal, Tijolo Face à Vista boasts impressive structural integrity and durability, making it suitable for a wide range of construction applications. Whether used for exterior facades, interior walls, or landscaping features, these bricks offer unmatched versatility and longevity.
Tijolo Face à Vista exemplifies Cerâmica Vale da Gândara's commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility. Manufactured using locally sourced clay and environmentally friendly production processes, these bricks minimize ecological impact while maximizing performance and longevity.
Durability
Clays undergo a sintering process under the action of heat, developing extremely strong ceramic bonds. These bonds are very stable. As a consequence, bricks withstand extremely aggressive climates and are inert to almost all chemical attacks. In this way, it is an extremely durable construction material.
Aesthetic factors
Ceramic bricks have natural, pleasant and attractive colors. The color derives from complex physical-chemical reactions during the cooking process. The color of brick is permanent and does not degrade over time. The natural colors of the bricks are extremely versatile and can create very different environments, but always comfortable and durable.
Thermal and acoustic insulation
Thermal Insulation: Brick generally exhibits better thermal behavior than other building materials. The thermal inertia of brick walls helps keep the temperature inside the house constant. Brick absorbs and releases heat slowly and therefore keeps the house cool during the day and warmer at night. Sound insulation: Brick walls provide good sound insulation due to their dense structure. The thickness and density of the brick attenuate noise transmission and reflect noise from the surrounding environment.
Fire resistance
The ceramic material is non-combustible, so a brick wall achieves the best results in terms of fire resistance.
Mechanical resistance
The high compressive strength of brick has been exploited for millennia to build structures, from buildings to bridges and viaducts. A brick wall is a construction element that gives the building additional security.
Maintenance costs
Bricks do not require maintenance. The slightly higher initial cost is quickly recovered, as maintenance costs are non-existent. The appearance of the walls is maintained over time, becoming more refined. It is a safe investment with a guaranteed return.
Producing face brick since 1957
Cerâmica do Vale da Gândara was created in 1957. Located in the center of Portugal, between the Buçaco and Caramulo mountains, it became in 1994 the first and only national company designed from scratch for the production of Face à Vista Brick and Paver Ceramic.
Having its own clay pits, significantly expanded in recent years, Cerâmica Vale da Gândara provides its customers with guarantees of continuity of raw materials, a determining condition for the quality and stability of the final product. Since 2007, Cerâmica Vale da Gândara has been incorporated into the Spanish Ceramic Group La Paloma, the Iberian market leader.
Reference projects
The house in Rua Direita de Francos responds to a family's request for the design of a one level home in a 341 square meter plot in the center of Porto. The project, designed by WeStudio, seeks to complete the existing old walls facing the street, overlapping a single new volume. The overlay highlights the different interventions through a constant height distinction. The brick cladding explores this idea by the pattern variation on the surfaces. This theme was also used for the interior spaces as a separation between the main rooms and the secondary mezzanine levels.
The project by NOZ ARQUITECTURA consisted of the refurbishment and extension of an existing school building in Portugal, as well as the construction of a new adjacent building to accommodate the new program. In the existing building the old classrooms were converted to kindergarten rooms. The original porch, now centrally located to the entire school, is used as the transition between the existing rooms and the new building, becoming a central distribution space and as a large internal space for various activities. Exposed brick was applied in bands of different colors, recalling the idea of a bookshelf. Two different brick heights were used providing the brick surface with a subtle texture variation.
Due to its location and its rustic surroundings, the hotel’s body has an irregular configuration inspired by the traditional terraces of Madeira, terraces that conform to the irregularity of the territory throughout the definition of platforms meant for farming, whose construction is possible by stone walls. The hotel by RH+ Arquitectos intends to mimic these structures in the way its floors are arranged and connected to each other, seeking to dilute its presence by becoming part of the mountain itself.
