Home » Case Study: Italian porcelain tile creates vivid learning environment

Case Study: Italian porcelain tile creates vivid learning environment

September 23, 2008

The design team at Richard Fleischman + Partners Architects utilized a total of 90,000 square feet of porcelain tile to create the vibrant, playful design.

“We created an environment where children can learn and play,” said Architect Richard Fleischman. “And, we looked at tile as a major player in that environment.”

Richard Fleischman + Partners Architects created a signature design for the Cleveland Job Corps Center with a palette of Italian porcelain tile and bold colors. The site, which is located in Cleveland, OH, was selected by the Department of Labor to host an accredited high school and community college program. The design team’s creative use of porcelain tile to clad the exterior façades of all of the buildings on the expansive 25-acre campus makes for a fun learning atmosphere.

“We created an environment where children can learn and play,” said Fleischman. “And, we looked at tile as a major player in that environment.”

The nine buildings that form the new Cleveland Job Corps Center in Ohio feature exterior façades clad in Impronta Ceramiche porcelain tile, which was distributed by Virginia Tile.

In total, 90,000 square feet and four colors of Italian porcelain tile - manufactured by Impronta Ceramiche and distributed through Virginia Tile - was employed for the nine buildings that comprise the campus. The tiles were used to form bold lines and geometric shapes on the buildings’ exteriors.

The use of colored tiles on the exterior of the buildings was an inventive way to create a vibrant, playful display of color throughout the campus of the Cleveland Job Corps Center. It also illustrated a unique and fresh design, which encourages expressiveness.

“The entire campus is alive with color,” said Fleischman. “It is always in the background.”

To create diversity in the design, two Impronta Ceramiche tile formats were utilized for the exterior applications - 12-by-12 and 12-by-24.

A combination of 12-by-12 and 12-by-24-inch pieces were used for the exterior cladding.

The Cleveland facility is just one of 122 centers in the U.S. developed to assist 65,000 youth in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The new $35 million center can provide 440 students with the most advanced tools and technology to assist them in making the most of their education and training. Students can aspire in areas such as business technology, healthcare and construction as well as off-site training in child development and security services.

Richard Fleischman + Partners Architects was recently honored by the Ceramic Tiles of Italy for his creative use of Italian porcelain tile. Fleischman attended an awards ceremony held during Coverings 2008 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL, to accept the First Place Award in the “Institutional” category.

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Jennifer Richinelli is editor-in-chief of TILE Magazine, editor of Contemporary Stone and Tile Design, and managing editor of Stone World. Jennifer Adams has been covering the stone industry since 1996 as Managing Editor of Stone World and Editor of our sister publication Contemporary Stone & Tile Design. Much of her work focuses on design, and it has also appeared in a range of consumer and shelter publications.