Why a 10,000-year-old building material is making a comeback in NYC high-rises

Terracotta is lighter and more sustainable than traditional materials—and it’s popping up on buildings across the country.

Terracotta’s traditional place in the urban landscape—adorning classic, turn-of-the-20th-century towers—gives it a sense of history, of being handcrafted, and of heft. But today’s use of architectural terracotta has seen the clay bricks find a new aesthetic life as streamlined and sleek.