Gray and white matte-glazed terracotta establishes a consistent facade language across the third phase of a Wuhan industrial park.
This case study identifies the project as 光谷动力节能环保产业园, called “Optical Valley Power Energy Conservation Environmental Protection Industrial Park” in LOPO’s English archive. It preserves the five original project photographs while separating confirmed location and supplier-side material records from unverified team, programme and product-schedule fields.
Project record at a glance
| Chinese project name | 光谷动力节能环保产业园, the name used in LOPO’s Chinese archive and a Wuhan government environmental-industry record |
|---|---|
| English project name | “Optical Valley Power Energy Conservation Environmental Protection Industrial Park,” as used by LOPO’s 2 February 2020 English article; “Optical Valley Building” is a shortened legacy title, not the full project name |
| Location | 308 Guanggu Avenue, at/near Fenghuangyuan Middle Road, East Lake High-Tech Development Zone, Wuhan, Hubei, China. The legacy WordPress page’s 208 address is contradicted by LOPO’s Chinese/English pages and a current Hubei government address record. |
| Development scope | LOPO’s 2020 archive records a three-phase industrial park, total floor area 170,000 m², with nine small high-rise buildings in phase three. These figures remain supplier-side project context, not an independently checked planning schedule. |
| LOPO role | Designated supplier of building-facade materials for phase three, according to LOPO’s archive. No broader designer, engineer, contractor, installer or complete-system role is claimed. |
| Recorded terracotta | Dark gray and white matte-glazed terracotta facing panels used as exterior-facade material. The photographs support the gray/white visual reading but do not prove the exact glaze name or product identity. |
| Model, size and quantity | Not disclosed in the checked project records. Confirm from the original product submittal, purchase order, approved panel schedule, shop drawings and as-built records. |
| Team and dates | Architect/design institute, main contractor, facade contractor, start date and completion date were not verified. Five body originals carry camera timestamps of 23 November 2019; that is a photo date, not a completion certificate or handover date. |
Project identity and address correction
The full project is an industrial-park development rather than one building named “Optical Valley Building.” The Chinese name is independently visible in Wuhan government material, while the site photographs include red banners reading 光谷动力 (“Optical Valley Power”). These points align with LOPO’s project archive.
The old WordPress body gave 208 Guanggu Avenue. LOPO’s earlier English and Chinese pages both give 308 Guanggu Avenue at the Fenghuangyuan Middle Road intersection, and the Hubei Department of Natural Resources lists a licensed business in Building 9 of the named park at the same 308 address. The replacement uses 308 and records the old value as a corrected conflict rather than presenting two possible addresses.
Facade composition recorded by the photographs
The five originals show a restrained palette built from large dark gray fields, white or pale facade areas, black-framed glazing and repeated rectangular joints. On the taller building, narrow vertical window groups cut through the gray cladding, while short pale bands cross the glazing at regular floor intervals. The lower volumes use broader horizontal bands and lighter planes, linking buildings of different heights without making them identical.
Colour hierarchy
Dark gray establishes the primary masses; white/pale panels mark separate volumes, vertical edges and intermittent accents. The balance changes by building rather than following one universal ratio.
Joint and window rhythm
Rectangular panel joints relate to floor lines and window bays. Photographs can explain the visual grid, but no dimension should be scaled from perspective or assumed to be a standard module.
Matte visual character
The archive calls the finish matte glazed. In the images, the surfaces read with limited specular glare, but photography, weather, angle and processing are not substitutes for an approved physical finish range.
What the archive does not establish
The original body made antibacterial, self-cleaning, fire, impact, frost, rain, snow, chemical, recycling, lightweight, colour-fastness and long-life claims without project reports. Those statements are not repeated. Completed photographs do not establish material or wall-system performance, and the project’s industrial-park theme does not itself prove environmental performance.
Any current comparison should match the proposed clay body, glaze, dimensions/profile, support and exposure. Structural retention, wind/seismic and other applicable actions, anchors/substrate, cavity drainage, fire strategy, insulation/membranes, movement, interfaces, installation QA, cleaning and maintenance require the responsible project team’s current design and evidence.
Using this precedent in a new project
- project location/use, climate/exposure, elevations, quantities and programme;
- target gray/white palette, gloss level, surface character, permitted range and signed physical samples;
- complete proposed module, thickness/profile, edges/back, weight, joints, corners, openings and special units;
- substrate, support concept, interfaces and project-specific structural/enclosure/fire requirements;
- configuration-matched evidence, mock-up/testing plan, production-batch control and installation QA; and
- cleaning access/method, inspection triggers, as-built records and labelled replacement stock.
Review current system information on Terracotta Rainscreen and compare other documented appearances in the Architectural Terracotta Gallery. This 2020 archive is a visual and supplier-role precedent, not a transferable specification.
Discuss a gray-and-white terracotta facade
Share the project location, elevations, target finish range, proposed modules, corners/openings, substrate and support route, applicable criteria, quantities, programme, mock-up plan and required evidence. Current product availability and complete-system suitability must be confirmed for the new configuration.