They have to be aesthetic, durable, environmentally friendly, fire-resistant, easy to work with and of course economical: facade systems. Tonality GmbH develops high-quality ceramic facade tiles that meet these diverse requirements. Using clay as the base material, durable and sustainable end products are created. As part of ventilated structures, the tiles are particularly convincing due to their design and economic advantages – both in new buildings and in renovation projects. In the urban landscape, they are a particular eye-catcher because of the material’s natural aesthetic.

With their product range of ceramic facade tiles, Tonality GmbH offers versatile solutions in the area of ventilated facades. The tiles from Weroth (Rhineland-Palatinate) offer architects and planners a high degree of freedom of design when it comes to realising residential, commercial or industrial buildings. The standard range alone comprises more than 50 colours and designs for a unique look. In addition, a variety of surfaces are available – from smooth to waved. The elements are manufactured in standard formats of 150 to 400 millimetres in height and 300 to 1.600 millimetres in length. Lengths of up to 2.000 mm and individual colours, surfaces and dimensions are also available on request. In addition to the facade tiles, Tonality offers ceramic sun protection and privacy elements that can be integrated into the facade. These elements are also used frequently for facade design. All products are made from natural clay from Germany’s Westerwald. The result is an ecological building material with a long lifespan that is suitable for the design of building envelopes with high sustainability requirements.

High strength at low weight
An ambitious design is usually followed by questions of feasibility and economy. Tonality facade tiles are manufactured using a sinter firing process. In this process, the clay mixture is compressed under high pressure and the ceramic body is fired at high temperature at around 1.200 degrees Celsius. In this so-called KERALIS®-process, the Tonality products obtain their special visual and technical characteristics – such as their smooth surface, their low dead weight of only 28 to 35 kilograms per square meter (kg/m²) and their high strength. These characteristics have a positive effect on the static engineering properties and save material for the substructure, as well as time and money. Due to their low dead weight, the elements are also particularly suitable for renovations.

Simple and flexible installation
In regard to economic efficiency, another important factor is good workability. “The installation of Tonality facade tiles can be carried out using an adaptive system as well as a base clinch rail system. Both solutions offer fast, simple installation and if necessary dismantling of the elements”, explains Wolfgang Häußler, member of the executive management team for the areas of sales and corporate development at Tonality. Facade builders benefit from the high degree of flexibility of the Tonality systems. This means that there is no need to follow a specific sequence when installing the elements. The individual tiles are simply fitted into the respective fastening systems. The dimensional stability and the low dead weight of the tiles save time when doing this. An additional visual advantage is that the installation is not visible so that an elegant and undisturbed facade appearance is created.