Fired clay
Terracotta
Low-fired clay: tiles, pots, jaalis, and hollow blocks. Fired hot enough to survive rain, gently enough to stay porous.
How it behaves
Its pores evaporate absorbed water and cool the air passing over (the pot-of-water effect, made architectural). As roof tile it sheds monsoon rain while its underside ventilates.
Where it belongs
Mangalore and coastal India · Athangudi, Tamil Nadu · The Mediterranean
In a modern project
Terracotta jaali screens as second skins on glass towers; clay-pot filler slabs; evaporative terracotta cladding.