Second Life for Stanford’s Signature Tiles

Throughout Sapna Marfatia’s entire career at Stanford, she’s looked for ways to incorporate reuse into reimagining new lives for the university’s buildings, including the iconic clay tiles that adorn Stanford’s roofs. As the director of architecture, Marfatia notes that there are some economic arguments for buying brand-new clay tiles, but reusing them is the right thing to do for the environment and to live by Stanford’s sustainability values.

In 2024, an impressive 141 tons of clay tiles were salvaged from construction and demolition activities, equating to approximately 24,000 square feet of tiles.

These signature red tiles are now being carefully reclaimed and reintegrated into new construction and renovation efforts across campus. This example of clever adaptive reuse proves that even demolition projects can lay the foundation for sustainability and drive tangible impact.

Measuring What We Reclaim

The ability to recover and reuse materials like clay tiles plays a critical role in reducing waste and emissions for Stanford. Last year, 2,177 tons of construction and demolition material were generated, 23% more than in 2023. Instead of sending historic building materials to landfill, Stanford is giving them a second life, contributing to broader zero waste and carbon reduction goals. The reuse of construction and demolition material is a growing focus for university sustainability. A Sustainable Stanford Living Lab Fellowship project for 2024-25, led by student Adeline Leung, is dedicated to researching opportunities for the reuse of other construction materials. Leung sees promise in reusing carbon-intensive concrete, and she is also collaborating with Marfatia and the university architecture team around reusing doors and windows. “Concrete is very carbon-intensive, and when we demolish buildings, we demolish a lot of concrete. Finding a way to reuse the concrete would be ideal,” says Marfatia.

One discovery from the fellowship project was that the reuse of these iconic clay tiles hadn’t been tracked over the years, representing an opportunity for better data that can help Stanford achieve its carbon reduction and waste goals. With better data available, the university can quantify and scale these sustainability wins, helping to drive overall waste diversion. 

Adaptive reuse at Stanford is a great example of how sustainability, buildings, and design can be integrated. Each salvaged tile is both a nod to the past and a contribution to a more resourceful future.