Fibre cement for sustainable building 

Thin, light and strong. Leaves plenty of space for insulation and is suitable for environments that experience heavy wear, such as industry, hospitals and schools.

Safe and protective. Fibre cement is, non-combustible, open for diffusion, moisture-resistant, alkaline and condensation-free.

Economical. Our products are easy to adapt and install, have a long lifetime with low maintenance and are simple to disassemble and replace.

Resistant to the elements. Ready for the extreme weather of the future - more water, wind, sun, UV radiation and temperature fluctuations. 

Contributes to a healthy indoor climate. Our products are resistant to mould and rot, noise-reducing and have no harmful emissions to the interior.

Stimulates good architecture. We offer infinite combinations of colours, formats and surfaces that can be used on any shapes and types of buildings.

When we build today, we must take our climate, resources and environment into consideration. For the sake of the planet that we all share.  

Swisspearl can contribute to architecture which will remain inspiring and attractive for many years. We can contribute to a lightweight building envelope with a lower carbon footprint. And we can protect people and structures against fire, moisture, water and storms. 

The panels are hardwearing and easy to maintain. This makes them highly suited to the extreme weather conditions we are likely to face in the future and to locations where maintenance is difficult or expensive. 

The most sustainable energy is the energy we do not use. It often makes better economic sense to renovate existing buildings, rather than tearing them down and building something new. 

Swisspearl’s roof and facade panels are thin and robust. This makes it possible to re-insulate a building envelope and reduce energy consumption and CO₂ emission – with minimal use of space. 

Fibre cement from Swisspearl can therefore be incorporated into all types of buildings – including sustainable buildings, regardless of whether they are lightweight, circular, biobased or just extremely well prepared to cope with whatever the climate may throw at them.  

Lightweight building is flexible. It is easy to adapt to new needs, easy to dismantle and easy to dispose of or recycle. It also typically has a lower embedded CO₂ content then heavier structures. Furthermore, it is effectively insulated and often equipped with a robust, fireproof and weatherproof wind barrier or outer building envelope which is designed to cope with the elements – including the more extreme weather expected in the future. 

Swisspearl’s products could almost have been specifically designed for lightweight buildings. We have been the main supplier for modular building units for decades and have particular experience in supplying fibre cement to this particular type of building. 

The building industry is currently using more resources than nature can manage to regenerate. We therefore need to think in a circular manner. We have to think of our buildings as material banks in which building materials and structures have several lives and can be used several times over.  

The majority of Swisspearl’s solutions are already today designed for disassembly. They are easy to install with simple screws and hand tools – and just as straightforward to take down again.  

When the panels have been removed, they can be reused in similar format and function, or they can be cut to a different size. The same applies to underlay for panels of fibre cement. Fibre cement panels will also be able to be processed and used as raw materials in new production. Tests have demonstrated that they can be crushed and incorporated into new cement production with less impact on the climate. 

Interest in biobased building components is growing. Materials such as wood or wood-based products draw on resources that are easy to renew, and which are quickly and easily broken down biologically. The above properties are all good for the planet, the climate and the nature that surrounds us.  

On the other hand, biobased building is often sensitive to water, moisture and fire – both during construction and afterwards. 

Fibre cement is not a biological building material, despite the fact that it consists of cellulose fibres and water. However, Swisspearl’s products can help promote the increased use of biobased materials by protecting the building against wear and tear, extreme weather, water, moisture, fire and significant fluctuations in temperature. 

Climate change will mean more extreme weather as a consequence: greater fluctuations in temperature, more precipitation, longer periods of rain and wet weather, longer periods of drought, more frequent storms and more fires. All these factors place new demands on buildings and building materials.  

A building envelope in, for example, wood or other biobased materials requires preliminary and regular treatment to be able to retain its properties and cope with the elements, both today and in the future. This is not the case for fibre cement. Swisspearl’s products are practically maintenance-free and require only brushing and light washing every now and then to maintain their beneficial properties during their lifetime.  

A building does not just have to be sustainable during the construction phase, but must also be sustainable once in operation. It is therefore crucial to look at the total cost of ownership if you wish to build in a sustainable manner. 

Our panels of fibre cement are competitive compared to the majority of good alternatives. Installation is uncomplicated and therefore neither time-consuming nor expensive.  

The panels have low operational costs, as they do not require treatment or retreatment with paint or other surface protection, but can make do with brushing or light washing every now and again. And they are built to last – year after year.  

Swisspearl’s facade panels are to an increasing extent being used in building interiors to create an inviting environment – also in places that suffer from heavy wear. You can see them at hotels, in offices and at libraries, hospitals and schools, to name but a few examples. 

The panels are available in countless different shapes, colours, surfaces and textures. They are certified as providing a good indoor climate, hardwearing and highly suited to locations where fire-safety is paramount.