Form and surface meld to express the Red Barn’s inspiration. The simple gable form and the diminutive outbuilding with its vibrant red exterior recall the typology of a traditional barn. Only upon closer inspection do the glazed ends, entry portal, hangar door, and contemporary cladding denote another reality for the building. The Red Barn’s meaning lies somewhere between the past it references and the present it occupies.

The Joint Health Sciences Center exemplifies Camden’s resurgence as a hub for medical research and education. The 100,000-square-foot (9,290-square-meter) facility has been designed to bring together students from different academic disciplines to share laboratories, equipment, and classrooms, exposing them to a broader educational experience.

This 1980s office campus needed revitalization to become a desirable, contemporary working environment. Opting to keep the revision cost effective yet creative, the original form of the building was retained, but refreshed with new materials and colors on the facades. New cladding was constructed with Swisspearl panels cut into complex patterns. Each panel was carefully cut to prevent any waste. The exterior materials were specifically chosen to be long-lasting and efficient during the construction and installation processes, thus reducing waste and labor costs.

The Mall of America in Minneapolis opened its doors to the public in 1992 and is now the most frequented building in the United States with over 42 million visitors per year. In an effort to preserve this notable status, Triple Five Group decided to reinvigorate the existing mall through an expansion, which would reinforce the center’s strong brand and status as a tourist destination.

The exterior of the retail podium consists of a Swisspearl rainscreen and continuous glazing, which provide a backdrop to a dramatic installation at the entry.

The new building for the College of Health and Human Studies at Missouri State University is distinguished by its sculptural form, expressed both in its volume and in its spatial organization. A central communication zone connects all floors, fostering interaction and visual continuity throughout the building.

While the interior organization follows an orthogonal logic that reflects the surrounding street grid, one of the architect’s primary goals was to break open this rigid geometry. This intention is evident in the slants and upturns of the entry façade, the recessed nooks at the southwest corner that mediate toward the neighboring residential development, the subtly buckled east facade along South Holland Avenue, and the folded roof plane.

The resulting sculpturally formed volume is emphasized by continuous cladding with Swisspearl Carat panels, installed using the Sigma 8 fixation system. In interplay with the slightly recessed glazing, the horizontally offset panels underscore the building’s compactness while reinforcing its lightness as a refined facade skin.

In this way, the new structure creates a counterpoint to the comparatively heavy limestone buildings constructed in the post–World War II decades. At the same time, the Onyx 7090 color option allows it to integrate harmoniously into the existing campus palette.

The Commons at Stanton Square, so called Martha’s Table, is a 55,000 square foot campus for community programs that supports the healthy development of children and their families in a welcoming and safe environment. Designed by Washington, DC firm Cox Graae Spack Architects, the Commons was completed in May of 2018 for Martha’s Table. The building features the use of four colors of Swisspearl fiber cement panels in a vertical orientation.

As its name indicates, Beachside sits on the shore, facing the Long Island Sound that separates Connecticut and New York’s Long Island. The house happens to be just down the road from Red Barn, the small “outbuilding” with art studio and accommodation designed by Ferris and featured in Swisspearl Architecture #27. Ferris says the Swisspearl panels covering the walls and roof of that earlier building enabled him to create an abstraction of “the ultimate red barn.” If the client for Beachside was aware of Red Barn or not is unimportant, since the architect was inclined to take a similar approach to the newer house, aiming for an abstraction of New England vernacular architecture in the gable forms covered in light-colored fiber cement panels. Instead of a bold architectural statement recalling the state’s agricultural vernacular, Beachside’s relatively subdued imagery and relaxed floor plan harken to the houses in Kelly’s book, or to a farmhouse that would have sat in proximity to a working barn. Beachside consists of four gable volumes with zinc roofs and shorter, flat-roofed glazed corridors linking them. The main approach to the house from the north leads to a two-story glass entry and glimpses of a thick interior wall with punched openings free of glass that correspond to the abstracted traditional windows set into the gable volumes.

On a wild coastal stretch of Canada’s Quadra Island, Patkau Architects have built an extraordinary single-family house that blends into the island’s natural environment while at the same time perfectly showcasing its rough beauty. The sea and its tidal impacts served as inspiration for the carefully designed layout and shape of the structure.

Black Cliff House accommodates diverse living arrangements while connecting to the site’s spectacular natural terrain. With this house, the client realized his desire for a gathering place for current and future generations while still being able to accommodate a small family unit. The house takes its cues from distinct and divergent topographical features: views and light to the Southwest and the extreme terrain that plunges down to the sea. The house pivots around two axes resulting in a shifting spatial geometry at the intersection of the main and upper floors, which appears as a void in the center of the site.

The materials palette includes off-form concrete, timber cladding, and Carat Anthracite Swisspearl panels. The smooth, dark Swisspearl panels clarify the dynamic shifting volumes and echo the rock surfaces of the cliffs below. With their strong color and textural contrasts, all the materials enhance the sleek, contemporary aesthetic of the house.

Located in a remote part of Ontario in Canada, this single-family house is built on a site that gently slopes down toward Haliburton Lake. By designing the house as a long, narrow volume facing south, all the principal spaces enjoy copious amounts of natural light and views through the trees down to the lake.

In contrast to the timber roof structure and the stone-clad walls on the lower level, the exterior upper facades oriented north, east, and west are clad in matte black Swisspearl panels of varying dimensions, some attached horizontally, some attached vertically. The design dissolves the boundaries between interior and exterior by extending the exterior facade materials in the interior. The southern facade facing the lake has been dematerialized with great expanses of glazing to soak in light and views.

The building consists of two concrete walls supporting a long, diamond-shaped roof. Between the gable walls, glass facades span freely, creating spaces for the restrooms and a waiting room with seating for 24 people. Unlike a traditional pitched roof, here the roof line is mirrored, forming a diamond shape that opens to the sky, while creating a human scale. As the roof is the primary element of the building, the architects needed a cladding material that would function equally well as a roof cladding and as a ceiling. A material was also needed that could be detailed with a high level of precision as the architects wanted the roof to register as a single, monolithic volume. Furthermore, the ceiling of the long waiting room also had to function as an acoustic element and, at the same time, allow for integrated lighting. Swisspearl created both the necessary aesthetic and functional properties. The choice of fiber cement Swisspearl panels made it possible to use perforated panels in the ceiling that function as a light source.

After a fifteen-year planning period, the inhabitants of Wickham in Western Australia finally got their new community center. A bent roofscape encompasses the communal spaces. The group of buildings also integrate existing and new sports facilities. Gresley Abas Architects from Perth were responsible for the architectural concept of the new Wickham Community Hub, tailor-made for the needs of the population.

The building’s main effect is created by the facade cladding, which is oriented in part outward, and in part toward the areaways. The cladding is composed of vertical stripes and solid-color Swisspearl fiber cement panels – 129,167 square feet (12,000 square meters) of Swisspearl Carat in fourteen standard colors and eleven special colors.

Black Villa is a combination of state-of-the-art technology and simple, clean design that respects the existing conditions of the site and neighborhood. The single-family house is a great example of how one can use materials and colors in order to tie a building into its natural surroundings.

The facade is clad in fire-resistant Swisspearl fiber cement panels in a dark charcoal hue. All doors and windows have aluminum frames with dual glazing of high R-value to help reduce energy loss. Deep overhangs and screens over the glazing areas help to protect the structure from the severe Californian sun and help to reduce the use of air conditioning.

The envelope is a core element of this sustainability strategy, which covers the building’s entire life cycle—from manufacturing and construction to utilization and postoccupancy. The facade system features extensive high-performance glazing veiled by a perforated skin made of sustainably produced and recyclable Swisspearl panels. Dotted by countless circular holes, the cladding helps minimize energy consumption by letting plenty of natural light penetrate the building. At the same time, it screens a number of manually operable windows, which allow the interiors to be naturally ventilated, improving air quality and comfort levels while significantly reducing expenditures for air-conditioning units. Beyond its practical benefits, the punctured cladding serves a major aesthetic purpose. Inconspicuous during the day, the myriad perforations create a striking display when the interior is fully lit, conferring a glowing, almost dematerializing effect to the facades. Moreover, the perforation pattern incorporates the company logo, thus advertising the brand to the nearby A1 highway, which connects Lisbon and Porto, the country’s most populous cities.

Tartu University Hospital Extension includes three new expandable units for the hospital complex, which was built over a number of decades. Two new units, the children’s hospital and outpatient surgery, are accommodated in the extension of this clinic.

The various buildings designed and built in their time, showcase a variety of architectural styles and materials. This project is a continuation of the previous attempt to combine existing architectural elements and create a harmonious whole. The extension is designed with a lofty, triple-volume atrium between the two so-called “towers.” One of the main concepts was to create a long gallery to the rear of the building to ease the logistics of the entire hospital complex. The linear accelerators for the radiotherapy department are situated beneath the atrium on the basement floor. All personnel circulation, as well as material flow for the hospital has been placed in a new “internal street” between two, eight-story wings.

Ingleside at King Farm, a Senior Living Retirement Community in Rockville, MD, recently worked with Perkins Eastman to expand their community and reposition their amenity spaces towards a new generation of residents. After embarking on a master planning exercise to create a roadmap for future growth, including a multi-phased expansion of its residences, Ingleside was challenged to seamlessly integrate the new with the old while making sure to not compromise on the services available to their existing residents.

The key goals of the master plan included expanded dining venues, as well as building a new Center for Healthy Living, innovative memory support, and rehabilitation centers catering to the Ingleside residents’ 120 new independent living apartments, and the surrounding community. These phases included approximately 449,931 square feet (41,800 square meters) of renovation and expansion for the campus.

The master plan and new buildings were inspired by the original Ingleside building’s French-mansard roof, which faces the boulevard. The new planning and architecture draws on this aesthetic to reference lively and eclectic Paris side streetscapes for the cross streets with a dynamic collection of modern (as in the new Independent Living spaces) and more intimately-scaled and historic-inspired spaces such as those for memory care and day care.

Over the past several years, numerous national and international firms have settled in Poznan; therefore, there is great demand for office space and high pressure on developers to make a mark architecturally and thereby distinguish themselves from competitors.

A particularly sensational example of this is the Jet Office building, which the local architectural office Insomia built at the intersection of two main transport axes in the north of the city. The plot’s unique shape demanded a special approach to design in order to optimally utilize floor areas. Normally, office buildings have a central access core and a regular support grid offset from the exterior walls to assure maximum flexibility in the distribution of spaces and facades. However, apart from one single internal row of supports, the reinforced concrete structure of the Jet Office is arranged peripherally.

Uppsala Science Park is ranked as one of the world’s best corporate incubators and is known far beyond the borders of Sweden. Innovative ideas about life science, biotechnology, medicine, and IT are researched and developed here.

With 182,986 square feet (17,000 square meters) distributed across five floors, the rectilinear building expresses its prominent status by its scale, proportioning, and materialization. A broad façade clad in light grey horizontal and vertical panels is offset by a patchwork collage of diamond-shaped Swisspearl panels in shades of russet reds, oranges, and ochers. The autumnal color palette and the intense rhythm of window openings is a reference to the adjacent historical buildings.

Neptune Office Building is articulated in long, extended parallel lines of layered materials: stone, glazing, Swisspearl panels, and steel flashing in tightly packed, overlapping panels. Interlocking forms protrude from the facade envelope covered by the timber-clad eaves overhang that protects the upper floor outdoor balcony.

The Inland Northwest Behavioral Health Hospital represents a community investment into the growing need for behavioral health treatment. Through a holistic approach to design, the facility overcomes the stigma of mental health, and provides a safe, reassuring place where people can heal with dignity.

The X-shaped building stands on sloping terrain, which is balanced by a base. The outer shell of the house appears cautiously gray, in complete contrast to the inward-facing facades, which are formulated in striking color combinations.

École Enfants du Monde (International School) in Montréal was initially designed in 1961. Clad in Swisspearl panels, the new facades of the two-story, rectilinear school are mainly white, but are also peppered with black and red to give the school a sense of fun. The local borough experienced an annual increase in the number of primary school pupils, which prompted the School Board to expand several of its schools, most notably the Enfants du Monde school. Due to the design versatility of Swisspearl panels, Birtz Bastien Beaudoin Laforest Architectes decided to clad the École Enfants du Monde with the fiber cement material to add some color and a light-hearted atmosphere to the newly renovated building.

The Vision of a Wooden City – Kvarteret Arken in Växjö
Kvarteret Arken, located by Lake Trummen in Växjö, consists of three buildings with a total of 85 apartments and was nominated for Sweden’s Best New Production Award in 2020. The project is certified according to Miljöbyggnad Silver, with Växjöbostäder as the developer, Värends Entreprenad as the contractor, and Sajt Arkitektstudio as the responsible architect.

Växjö has long been committed to promoting wooden construction and has developed its own wood-building strategy. This made the choice of a timber frame an obvious decision from the outset. The timber structure represents a shift in Swedish building tradition, where multi-family housing of five to eight stories is now built in wood—something previously mostly used in one- and two-story homes. For the contractor, Värends Entreprenad, this marks an important development that shows how wood can be used in larger and more complex projects.

The facade – a combination of wood and fiber cement
The facade design combines a robust timber cladding in a traditional “lockläkt” profile with fiber cement panels from Swisspearl Patina NXT. The panels are used in three different colors and formats, while the timber cladding is mounted slightly in front of the panels to hide the edges and create a clear, well-defined expression. The distribution is roughly one quarter wood and three quarters fiber cement.

The architecture uses contrasts to create dynamism. The public-facing sides, oriented toward the lake and the main road, incorporate darker panels and the heavier timber cladding, giving the buildings a strong outer “shell” character. Toward the courtyard, the expression becomes lighter and more intimate through brighter panels, providing the area with a softer atmosphere.

The combination of wood and fiber cement makes it possible to play with the materials’ opposing qualities: heaviness and lightness, roughness and smoothness, dark and light. This creates variation and gives the facades both depth and rhythm.

The Choice of Swisspearl Patina Original NXT
Patina Original NXT was chosen for its through-colored and homogeneous composition, which makes scratches and marks less noticeable over time. The panels’ matte, subtly varied surface contributes to a natural and calm expression that harmonizes with the more robust character of the timber cladding. Together, the materials aimed to create a facade that will age beautifully and retain its aesthetic quality for many years.

A New Part of Växjö
Kvarteret Arken has become a key addition to Växjö’s vision of a modern wooden city. It brings together influences from traditional Bohuslän architecture and industrial harbor structures in a contemporary interpretation, where both material choices and design language are rooted in the area’s history and future ambitions.

Please note that this Reference project features Patina products. However, since the color range for Patina NXT is the same, this reference also provides a general impression of the look and feel of a Patina NXT project.

This building in Velenje is a spacious bus station at ground level and offices and a parking garage on the upper floors. The superstructure is notable for its extensive white Swisspearl paneling that serves to unify the different sections. The irregular pattern of perforations creates a distinctive day and night contrast.

The Bydgoszcz Fair & Exhibition Centre stands as a beacon of commerce, innovation and community in northern Poland. Renowned as one of the largest exhibition and conference facilities in the region, it serves as a dynamic hub for businesses, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders to convene, collaborate, and showcase their latest innovations. The Centre exemplifies a harmonious blend of functionality and aesthetic appeal with its innovative use of Swisspearl facade panels assembled in a horizontal format.

Please note that this Reference project features Patina products. However, since the colour range for Patina NXT is the same, this reference also provides a general impression of the look and feel of a Patina NXT project.

The apartment building, located in Vejle close to the city center, stands out among the surrounding row houses. Situated on a hill, the apartments enjoy a unique view over the city of Vejle, the iconic Bølgen (The Wave) building, and the fjord. The residential complex towers above the neighboring houses and distinguishes itself in both style and form. The neighborhood is characterized by classic brick houses, which makes the fiber cement-clad tower stand out in the landscape. The complex is clad with black Zenor panels and sand-colored Patina Original facade panels, creating an elegant and contrasting appearance.

Please note: this reference project features products from the Patina range. As the color range for Patina NXT is the same, this project also provides a good general impression of the look and feel of a Patina NXT project.