#31 - Swisspearl
  4. #31
2023

Swisspearl Magazine #31

This issue brings together a range of formats and color applications, from vibrant compositions in cities such as Paris, New York, and San Francisco to more restrained palettes in remote residential projects in Sweden and New Zealand.

Additional features explore the relationship between material and environment, including how fiber cement elements can support small habitats, alongside a profile of a Swisspearl water treatment manager and his personal approach to landscape and ecology.

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Beachside House, Westport, Connecticut, USA

Top Bau

A collection of farmhouse gables

The beachside house is located along the Long Island Sound, facing the water between Connecticut and New York’s Long Island. Composed of four gabled volumes clad in light-colored fiber cement panels, the design abstracts elements of New England’s vernacular architecture.

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The architect abstracted elements of New England architecture.
Beachside House, Westport, Connecticut, USA
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Birdy

Beautifully nested

Swisspearl continues to explore applications beyond traditional design objects. Birdy is a fiber cement nesting aid designed for small cavity-nesting birds.

These types of nesting elements support biodiversity by providing shelter in built environments where natural habitats are limited.

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Birdy, with its 1.06" (27 mm) entrance hole, is designed for small birds.

Making of

Saving toads, one habitat at a time

For years, conservation organizations have created small artificial water bodies to support amphibian populations in suitable locations. In this context, fiber cement has proven to be an effective material. As an inert, stone-like material, it is suitable for use in forests and protected environments.

The project was initiated by the conservation organization Naturnetz, which operates both permanent sites and mobile conservation groups in Switzerland.

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Hans Büsser

Portraits of Swisspearl

Water treatment manager

Hans Büsser trained in construction and joined Swisspearl in 2007. He oversees the internal water filtration system at the Niederurnen plant, where wastewater is treated and reused in a closed-loop process.

His systems-oriented approach and interest in environmental stewardship also extend to his personal work, including tending a small vineyard in the foothills of the Glarus Alps.

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Out here in the vines, he always see something new.
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