Individual. Handmade. Swisspearl material processing.
Production
Cut to length, hammered, smoothed and spread, the raw material is crafted manually and shaped with great sensitivity until highly expressive and durable masterpieces emerge. Each of which constitutes a one-off in its own idiosyncratic right and bears the personal signature of the designer.
Material
Light and unbreakable, water-impermeable, long-lasting, frost and fire-resistant, not to mention entirely recyclable. In a nutshell, fiber cement from Swisspearl. Natural, regional raw materials guarantee short transport distances and the material’s qualitative characteristics not only include a strongly pronounced innovative spirit, but also resource protection and pollutant minimization.
The Seater
The Seater is among the latest furniture pieces offered by Swisspearl, for garden and outdoor areas. The seat, created by the Slovenian architect and designer Tina Rugelj, persuades with its simple silhouette.
| Dimensions | 80 x 70 x 63cm |
| Weight | 37 kg |
| Year of design | 2013 |
The Seater forms a part of the Concrete Garden outdoor furniture collection. The collection reveals another side of concrete aesthetics, transforming cold material into elegant shapes; and thin objects into strong structures. Made of natural fiber cement, it is strong enough to endure any weather conditions. The form of the Seater takes advantage of the unique qualities of fiber cement: the thinness, minimum roundness, and strength of the material. The Seater is produced with either a left or right armrest. The two variants can be combined to create a two-seater chair. Seater is made out of 16-mm-thin fiber cement and celebrates the look and feel of raw concrete. Tiny imperfections are visible on the surface and the material gains a noble patina as it ages.
The Seater represents the spirit of the Concrete Garden collection. The Design Society of Slovenia honored the Concrete Garden collection as the Best Furniture design of the year 2013. It was published in several international media, such as the Financial Times, and CNN Style selected it as one of the top ten design products of 2015.
Cloth Table
The Cloth Table combines state of art technologies and functionality to create an exclusive object suitable for any space. The cloth table is a collaboration between the design firm Hybreed and Swisspearl.
| Designer | Matteo Baldassari |
| Materials | Extra clear or satin glass, fiber concrete, Stainless steel and structural bond |
| Dimensions | 1500 x 500 x 300 mm |
| Weight | 35 kg |
| Base color | The base can be painted with any RAL color |
Its design represents an innovative approach to furniture design introducing digital manufacturing techniques in combination with conventional crafts. The furniture is made of natural fiber concrete, the form combined with the technique of fabrication give at the same time a sense of lightness and rigidity.
The design comes from research on material, performance simulation and robotic fabrication. The main purpose was to achieve a design shaped by gravity and natural forces using physics engines. Those simulations, combined with prototyping and materials research, led to sculptural design. The process of fabrication and especially the experimental approach was one of the key features of the project, enhancing the innate value of the material. The computational approach follows and highlights the qualities of the material regarding aesthetics and structural properties allowing the creation of a unique table. The complex double-curved shape for the molds has been 3dprinted in sand to have the maximum precision achievable. The project has been engineered by hybreed and 3D printed by Voxeljet in Germany.
Materials have been the starting point of the research since the early phases. Concrete Canvas has been used for testing material properties akin to concrete but easier to shape in an unconventional way. The further developments of the project led to fiber reinforced concrete as a more affordable and resistant material with better mechanical performances and finishing qualities. The fabrication process was part of the design and has been taken into account since the early design stages. The final design was the result of several tests and prototypes and long research on the material performances.
Download Swisspearl's catalog for more information.
