Small format. Big impact.

For more than 100 years, small-format façade slates have been part of the toolkit for high-quality building envelopes – not out of nostalgia, but because they deliver both architectural expression and structural performance. They create finely articulated surfaces, adapt to curved forms, and allow laying patterns with a clear design signature. Swisspearl builds on these strengths with coloured fibre-cement façade slates and is bringing the first part of the new range to Germany in April 2026.

An envelope that combines design and building physics

Thanks to the overlapping installation, the small-format panels follow the building’s form: calm and uniform from a distance, with a distinctly textured surface up close. Depending on the selected format, visible heights of 60 to 135 mm are possible – ideal for finely proportioned façades, from even, restrained shingle patterns to deliberately lively, rhythmic layouts.

The colour range is coordinated with Swisspearl’s large-format façade panels from the Carat, Nobilis and Planea product families. This makes it possible to combine large and small formats in the same colour on different façade areas – for example to structure building volumes, accentuate plinths or entrances, or create material transitions without visible colour breaks.

Safe, robust, easy to plan

Fibre-cement façade slates are installed as a ventilated façade system and can be mounted on timber substructures. The overlapping installation works like protective scales, reliably shielding the building envelope from wind and weather for decades – including in regions with harsh winters.

For day-to-day operation, the high-quality coating is UV-resistant; even dark and intense colours remain brilliant. If needed, the surface can be cleaned with water and mild detergents.

Material properties that matter in detail

Swisspearl fibre cement combines design freedom with technical performance that is crucial for the building envelope:

• non-combustible according to DIN EN 13501-1 (A2-s1, d0)
• a ventilated façade construction optimised for building physics
• extremely weather-resistant and low-maintenance
• durable, value-retaining and sustainable (made from natural, environmentally compatible raw materials)
• quick, simple and safe to install

Conclusion: Small format is back in vogue – and remains true craftsmanship

Whether monochrome or multicoloured, in calm rows or in varied bonds: the new small formats open up façade solutions that can be planned with precision and executed to a high standard of craftsmanship – combined with the robustness of a modern ventilated fibre-cement façade. In this way, a proven concept becomes a contemporary tool for everyone who wants façades not just to clad, but to deliberately design.