This article will remain a dynamic one as with everything, materials and styles will certainly change. To kick off, I will investigate different types of fibre cement manufactured from various manufacturers around the world. Their unique patterns, shapes, characteristics, colouration and performance factors will be touched on and where possible, case studies on projects where they have been utilised.

It remains my goal to bring awareness on high performance building materials such as fibre cement to the building sector and the public in general. The dynamic usages of this material around the world over the last century deserve to be mentioned and I hope to achieve this in a series of articles touching on some of the achievements from a few of the more prominent manufacturers of Fibre Cement around the globe.

In this article we will touch on probably the grand daddy of them all, the Swiss fibre cement company Eternit. In 1901 the Austrian Ludwig Hatschek patented his fibre cement invention and named it “Eternit” based upon the latin term ”aeternitas” or everlasting. Initially, after devising the formulation mixture that was fibre cement, Hatschek granted licenses for fibre cement to be manufactured around the world but only one license per country. Soon, export of fibre cement was being sent to places in Africa, Asia and South America.

Interesting to note that in 1914, The company was active in developing own housing schemes using Eternit products. Thanks to prefabrication a house was built within 3-4 days. The low price enabled manual workers to become home owners. This trend has become desirable almost 100 years later and a sort after concept in our own South African environment. This evolution lead to intensive controversies with architects as they worried losing about business? However out of numerous arguments grew new solutions. After that, the company looked for a close cooperation with architects, letting them promote Eternit as a building material for modern housing and facade structures.

Through out the next 100 years, Eternit continued to develop fibre cement products, some of which are still utilised successfuly today. From roofing and cladding solutions, through to garden furniture, rainwater goods as well as looking into colour coatings and the development of Swiss Pearl Carat panels, which caters for up-market, high-end architectural building materials.

In 2003 the 100 year anniversary was celebrated with special events for clients, by an open house day and special fringe benefits for employees.  The institute for historical architecture of the federal university of Zürich issued a publication named “Eternit Switzerland – Architecture and corporate culture since 1903″.

In highlighting a few of their success’, the external facade range consists of large panels, overlapping building planks and perforated panels as well as concealed and secret fixing systems.

Ref: Advanced Building