Kandes Joins the Hochwert Library: Swiss Gypsum Panels, Elevated
There are a handful of materials that, once you understand them properly, are hard to stop talking about. Gypsum is one of them.
It is non-combustible by nature — a material that offers genuine peace of mind rather than a compromise dressed up as design. It is one of the more sustainable choices available today, a mineral material free of the toxic binders that shadow so many alternatives. It shapes with a freedom that few materials allow, flowing into organic curves and precise geometries with equal ease. It welcomes light itself, with LED integration turning a wall into something closer to a living surface than a static one. And at the very end, it welcomes you: paintable in any colour you choose, so the final word on the design is always yours.
So when the owners of Kandes walked into our showroom, full of passion and quiet excitement about their material, we knew almost immediately that this was a fit. In our design philosophy, in the way we think about craft, in the fact that we are both family businesses building something with long-term intention, and in a shared care for the Swiss market and what it deserves from the people who supply it. It was, simply, obvious.
About Gypsum, According to Kandes
Kandes has spent years turning gypsum into architectural art. Their panels are made from all-natural, high-quality gypsum, engineered with proprietary technology into high-density panels that combine centuries of material trust with genuinely modern performance.
A few things stood out to us as we got to know their work:
Perfect geometry, no seams, no gaps. Kandes panels can be designed to align so precisely that a wall reads as one striking visual, not an assembly of parts.
A1 fire rating. Certified non-combustible under EN ISO 1182 and classified under EN 13501-1, without releasing hazardous substances — safety without asterisks.
Humidity-regulating. Natural gypsum absorbs excess moisture when the air is humid and releases it when the air is dry, quietly contributing to a healthier interior.
Acoustic performance. The textured surfaces diffuse sound, softening echo in both residential and commercial spaces.
LED-integrated collections. Light becomes part of the architecture itself, not an addition to it.
Fully paintable. Supplied in natural white and finished on-site with acrylic or latex paint, in exactly the colour a project calls for.
As Kandes puts it themselves: their panels go far beyond the notion of wall cladding — they embody the intent of creating refined, elegant and sustainable design. It's a sentence we could have written about our own Library.
Our Partnership
From this month onwards, this is no longer just an idea we're excited about, but a reality you can walk into.
All of Kandes' Collections are part of the Hochwert Library, beautifully displayed — adaptable panels, LED integration, and a range of colours, textures, and collections shown exactly the way this material deserves to be seen.
We are now official distributors and experts for Kandes' gypsum panels, having been personally educated by the Kandes team on the material, its capabilities, and its craft.
Kandes will be using the Hochwert Library as their main office — which tells you everything about how close this partnership really is.
We are now the main distributor for Kandes across German-speaking Switzerland.
We are genuinely, unreservedly excited about this. And so is Kandes. Excited enough, in fact, that there might be an end-of-summer party in the works to celebrate it properly. More on that soon.
What's Next
This is only the beginning. In the coming weeks, we'll be bringing our new relationship and our new Kandes samples in front of some of the most exciting architecture and design studios in Zurich, so the people shaping this city's spaces can see gypsum the way we now see it. We're already fielding the first conversations about new projects together, and we intend to hit the ground running over the coming months.
Stay tuned. This partnership is just getting started.
See Kandes for Yourself
Take a look at the full Kandes world here: kandes.ch
Read more about our partnership
Read more about Kandes at the Hochwert Showroom
Explore Kandes products
Pre-book your appointment to experience Kandes in the Hochwert Showroom, open from August onwards.
Be among the first to request an in-depth, one-on-one conversation with us about the material and what it could mean for your next project.