Construction & Civil Engineering Magazine Issue 215 - May 2024 | Page 66

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The story of UK-based cladding distributor , VIVALDA , spans 25 years and three generations of leadership . It all began in 1999 as Founder and Non-Executive Director , Peter Johnson , begins : “ I started the business in September 1999 , and here we are on the verge of our 25th anniversary . Like so many of the unknown leaps we take in life , it was fortunate that at that time , the economic climate had been positive for a while ; better still , it was on its way to getting better .

“ Having witnessed the market since 1980 , it was becoming clear that demand for rainscreen cladding would increase and at the time the construction market was booming . Certain projects needed what were then considerable amounts of material , up to 1000 square metres , and those contracts were very competitive because it was seen as prestigious work . This is just one of the ways the industry has changed since we started . Nowadays , it ’ s not unusual for us to supply projects comprising 16,000 square metres of facades , with some larger developments using 30,000 square metres of material .
“ Like every new venture that prospers , the history books will record times of good fortune when the wrong decision could have been made instead of the correct one . But it wasn ’ t all luck because the type of product we were selling was becoming increasingly fashionable with architects and specifiers . In other words , the risk was minimised . Looking back , the company was primed for growth from the beginning . swisspearl . com
Shaping the future of building .
Our extensive portfolio of ventilated facade materials offer attractive , aesthetic design opportunities , durability and a sustainable solution for your buildings . With a focus on natural and authentic facades , plank , slates , corrugated sheets and build boards , Swisspearl consistently delivers outstanding craftsmanship . info @ gb . swisspearl . com
66