Rematter AG, founded in 2022 and based in Zurich, Switzerland, is a startup focused on creating sustainable alternatives for the construction industry. The company's primary innovation is a hybrid earth-timber floor slab designed to replace reinforced concrete floors, which are a significant source of carbon emissions in construction.
Rematter's floor slabs combine earth and timber with robotic manufacturing to produce a sustainable alternative that claims to be as durable, sound-insulating, and fire-resistant as concrete, while being price competitive. The company states that their product achieves 80% less embodied carbon than concrete counterparts.
The startup has garnered attention from various quarters, including partnerships with ETH Zurich for a CHF8 million transformation fund to accelerate the adoption of earth-timber structures. Rematter has also collaborated with ZPF Ingenieure and Herzog & de Meuron for conceptualizing and designing their pre-fabricated modules.
Rematter's current project pipeline includes schools, residential buildings, and office buildings. In 2023, the company worked with Swiss real estate firm Senn on the House of Research, Technology, Utopia and Sustainability (HORTUS) in Basel. Rematter aims to produce 900,000m2 of slabs annually by 2028.
The company has received support from initiatives such as the Migros Pioneer Fund and was awarded CHF 150,000 by Venture Kick in January 2024 to further automate their production process.