The European Association of Stonemasons EACD has a new board: President is master and engineer Norbert Kienesberger from Austria

The new board: (front row f.l.t.r.). Vide-President DI Dr. Wolfgang Kippes, Secretary General Anna Singer, President Ing. Norbert Kienesberger EMC, Dir. Mag. Johann Gutschi und Norbert Stoffel; (back row f.l.t.r.) Past-President Janos Kampfl, SR Adolf Moser EMC, Honorary Member Gabriella Csanadi, cathedral building lodge master Stefan Stubenhofer, Aaron Knust EMC, LIM Ungarn Sandor Molnar, Bernhard Gann EMC, Georg Obererlacher EMC, Dir. Tamara Plastic, Honorary President KommR TR Franz Bamberger, Christian Vercayie, Janos Nagy, and Balazs Karolyi. Photo: EACD Photo: EACD

Currently the 4th tour to the European Master of Craft (EMC) comes to the home stretch

Automatic translation at the top of this web page under “Select Language“

The EACD, pronounced European Association of Building Crafts and Design, sees itself as a European information, research and consulting platform in the areas of design crafts, building culture and monument preservation. Members are schools, associations or cathedral building lodges from 16 European countries. The main focus is on the transfer of professional skills. Regularly a transnational training for the European Master of Craft (EMC) takes place. It includes the transfer and preservation of historical craft techniques, the teaching of current applications and the development of forward-looking techniques.

At the general assembly in autumn 2022 the board had to be newly elected. President is now master stonemason and engineer Norbert Kienesberger EMC from Austria. Vice President is Ramon Eduard Keller EMC, 2nd Vice President Dr. Dipl.-Ing. Wolfgang Kippes, Treasurer Andreas Schröder EMC and Secretary General Anna Singer, Steinzentrum Hallein.

Members of the advisory board are: Virginia Maria Tanzer, Director Steinfachschule Laas; Tamara Plastic, Director Steinfachschule Brac; Corry Kussendrager EMC; MMag. lic Johann Gutschi, Director HTL Hallein; Georg Obererlacher EMC; Bernhard Gann EMC, HTL Hallein; Stefan Stubenhofer, Master Dombauhütte Soest.

President Kienesberger promised to continue the EACD in the spirit of the founding fathers. Advisory board member Johann Gutschi presented his idea of setting up a European research center for natural stone and sees the technical college in Hallein as a suitable location for this. There have already been talks with the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences on how to align the competences of the designing craft with those of the university.

President Kienesberger promised to continue and develop the EACD in the spirit of the founding fathers and to lead European natural stone knowledge into modernity. He was pleased that so many young members are committed to the board and to accompany this process together as a team.

Advisory Board member Johann Gutschi presented the idea of a research center for sustainable construction with natural stone in Hallein. There have already been discussions on how to bring together the competences of the designing crafts with the university The initiative not only creates new fields of application for natural stone, but also provides craftsmen with further opportunities for qualification.

Made in Stone: the European Master of Craft logo (EMC).

Currently, the 4th round of the European Master of Craft is in full swing. This type of transnational further training follows the old tradition of wandering in the craft trade: the participants, who have already achieved the title of master craftsman or the corresponding level in their home countries, visit a total of 6 stations in 3 years, where they expand their know-how and their skills.

The stations currently available are:
* Klesarska Skola Brac (Hungary),
* Laas Stone School (Italy),
* National Guild of Hungary (Hungary),
* Dombauhütte Cologne (Germany),
* Dombauhütte Xanten Cathedral (Germany),
* HTL Hallein (Austria),
* Dombauhütte Vienna (Austria),
* Opera della Primaziale Pisa (Italy),
* Münsterbauhütte Basel (Switzerland),
* Canterbury Cathedral (Great Britain),
* Lincoln Cathedral (Great Britain),
* Nidaros Cathedral, (Norway).

Learning at such a station lasts two weeks. The local organizers pay for
Accommodation and meals. The participants bear the travel expenses and their loss of earnings – after all, they are no longer students or apprentices, but masters in their respective companies.

At the end, the participants have to write a thesis. The final examination will follow at the end of October 2023, and the diploma will be presented at the Annual General Meeting in Basel.

Incidentally, the current President Kienesberger completed the tour himself (2017), as did numerous members of the Board and Advisory Board.

European Association of Building Craft and Design (EACD)

See also:

(22.02.2023, USA: 02.22.2023)