March 20, 2009 | Recommend this Article »

Stone+tec Nürnberg 2009

German Natural Stone Award and natural stone tiling seminar

For three decades, Stone+tec Nürnberg has not only stood for a comprehensive range of products from the exhibitors, but also for the exchange of knowledge and ideas between natural stone experts in its function as industry get-together.

When the international natural stone industry meets from 20-23 May 2009, the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg offers a comprehensive range of products from companies from all over the world in the three major exhibition segments of natural stone, technology and gravestones & accessories, plus another broad supporting programme and special theme presentations for added information and inspiration.

Seminar for tilers: Laying natural stone without damage
The series of seminars on the proper handling of natural stone tiles has been very popular since its premiere at Stone+tec 2003 and is therefore continued in 2009. On Wednesday, 20 May 2009, three experts talk on the following topics in the Kiew room of CCN Ost in the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg starting at 1.30 p.m.:

Layout and dimensions of joints in high-quality, large-size natural stone coverings: The presentation deals with the potential conflict of the layout and negation of joints in natural stone coverings that results from the varying interests of planners and contractors, and provides information on standards and the possibilities of reaching a consensus with innovative types of design and laying methods.

Natural stone – cases of damage in laying and how to avoid them: Chinese granite, limestone and Brazilian slate are popular kinds of natural stone. If the elementary material properties are ignored when laying the stone, discoloration, deformation or bulging of the slabs can result. The presentation provides the basic principles for preventing expensive damage occurring when laying natural stone.

Laying natural stones on screeds: This presentation deals with the different screed designs and screed binders and the special features relating to the natural stone covering.


Peter Parler Award 2009
The motto for the second day of the exhibition, Thursday, 21 May 2009, is traditionally the “Stone Craft Day”. The day starts with the presentation of the Peter Parler Award in the EventArea in hall 1 at 11 a.m., when awards are presented to high-quality work on listed properties of natural stone. The purpose of this award is to create awareness of the contribution made by stonemasons towards the upkeep and preservation of our cultural heritage. It is also intended to encourage stonemasons to become more involved in the preservation of historic buildings and monuments and to apply the principles and quality standards of official preservation work. The award is presented by the Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz (historic preservation trust) and the Bundesinnungsverband des Deutschen Steinmetz-, Stein- und Holzbildhauerhandwerks (stonemasons and sculptors guild).

The competition honours exemplary achievements in the specific preservation and maintenance of cultural monuments, i.e. conservation, restoration and supplementary work on and with natural stone in line with official preservation work. The Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz provides a total of 15,000 euros as prize money. The judging criteria of the jury are creative craft restoration skills or professionally executed and carefully documented conservation work for historic preservation. The involvement of external experts such as preservation specialists, qualified restorers, art historians and scientists for specialized matters is also rated favourably.

German Natural Stone Award 2009
The Friday of Stone+tec, 22 May 2009 , is “Architecture Day” again this year. Stone+tec pays tribute to the key role of natural stone in contemporary architecture with the presentation of the 14th German Natural Stone Award in the EventArea in hall 1 at 10 a.m., the display of the prize-winning building concepts that can be viewed on the stand of the Deutscher Naturwerkstein-Verband (stone association) throughout the exhibition and the adjacent special show entitled “Natural Stone Architecture – Made in Germany”.

The German Natural Stone Award 2009 honours innovative, high-quality and user-orientated natural stone projects and is presented by a jury of architects and natural stone producers headed by Michael Frielinghaus, President of the Bund Deutscher Architekten BDA. The award is presented for the exemplary design and technically modern construction of projects in Germany and abroad, in which mainly natural stone from German production is used and the work is performed by natural stone contractors. The competition focuses attention on natural stone as a building material which contributes to the design of public spaces and individual properties and is exemplary in terms of consideration for environmental problems, sustainability and energy efficiency. The German Natural Stone Award worth a total of 30,000 euros is presented by the Deutscher Naturwerkstein-Verband e.V. DNV in cooperation with the Bund Deutscher Architekten BDA and is sponsored by NürnbergMesse as organizer of Stone+tec.

Industry offensive with new special gravestones show
The programme at Stone+tec Nürnberg 2009 is supplemented with a new highlight, a special show entitled “The Future of the Gravestone Industry” on an area of some 500 m2. This presentation, which is part of an industry initiative headed by the Bundesinnungsverband des Deutschen Steinmetz-, Stein- und Holzbildhauerhandwerks (BIV), the Deutscher Naturwerkstein-Verband e.V. (DNV) and the company Strassacker of Süßen, deals with the high-quality design and modern forms of remembering the dead that positively influence cemetery development and can counteract the trend to anonymous burials. The special show is open throughout the exhibition.

An interesting presentation shows new demand-orientated grave concepts and their practical implementation in the cemetery, which open up new, highly interesting business prospects for stonemasonry firms. Individual natural stone gravestones and bronze design elements such as lettering, sculptures and other accessories offer a large variety of design possibilities.