The Federal Association for Finishing and Facades, a member of the central association of the German building sector (ZDB), is the highpowered central association of the German stucco and plastering trade. Together with the Federal Association for Finishing and Facades, the regional guilds within the district craftsmen‘s associations and state associations, the federal state associations of the building industry with their special divisions and the professional associations in the stucco and plastering trades make up the strong professional organisation for the stucco and plastering trade in Germany.
The association of stucco craftsmen represents its member fi rms‘ interests in public, in relations with administrative authorities, unions and the management and in the political domain, from local to national level. Over 2,500 stucco and plastering firms with a total workforce of just under 30,000 are organised in the state associations of the Federal Association for Finishing and Facades. A large number of volunteers display great commitment to supporting the association in its collective efforts.
The Federal Association for Finishing and Facades champions the stucco and plastering trade in the political domain, pursuing intensive lob bying on its behalf. The Federal Association‘s members reap the rewards of every success it achieves in this fi eld. We are currently pushing for climate protection to receive greater support through improvements to the arrangements for writing off thermal insulation measures for tax purposes. Movement in this area with regard to energy effi ciency measures to modernise buildings is essential, if the German government‘s climate protection targets are to be achieved. At the same time, tax concessions for energy effi ciency measures have the potential to create up to 400,000 jobs in trade and industry.
The additional revenue from income tax and corporate taxes which would result from these new jobs along with the attendant social security contributions would more than make up for the reduced tax income resulting from such subsidies.
The association of stucco craftsment seeks to boost the market presence of stucco and plastering fi rms by highlighting their quality and capabilities. The Federal Association for Finishing and Facades is also represented at the European level through its membership of the UEEP umbrella organisation.
What else we stand for
The stucco and plastering trade plays a key role in energy efficiency measures for buildings. At today‘s energy prices, comprehensive energy efficiency measures for a building already pay dividends, with a substantially higher return on investment than a savings account at a bank. In the face of soaring energy prices, energy efficiency measures for buildings represent the best capital investment available. As such, measures to enhance the energy efficiency of existing buildings is a national task, one that government supports with the relevant subsidy programmes.
Stucco and plastering firms carry out most of the work relating to improving the energy efficiency of buildings‘ outer skins: installing external wall insulation systems, insulating cellar ceilings and attics, or fitting capillary-active internal insulation systems.
Plasterers are the specialists in quality facade design. From exquisitely finished stucco facades to plaster facades sporting a stylish finish – stucco and plastering firms are adept at turning old and new facades alike into real eye-catchers. Plaster is unmatched in the scope it offers architects for facade design in terms of structure, texture and colour. High-quality plaster and stucco facades can also be realised as part of external wall insulation systems. Energy efficiency and aesthetics are thus anything but mutually exclusive. The Federal Association for Finishing and Facades has joined forces with Sto AG to stage the ECOLA European architectural award for facades.
The ZDB promotes the latest technical developments together with research institutes, member fi rms and research partners from industry, thereby relieving many member fi rms of the need to invest in their own in-house research.
The Federal Association for Finishing and Facades also benefi ts from these development efforts within the ZDB. The ZDB has initiated a project on the integration of thin-fi lm photovoltaics in external wall insulation systems as part of the “Zukunft Bau” research programme, for example. As well as broadening the scope of potential applications for renewable energy sources on facades, this is also creating a new fi eld of activity for stucco and plastering fi rms.
The Federal Association for Finishing and Facades has enlisted the services of a training and education establishment from within the industry‘s own “ranks” in the guise of the Kompetenzzentrum für Ausbau und Fassade (“Centre of excellence for interior fi nishing and facades”) in Rutesheim. This establishment is concerned with updating and standardising educational and training materials for our trade and for the areas of plastering, drywork construction, thermal insulation and facades which fall within our scope of activities. The centre of excellence performs key tasks in the areas of basic and further training as well as knowledge transfer.
The second centre of excellence, “Elementiertes Bauen” (‘Prefabricated construction’) promotes the development and propagation of prefabricated construction in interior fi nishing. Prefabrication enables substantial savings in terms of time and costs. The Bühl centre of excellence informs fi rms about new trends in prefabricated construction and provides assistance to decision-makers with the aim of encouraging firms to embrace this comparatively new segment.
Despite the internet and electronic media, trade fairs remain an indispensible platform for communications and networking in the industry. The Federal Association for Finishing and Facades thus participates in numerous fairs, also with the aim of presenting the capabilities and innovative strength of the stucco and plastering trade to the public at large. The leading fair for the stucco and plastering trade, “Paint – Finishing & Facade”, which also features the “Phantasiewelten” competition, is organised under the auspices of the Federal Association, for example. The Federal Association has also been represented the stucco and plastering trade since 1994 at “denkmal”, Europe‘s leading fair for restoration, the preservation of historical monuments and urban redevelopment, which is held every two years in Leipzig.
The Federal Association for Finishing and Facades communicates quality and competence through its marketing campaign “Keine halben Sachen” (“No half measures”). A coherent and coordinated advertising campaign staged by the Federal Association together with the stucco and plastering sector publicises the latter‘s services and quality. Mindful that energy effi ciency is the key issue of tomorrow, this advertising campaign focuses initially on thermal insulation. Thought-provoking questions and creative motifs catch the eye and convey pertinent information. The Federal Association publishes numerous brochures, technical guidelines and in-depth specialits literature.