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Welcome to the Heritage Buildings Podcast! In this episode, Vincent Reed sits down with Pierre Bidaud, an experienced French stonemason, heritage conservation specialist, and advocate for innovative stone construction.

Pierre shares his journey from joining Les Compagnons du Devoir to spending nine years travelling across France and the UK, restoring some of Europe's most important historic buildings, including Gloucester Cathedral. Along the way, he discusses the craftsmanship, precision, and passion behind traditional stonemasonry and heritage restoration.

Discover how historic stone buildings are repaired using centuries-old techniques, from setting out and templating to hand-carving decorative details and assessing natural stone. Pierre also explores how modern engineering is transforming the industry through post-tensioned stone, prefabrication, and sustainable products like Rock Block and Augmented Stone, helping shape the future of low-carbon construction.

Topics covered include:

• Pierre's journey through Les Compagnons du Devoir

• Restoring historic buildings including Gloucester Cathedral

• Traditional stonemasonry and architectural stone carving

• Stone setting out, templating, and repair techniques

• Assessing natural stone and conservation best practices

• The emotional connection between craftspeople and historic buildings

• Post-tensioned and prefabricated structural stone

• Sustainable stone construction and low-carbon building materials

• Rock Block, Augmented Stone, and the future of natural stone

Whether you're a stonemason, architect, conservation professional, heritage enthusiast, or simply fascinated by traditional building crafts, this episode offers valuable insights into both the timeless skills and exciting innovations shaping the world of heritage construction.

Below is a more detailed breakdown of the video with relevant timestamps

(Click the time on the left to jump straight to that section)

00:00 Who is Pierre Bidaud

00:19 Finding a Trade in France

01:58 Compagnons Journey Years

05:16 Cathedrals and Craft Mindset

07:16 How French Heritage Works

13:30 Apprenticeship Reality Check

16:14 Becoming Pro and Advising

18:38 Setting Out and Templates

25:15 Stone Selection and Faults

30:44 Repairs and Architect Education

34:20 Reinforced Stone Innovation

36:24 Stone vs Concrete Explained

41:58 Floating Stone Staircases

43:21 Sagrada Familia Stone Towers

44:27 Rebar and Post Tensioning

45:51 Why Stone Got Expensive

49:06 Concrete Creep vs Stone

51:40 Georgian Torsion Stairs

54:26 Modern Cable Stair Build

57:10 Company USP and Origins

59:17 Rock Block and Augmented

01:05:23 Stone Demonstrator London

01:06:37 Screen Share Staircase Tour

01:12:10 Teamwork Love and Challenges

01:15:50 Stone Collective and Farewell

Connect with Pierre Bidaud using the links below:

Website: www.thestonemasonrycompany.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierre-bidaud-82364b16/

Company: The Stonemasonry Company Limited

Email: Pierre@thestonemasonrycompany.co.uk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stonemasonry_comp_stonestair/

https://www.instagram.com/pierre.bidaud/

*🔗 Learn more about the Heritage Buildings Association*

https://heritagebuildingsassociation.com

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https://heritagebuildings.forum/share/dDYOnkLWJAkaA5xE?utm_source=manual

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#Stonemasonry #StoneCarving #NaturalStone