diff --git a/src/OpenMesh/Core/Mesh/PolyMesh_ArrayKernelT.hh b/src/OpenMesh/Core/Mesh/PolyMesh_ArrayKernelT.hh
index 3012c266..16f8f5c8 100644
--- a/src/OpenMesh/Core/Mesh/PolyMesh_ArrayKernelT.hh
+++ b/src/OpenMesh/Core/Mesh/PolyMesh_ArrayKernelT.hh
@@ -74,7 +74,8 @@
 
 namespace OpenMesh {
 
-
+template<class Traits>
+class TriMesh_ArrayKernelT;
 //== CLASS DEFINITION =========================================================
 
 /// Helper class to build a PolyMesh-type
@@ -97,7 +98,18 @@ struct PolyMesh_ArrayKernel_GeneratorT
 template <class Traits = DefaultTraits>
 class PolyMesh_ArrayKernelT
   : public PolyMesh_ArrayKernel_GeneratorT<Traits>::Mesh
-{};
+{
+public:
+  PolyMesh_ArrayKernelT() {}
+  template<class OtherTraits>
+   PolyMesh_ArrayKernelT( const TriMesh_ArrayKernelT<OtherTraits> & t)
+  {
+     //assign the connectivity (add vertices)
+     this->assign(t);
+     //copy properties from triMesh
+     this->copy_all_kernel_properties(t);
+  }
+};
 
 
 //=============================================================================
diff --git a/src/OpenMesh/Core/Mesh/TriMesh_ArrayKernelT.hh b/src/OpenMesh/Core/Mesh/TriMesh_ArrayKernelT.hh
index c179051a..f29cbe0c 100644
--- a/src/OpenMesh/Core/Mesh/TriMesh_ArrayKernelT.hh
+++ b/src/OpenMesh/Core/Mesh/TriMesh_ArrayKernelT.hh
@@ -74,7 +74,8 @@
 
 namespace OpenMesh {
 
-
+template<class Traits>
+class PolyMesh_ArrayKernelT;
 //== CLASS DEFINITION =========================================================
 
 
@@ -97,7 +98,18 @@ struct TriMesh_ArrayKernel_GeneratorT
 template <class Traits = DefaultTraits>
 class TriMesh_ArrayKernelT
   : public TriMesh_ArrayKernel_GeneratorT<Traits>::Mesh
-{};
+{
+public:
+  TriMesh_ArrayKernelT() {}
+  template<class OtherTraits>
+   TriMesh_ArrayKernelT( const PolyMesh_ArrayKernelT<OtherTraits> & t)
+  {
+     //assign the connectivity (add vertices)
+     this->assign(t);
+     //copy properties from polyMesh
+     this->copy_all_kernel_properties(t);
+  }
+};
 
 
 //=============================================================================