diff --git a/dumux/discretization/box/fvelementgeometry.hh b/dumux/discretization/box/fvelementgeometry.hh
index cb4db856063dfac0ce4da0cad42b57783d1cd541..9ca3a412bfde15775b2c727c2a8f0262e7ffc505 100644
--- a/dumux/discretization/box/fvelementgeometry.hh
+++ b/dumux/discretization/box/fvelementgeometry.hh
@@ -56,11 +56,12 @@ class BoxFVElementGeometry<GG, true>
     static constexpr int dimWorld = GridView::dimensionworld;
     using GridIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::GridIndex;
     using LocalIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::LocalIndex;
-    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
     using CoordScalar = typename GridView::ctype;
     using FeLocalBasis = typename GG::FeCache::FiniteElementType::Traits::LocalBasisType;
     using ReferenceElements = typename Dune::ReferenceElements<CoordScalar, dim>;
 public:
+    //! export the element type
+    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume
     using SubControlVolume = typename GG::SubControlVolume;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume face
@@ -171,7 +172,6 @@ class BoxFVElementGeometry<GG, false>
     static constexpr int dimWorld = GridView::dimensionworld;
     using GridIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::GridIndex;
     using LocalIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::LocalIndex;
-    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
     using CoordScalar = typename GridView::ctype;
     using FeLocalBasis = typename GG::FeCache::FiniteElementType::Traits::LocalBasisType;
     using ReferenceElements = typename Dune::ReferenceElements<CoordScalar, dim>;
@@ -180,6 +180,8 @@ class BoxFVElementGeometry<GG, false>
                                              typename GG::SubControlVolume,
                                              typename GG::SubControlVolumeFace>;
 public:
+    //! export the element type
+    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume
     using SubControlVolume = typename GG::SubControlVolume;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume face
diff --git a/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/mpfa/fvelementgeometry.hh b/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/mpfa/fvelementgeometry.hh
index 50edf268d36226e6ce6b88dedf2d70f15da9d501..e673fff01ed869e71ff4a9ab03ec4df2e6f0126b 100644
--- a/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/mpfa/fvelementgeometry.hh
+++ b/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/mpfa/fvelementgeometry.hh
@@ -59,12 +59,13 @@ class CCMpfaFVElementGeometry<GG, true>
 {
     using ThisType = CCMpfaFVElementGeometry<GG, true>;
     using GridView = typename GG::GridView;
-    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
     using GridIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::GridIndex;
 
     static constexpr int dim = GridView::dimension;
 
 public:
+    //! export type of the element
+    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume
     using SubControlVolume = typename GG::SubControlVolume;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume face
@@ -175,7 +176,6 @@ class CCMpfaFVElementGeometry<GG, false>
 {
     using ThisType = CCMpfaFVElementGeometry<GG, false>;
     using GridView = typename GG::GridView;
-    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
     using GridIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::GridIndex;
     using MpfaHelper = typename GG::MpfaHelper;
 
@@ -185,6 +185,8 @@ class CCMpfaFVElementGeometry<GG, false>
     using ReferenceElements = typename Dune::ReferenceElements<CoordScalar, dim>;
 
 public:
+    //! export type of the element
+    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume
     using SubControlVolume = typename GG::SubControlVolume;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume face
diff --git a/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/tpfa/fvelementgeometry.hh b/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/tpfa/fvelementgeometry.hh
index 8a9335603f5e44d3274575cf059d1cd1986686c6..d004be7988c275ceb256f809bf6c4d8ff46f602c 100644
--- a/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/tpfa/fvelementgeometry.hh
+++ b/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/tpfa/fvelementgeometry.hh
@@ -61,9 +61,10 @@ class CCTpfaFVElementGeometry<GG, true>
     using ThisType = CCTpfaFVElementGeometry<GG, true>;
     using GridView = typename GG::GridView;
     using GridIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::GridIndex;
-    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
 
 public:
+    //! export type of the element
+    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume
     using SubControlVolume = typename GG::SubControlVolume;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume face
@@ -181,12 +182,13 @@ class CCTpfaFVElementGeometry<GG, false>
     using GridView = typename GG::GridView;
     using GridIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::GridIndex;
     using LocalIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::LocalIndex;
-    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
 
     static const int dim = GridView::dimension;
     static const int dimWorld = GridView::dimensionworld;
 
 public:
+    //! export type of the element
+    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume
     using SubControlVolume = typename GG::SubControlVolume;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume face
diff --git a/dumux/discretization/fem/feelementgeometry.hh b/dumux/discretization/fem/feelementgeometry.hh
index 2c32adab743260db39ae97a4cf9a3abe6fb44c31..485a5c51ec3a56f37d6eebac43222da9242283b4 100644
--- a/dumux/discretization/fem/feelementgeometry.hh
+++ b/dumux/discretization/fem/feelementgeometry.hh
@@ -38,12 +38,14 @@ template<class GridGeometry>
 class FEElementGeometry
 {
     using GridView = typename GridGeometry::GridView;
-    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
 
     using FEBasis = typename GridGeometry::FEBasis;
     using FEBasisLocalView = typename FEBasis::LocalView;
 
 public:
+    //! export type of the element
+    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
+
     //! constructor taking grid geometry
     FEElementGeometry(const GridGeometry& gg)
     : gridGeometry_(gg)
diff --git a/dumux/discretization/staggered/fvelementgeometry.hh b/dumux/discretization/staggered/fvelementgeometry.hh
index ed0156e618f67a5aa0a5c4aa64a969bb1eea3bc1..e23f7f0471dffadf7a7b2de2fa92061cdc6c5a16 100644
--- a/dumux/discretization/staggered/fvelementgeometry.hh
+++ b/dumux/discretization/staggered/fvelementgeometry.hh
@@ -57,6 +57,8 @@ class StaggeredFVElementGeometry<GG, true> : public CCTpfaFVElementGeometry<GG,
     using GridIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::GridIndex;
     using LocalIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::LocalIndex;
 public:
+    //! export type of the element
+    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume face
     using SubControlVolumeFace = typename GG::SubControlVolumeFace;
 
@@ -91,8 +93,9 @@ class StaggeredFVElementGeometry<GG, false>
     using GridView = typename GG::GridView;
     using GridIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::GridIndex;
     using LocalIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::LocalIndex;
-    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
 public:
+    //! export type of the element
+    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume
     using SubControlVolume = typename GG::SubControlVolume;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume face
diff --git a/dumux/multidomain/facet/box/fvelementgeometry.hh b/dumux/multidomain/facet/box/fvelementgeometry.hh
index 6fd4666bf8c556faa598628a8e7bdd9e2d334b0c..910a1df6600cfa5bf0b03ab7dbf0c0bfd623b6e8 100644
--- a/dumux/multidomain/facet/box/fvelementgeometry.hh
+++ b/dumux/multidomain/facet/box/fvelementgeometry.hh
@@ -56,11 +56,12 @@ class BoxFacetCouplingFVElementGeometry<GG, true>
     static constexpr int dimWorld = GridView::dimensionworld;
     using GridIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::GridIndex;
     using LocalIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::LocalIndex;
-    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
     using CoordScalar = typename GridView::ctype;
     using FeLocalBasis = typename GG::FeCache::FiniteElementType::Traits::LocalBasisType;
     using ReferenceElements = typename Dune::ReferenceElements<CoordScalar, dim>;
 public:
+    //! export type of the element
+    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume
     using SubControlVolume = typename GG::SubControlVolume;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume face
@@ -159,7 +160,6 @@ class BoxFacetCouplingFVElementGeometry<GG, false>
 
     using GridIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::GridIndex;
     using LocalIndexType = typename IndexTraits<GridView>::LocalIndex;
-    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
 
     using CoordScalar = typename GridView::ctype;
     using FeLocalBasis = typename GG::FeCache::FiniteElementType::Traits::LocalBasisType;
@@ -169,6 +169,8 @@ class BoxFacetCouplingFVElementGeometry<GG, false>
                                              typename GG::SubControlVolume,
                                              typename GG::SubControlVolumeFace>;
 public:
+    //! export type of the element
+    using Element = typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume
     using SubControlVolume = typename GG::SubControlVolume;
     //! export type of subcontrol volume face