After the first month of the 2026 Building Arts Grants, training work alongside masters of traditional building crafts is already underway in different parts of Spain. The programme, promoted by the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Fuentes Dutor Foundation and the Gondra Barandiarán Foundation, aims to encourage the direct transmission of traditional building crafts and support generational renewal in fields related to the conservation of built heritage.
In Navarre, Wagner Carrión continues his training alongside Valeriano Jaurrieta and the Cantería Jaurrieta workshop. During these first weeks, he has carried out different stone carving and shaping exercises aimed at the progressive learning of the craft, from the transformation of rectangular blocks to the execution of mouldings and finishes. The training also includes splitting techniques and the reuse of stone for masonry, as well as the understanding of the tools, rhythms and processes characteristic of traditional stonemasonry work.
Meanwhile, in the mountains of northwestern Spain, David Álvarez Fernández is carrying out his training alongside master thatcher Manuel Monteserín. During these first weeks, the work has focused on the study of timber structures and straw roofs in traditional pallozas and hórreos, as well as on learning about the cultivation, selection and preparation of the rye used for the construction of “teitos”.
The practical work currently includes the complete restoration of the roof of a traditional hórreo in the municipality of Cervantes, maintenance work on roofs damaged during the winter, and the rehabilitation of a traditional shepherd’s hut in Corullón.
The third grant awarded in this edition, dedicated to training alongside master stained-glass artisan Mikel Delika, will begin shortly.
