Master craftsperson of the month – SEI3
SEI· has been selected by the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation and INTBAU Spain as master craftsperson of the month for January 2026. Norberto and Juan Francisco Ortega, founders of SEI3,
These schools have been held annually since 2014 at various Spanish and Portuguese locations (Madrid, Barcelona, the Azores, Cantabria, Navarra, the Alentejo, Seville, etc.). They always revolve around design based on a knowledge and understanding of the local building, architectural and urban design tradition. Hand-drawing, in-situ analysis of the best regional precedents, talks by various expert guests and demonstrations by local master builders serve as a basis for the preparation of new urban and architectural designs taking local tradition as a reference. With an international teaching team, the aim is to introduce the participants, largely young architects and architecture students from the world over, to design methods attuned to creating beautiful and lasting ensembles, better integrated into their existing context and able to leverage and feed back into local building culture.
Since 2017, the Construction Arts Scholarships have been facilitating the training of apprentices alongside outstanding masters in different traditional construction trades. The knowledge transmitted by this means, through working and learning hands on with a master of the trade, can scarcely be given continuity through formal education. These scholarships provide financial support both to the master delivering the training and to the apprentice who is to be trained at the former’s workshop and worksites.
These workshops are intended to cultivate a knowledge and appreciation of traditional building techniques and to let the general public see the work of the best master artisans that preserve and apply them today. The participants, guided by masters of various traditional building trades, have the chance to experience hands on the work of masons, carpenters, blacksmiths, ceramicists, plasterers and many others.
SEI· has been selected by the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation and INTBAU Spain as master craftsperson of the month for January 2026. Norberto and Juan Francisco Ortega, founders of SEI3,
The Traditional Building Cultures Foundation has participated in the Qatar Winter School, held between 21 December 2025 and 3 January 2026 at Heenat Salma Farm, and organised by INTBAU Qatar
The Traditional Building Cultures Foundation is seeking to engage several professional profiles to collaborate on projects currently under development. Below is a brief description of the functions associated with each
