El Cañicero del Matarraña has been selected by the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation and INTBAU Spain as the master craftsperson of the month for May 2025.
Javier Pedrola comes from a family that found a way to add value to and make use of a common resource: cane. To do so, they trained in its application within the construction sector, recovering and refining traditional techniques specific to the province of Zaragoza. Javier masters all the tasks associated with the trade of the cañicero—from harvesting and cutting to drying, tying, and installation on site.
The vast majority of Javier Pedrola’s work takes place in private construction projects, where cane is used as a building material for partition walls, roofs, and coverings. To this end, he creates interwoven meshes using whole canes or canes split lengthwise. These meshes may either be left exposed or covered with a finishing layer, depending on the desired aesthetic.
Cane is also used in making stairs, as permanent formwork into which gypsum plaster is poured. Once the plaster has set, the two materials form the steps together.
You can discover more about his work and activity in his profile in the Spanish Network of Traditional Building Crafts Masters:
