The school of « carpentry of the White of Narros del Castillo » is a training center where knowledge is taught, practical and theoretical technique of Spanish carpentry in which decorative element par excellence is the « lacería » (Ornamentation in wood or plaster, in straight, broken or sinuous interlaced bands, forming a complicated homogeneous whole, very common in Muslim decoration and in Mudejar art to compose friezes, harneruelos, latticework and alfarjes), which is integrated in solidarity with the structures. This aspect is its fundamental characteristic and is what differentiates it from other European carpentries. It has a calendar of annual courses (about 4) and also offers training courses on demand for groups and professionals who wish to learn this unique technique both national and foreign. Another aspect that the school deals with is the realization of projects that are requested, whether for research, training or practical realization.

—————

Winner of the Europa Nostra Education, Training & Skills Award (text by Europa Nostra) 

 (text by Europa Nostra)

VOTE FOR THE PUBLIC CHOICE AWARD HERE 

White carpentry (“La carpintería de lo blanco”) is a technique that from the 13th century to the 18th century made possible the construction of the roof trusses and wooden coffered ceilings that are present in thousands of religious and civic buildings in Spain. The “Carpintería de lo Blanco” School in Narros del Castillo was created to teach this lost trade to the next generations of carpenters, architects, restorers and other professionals related to the conservation of heritage, ensuring its transmission to the next generation.

The school provides a programme of theoretical and practical content that encompasses the techniques historically used in white carpentry, from the point of view of design, layout and execution, implemented to allow the students to achieve mastery in the trade.  Some of the students have gone on to work on the restoration of Spanish-Islamic roof trusses, while others have incorporated structural and decorative aspects of Mudejar carpentry into their work. As a result of the “Carpintería de lo Blanco” School’s activities, several university teachers have added white carpentry to their training programmes, which until recently had been missing from formal study programmes.

The school makes great efforts to also raise awareness of the craft on a wider scale. To this end, the initiators have travelled to many towns that have exceptional examples of white carpentry, to share the history of the trade and the carpenters who built them, and to offer training when requested.

“The White Carpentry School in Narros del Castillo is a bottom-up initiative created and driven by skilled craftspeople. By offering hands-on training, the school supports the ongoing understanding of this important carpentry technique and helps to preserve a disappearing craft which is relevant to many parts of Europe and beyond. A part of the traditional carpentry technique works with small section sizes, leading to a very economical use of timber, demonstrating the sustainable use of natural materials in heritage crafts”, the Awards’ Jury emphasised.

“They have achieved truly admirable results with a modest budget. Located in a small village, they have been able to stimulate local activism in the heritage field and have created job possibilities in the region”, the Jury said.

L’école de « carpintería de lo Blanco de Narros del Castillo » est un centre de formation où sont enseignées les connaissances pratiques et théoriques de la technique de la menuiserie espagnole, dont l’élément décoratif par excellence est la « lacería » (Ornementation en bois ou en plâtre, en bandes droites, brisées ou sinueuses entrelacées, formant un ensemble homogène et compliqué, très fréquente dans la décoration musulmane et dans l’art mudéjar pour composer des frises (4), des harneruelos, des treillis et des alfarjes.), intégrée en harmonie avec les structures, ce qui constitue sa caractéristique fondamentale et la différencie des autres menuiseries européennes. Elle dispose d’un calendrier de cours annuels (environ 4) et propose également des formations sur demande pour les groupes et les professionnels qui souhaitent apprendre cette technique unique, qu’ils soient nationaux ou étrangers. L’école s’occupe également de la réalisation des projets demandés, qu’il s’agisse de recherche, de formation ou de réalisation pratique.

—————

Lauréat du prix Europa Nostra pour l’éducation, la formation et les compétences (texte d’Europa Nostra) 

 (texte d’Europa Nostra)

La charpenterie blanche (« La carpintería de lo blanco ») est une technique qui, du XIIIe siècle au XVIIIe siècle, a permis la construction des fermes de toit et des plafonds à caissons en bois présents dans des milliers d’édifices religieux et civils en Espagne. L’école « Carpintería de lo Blanco » de Narros del Castillo a été créée pour enseigner ce métier perdu aux nouvelles générations de charpentiers, d’architectes, de restaurateurs et d’autres professionnels liés à la conservation du patrimoine, afin d’assurer sa transmission à la génération suivante.

L’école propose un programme théorique et pratique qui englobe les techniques historiquement utilisées dans la charpenterie blanche, du point de vue de la conception, de l’agencement et de l’exécution, mis en œuvre pour permettre aux étudiants d’atteindre la maîtrise du métier.  Certains étudiants ont ensuite travaillé à la restauration de fermes de toit hispano-islamiques, tandis que d’autres ont intégré dans leur travail des aspects structurels et décoratifs de la charpenterie mudéjar. Grâce aux activités de l’école « Carpintería de lo Blanco », plusieurs professeurs d’université ont ajouté à leurs programmes de formation la charpenterie blanche, qui était jusqu’à présent absente des programmes d’études formels.

L’école s’efforce également de faire connaître le métier à plus grande échelle. À cette fin, les initiateurs se sont rendus dans de nombreuses villes qui possèdent des exemples exceptionnels de charpente blanche, afin de partager l’histoire du métier et des charpentiers qui les ont construits, et d’offrir une formation sur demande.

« L’école de menuiserie blanche de Narros del Castillo est une initiative ascendante créée et dirigée par des artisans qualifiés. En offrant une formation pratique, l’école soutient la compréhension continue de cette importante technique de charpenterie et aide à préserver un métier en voie de disparition qui est pertinent dans de nombreuses régions d’Europe et au-delà. Une partie de la technique traditionnelle de charpenterie fonctionne avec des sections de petite taille, ce qui permet une utilisation très économique du bois, démontrant l’utilisation durable des matériaux naturels dans l’artisanat du patrimoine », a souligné le jury du prix.

« Ils ont obtenu des résultats vraiment admirables avec un budget modeste. Situés dans un petit village, ils ont été en mesure de stimuler l’activisme local dans le domaine du patrimoine et ont créé des possibilités d’emploi dans la région », a déclaré le jury.

La escuela de « carpintería de lo Blanco de Narros del Castillo” es un centro de formación donde se imparten conocimientos , prácticos y teóricos de la técnica de la carpintería de armar española en la que elemento decorativo por excelencia es la lacería, que se integra de manera solidaria con las estructuras. este aspecto supone su característica fundamental y es lo que la diferencia del resto de otras carpinterías europeas. Tiene un calendario de cursos  anuales (en torno a 4) y también ofrece cursos de formación a demanda para grupos y profesionales que deseen aprender esta singular técnica tanto nacionales como foráneos. Otro aspecto que desde la escuela se aborda es la realización de proyectos que se solicitan, ya sean de investigación, formación o de realización práctica.

—————

Winner of the Europa Nostra Education, Training & Skills Award (text by Europa Nostra) 

 (text by Europa Nostra)

VOTE FOR THE PUBLIC CHOICE AWARD HERE 

White carpentry (“La carpintería de lo blanco”) is a technique that from the 13th century to the 18th century made possible the construction of the roof trusses and wooden coffered ceilings that are present in thousands of religious and civic buildings in Spain. The “Carpintería de lo Blanco” School in Narros del Castillo was created to teach this lost trade to the next generations of carpenters, architects, restorers and other professionals related to the conservation of heritage, ensuring its transmission to the next generation.

The school provides a programme of theoretical and practical content that encompasses the techniques historically used in white carpentry, from the point of view of design, layout and execution, implemented to allow the students to achieve mastery in the trade.  Some of the students have gone on to work on the restoration of Spanish-Islamic roof trusses, while others have incorporated structural and decorative aspects of Mudejar carpentry into their work. As a result of the “Carpintería de lo Blanco” School’s activities, several university teachers have added white carpentry to their training programmes, which until recently had been missing from formal study programmes.

The school makes great efforts to also raise awareness of the craft on a wider scale. To this end, the initiators have travelled to many towns that have exceptional examples of white carpentry, to share the history of the trade and the carpenters who built them, and to offer training when requested.

“The White Carpentry School in Narros del Castillo is a bottom-up initiative created and driven by skilled craftspeople. By offering hands-on training, the school supports the ongoing understanding of this important carpentry technique and helps to preserve a disappearing craft which is relevant to many parts of Europe and beyond. A part of the traditional carpentry technique works with small section sizes, leading to a very economical use of timber, demonstrating the sustainable use of natural materials in heritage crafts”, the Awards’ Jury emphasised.

“They have achieved truly admirable results with a modest budget. Located in a small village, they have been able to stimulate local activism in the heritage field and have created job possibilities in the region”, the Jury said.

La scuola di « carpintería de lo Blanco de Narros del Castillo » è un centro di formazione in cui si insegnano le conoscenze, sia pratiche che teoriche, della tecnica di carpenteria spagnola in cui l’elemento decorativo per eccellenza è la « lacería » (Ornamento in legno o intonaco, a fasce rettilinee, spezzate o sinuose intrecciate, che formano un complicato insieme omogeneo, molto comune nella decorazione musulmana e nell’arte mudéjar per comporre fregi, harneruelos, reticoli e alfarjes.), che si integra in modo armonico con le strutture. Questo aspetto è la sua caratteristica fondamentale ed è ciò che la differenzia dalle altre carpenterie europee. Ha un calendario di corsi annuali (circa 4) e offre anche corsi di formazione su richiesta per gruppi e professionisti che desiderano imparare questa tecnica unica, sia nazionali che stranieri. Un altro aspetto di cui la scuola si occupa è la realizzazione dei progetti richiesti, siano essi di ricerca, di formazione o di realizzazione pratica.

—————

Winner of the Europa Nostra Education, Training & Skills Award (text by Europa Nostra) 

 (text by Europa Nostra)

VOTE FOR THE PUBLIC CHOICE AWARD HERE 

White carpentry (“La carpintería de lo blanco”) is a technique that from the 13th century to the 18th century made possible the construction of the roof trusses and wooden coffered ceilings that are present in thousands of religious and civic buildings in Spain. The “Carpintería de lo Blanco” School in Narros del Castillo was created to teach this lost trade to the next generations of carpenters, architects, restorers and other professionals related to the conservation of heritage, ensuring its transmission to the next generation.

The school provides a programme of theoretical and practical content that encompasses the techniques historically used in white carpentry, from the point of view of design, layout and execution, implemented to allow the students to achieve mastery in the trade.  Some of the students have gone on to work on the restoration of Spanish-Islamic roof trusses, while others have incorporated structural and decorative aspects of Mudejar carpentry into their work. As a result of the “Carpintería de lo Blanco” School’s activities, several university teachers have added white carpentry to their training programmes, which until recently had been missing from formal study programmes.

The school makes great efforts to also raise awareness of the craft on a wider scale. To this end, the initiators have travelled to many towns that have exceptional examples of white carpentry, to share the history of the trade and the carpenters who built them, and to offer training when requested.

“The White Carpentry School in Narros del Castillo is a bottom-up initiative created and driven by skilled craftspeople. By offering hands-on training, the school supports the ongoing understanding of this important carpentry technique and helps to preserve a disappearing craft which is relevant to many parts of Europe and beyond. A part of the traditional carpentry technique works with small section sizes, leading to a very economical use of timber, demonstrating the sustainable use of natural materials in heritage crafts”, the Awards’ Jury emphasised.

“They have achieved truly admirable results with a modest budget. Located in a small village, they have been able to stimulate local activism in the heritage field and have created job possibilities in the region”, the Jury said.