Master of a Swiss rural tradition

• • A 'tavillionneur' makes wood-shingled roofs typical of Swiss alpine chalets
• • Lucien is one of the last remaining masters of this craft
• • Though a hard job, he considers it extremely rewarding

Lucien Carrel lives and works in the Swiss canton of Fribourg, which, together with the canton of Vaud, is well known for a particular type of roofing that is made by layering shingles cut out from spruce wood. Lucien learned the technique from his master Camille Charrière. The wood is selected in winter with the collaboration of foresters who assist him in choosing the logs to be cut, which are mainly felled in the Trême Valley. “Choosing logs in winter allows me to decompress after eight months of intensive laying, which I spend on top of roofs, sitting on a special small seat. There I lay out four spruce shingles, like a card player unveiling his game, before nailing them one by one with the help of my hammer.”