MARTINE BROCARD* From a distance, the pastel-hued chalet roofs seem to blend into their gently undulating surroundings. They stand out more close up, their rounded forms consisting of tightly packed rows of overlapping, small, thin wooden boards. This, the tradition of tavillonnage (wood-shingled roofs), is particularly strong in the Alpine foothills of Fribourg and Vaud. But it can also be found in other parts of Switzerland. Shingle-making is an ancient Swiss craft that has been kept alive, although very few now practise the art. There are around a dozen shingle-makers in French-speaking Switzerland. Most of them originally worked as carpenters or joiners before catching the tavillonnage bug. It is a niche profession, and the shingle-makers are keen to pass on their knowledge and expertise every so often. To people like qualified carpenter Tristan Ropraz, who picked up the skill six years ago. “We are like marmots” We meet Ropraz on a slightly chilly morning at his workshop in Sorens (canton of Fribourg). From his window he can see Moléson, a wellknown mountain in the Fribourg Alps. Ropraz, 26, surveys his next task. He has a pile of wood in front of him. Using a wooden mallet and a froe, he will split the logs to make six-millimetre-thick tavillons, or shingles. He will tie these in the exact order in which he cut them, then start over. All day long. And all week long, from mid-November to mid-April. This is the time to make shingles. “My body and soul recover in winter – I no longer have to think,” he says. “You split the wood, tie the pieces together and stack them outside.” For him, none of this work is boring or laborious. It is a monotonous procedure, but every shingle is different. “My teacher says you need to have eyes in your fingers.” Splitting the wood along the grain without damaging the fibres is the tricky bit. If you get that right, the wood – and the future roof – will remain leak-free. Every strike with the mallet has to be perfect. Shingle-makers live according to the rhythms of the seasons. “We are like marmots,” he laughs. “We retreat to our dens when it gets cold, and reemerge when it gets warm.” Topaz “Working with 150-year-old wood is an honour” The tradition of tavillonnage, or wood-shingled roofs, can be found in some of the French-speaking foothills of the Swiss Alps. A small number of passionate artisans are keeping this tradition alive. One of them is Tristan Ropraz from the western canton of Fribourg. has a tanned complexion. He spends winter making shingles, spring and autumn putting the shingles on roofs down in the valleys, and summer layTristan Ropraz at work. His skill lies in splitting the wood along the grain without damaging the fibres. That makes it leakproof. All Photos: Pierre-Yves Massot 14 Report “I have great respect for these trees. They were here long before us and will remain on roofs long after we have gone.” Tristan Ropraz
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