A roof (
: roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a
building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against
rain,
snow,
sunlight, extremes of
temperature
Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer.
Thermometers are calibrated in various Conversion of units of temperature, temp ...
, and
wind. A roof is part of the
building envelope.
The characteristics of a roof are dependent upon the purpose of the building that it covers, the available roofing materials and the local traditions of
construction
Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form Physical object, objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Pr ...
and wider concepts of
architectural design and practice, and may also be governed by local or national
legislation. In most countries, a roof protects primarily against rain. A
verandah may be roofed with material that protects against sunlight but admits the other elements. The roof of a
garden conservatory protects plants from cold, wind, and rain, but admits light.
A roof may also provide additional living space, for example, a
roof garden.
Etymology
Old English 'roof,
ceiling, top, summit; heaven, sky', also figuratively, 'highest point of something', from
Proto-Germanic (
cf.
The abbreviation ''cf.'' (short for the la, confer/conferatur, both meaning "compare") is used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. Style guides recommend that ''cf.'' be used onl ...
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
'deckhouse, cabin, coffin-lid',
Middle High German 'penthouse', Old Norse 'boat shed'). There are no apparent connections outside the Germanic family. "English alone has retained the word in a general sense, for which the other languages use forms corresponding to OE. thatch".
Design elements
The elements in the design of a roof are:
* the material
* the
construction
Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form Physical object, objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Pr ...
* the durability
The material of a roof may range from
banana leaves, wheaten
straw or
seagrass to
laminated glass
Laminated glass (LG) is a type of safety glass that holds together when shattered. In the event of breaking, it is held in place by a thin polymer interlayer, typically of polyvinyl butyral (PVB), ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), lonoplast polyme ...
,
copper ''(see:
copper roofing)'',
aluminium sheeting and
pre-cast concrete
Precast concrete is a construction product produced by casting concrete in a reusable mold or "form" which is then cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and maneuvered into place; examples include precast be ...
. In many parts of the world
ceramic roof tiles have been the predominant roofing material for centuries, if not millennia. Other roofing materials include
asphalt,
coal tar pitch,
EPDM rubber,
Hypalon
Hypalon is a chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSPE) synthetic rubber (CSM) noted for its resistance to chemicals, temperature extremes, and ultraviolet light. It was a product of DuPont Performance Elastomers, a subsidiary of DuPont. Hypalon as it i ...
,
polyurethane foam
Polyurethane products have many uses. Over three quarters of the global consumption of polyurethane products is in the form of foams, with flexible and rigid types being roughly equal in market size. In both cases, the foam is usually behind othe ...
,
PVC,
slate,
Teflon fabric,
TPO, and
wood shakes and shingles.
The construction of a roof is determined by its method of support and how the underneath space is bridged and whether or not the roof is ''pitched''. The ''
pitch'' is the angle at which the roof rises from its lowest to highest point. Most US
domestic architecture, except in very dry regions, has roofs that are sloped, or ''pitched''. Although modern construction elements such as drainpipes may remove the need for pitch, roofs are pitched for reasons of tradition and aesthetics. So the pitch is partly dependent upon stylistic factors, and partially to do with practicalities.
Some types of roofing, for example
thatch
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (''Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of ...
, require a steep pitch in order to be waterproof and durable. Other types of roofing, for example
pantiles
The Pantiles is a Georgian architecture , Georgian colonnade in the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. Formerly known as "The Walks" and the (Royal) "Parade", it leads from the well that gave the town its name. The area, develope ...
, are unstable on a steeply pitched roof but provide excellent weather protection at a relatively low angle. In regions where there is little rain, an almost flat roof with a slight run-off provides adequate protection against an occasional downpour. Drainpipes also remove the need for a sloping roof.
A person that specializes in roof construction is called a
roofer.
The durability of a roof is a matter of concern because the roof is often the least accessible part of a building for purposes of repair and renewal, while its damage or destruction can have serious effects.
Form
The shape of roofs differs greatly from region to region. The main factors which influence the shape of roofs are the climate and the materials available for roof structure and the outer covering.
The basic shapes of roofs are
flat,
mono-pitched,
gabled,
mansard
A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...
,
hipped,
butterfly,
arched and
domed. There are many variations on these types. Roofs constructed of flat sections that are sloped are referred to as
pitched roofs (generally if the angle exceeds 10 degrees). Pitched roofs, including gabled, hipped and skillion roofs, make up the greatest number of domestic roofs. Some roofs follow organic shapes, either by architectural design or because a flexible material such as thatch has been used in the construction.
Parts
There are two parts to a roof: its supporting structure and its outer skin, or uppermost weatherproof layer. In a minority of buildings, the outer layer is also a self-supporting structure.
The roof structure is generally supported upon walls, although some building styles, for example,
geodesic and
A-frame
An A-frame is a basic structure designed to bear a load in a lightweight economical manner. The simplest form of an A-frame is two similarly sized beams, arranged in an angle of 45 degrees or less, attached at the top, like an uppercase lette ...
, blur the distinction between wall and roof.
Support
The supporting structure of a roof usually comprises beams that are long and of strong, fairly rigid material such as
timber, and since the mid-19th century,
cast iron
Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...
or
steel. In countries that use
bamboo extensively, the flexibility of the material causes a distinctive curving line to the roof, characteristic of
Oriental architecture.
Timber lends itself to a great variety of roof shapes. The timber structure can fulfil an aesthetic as well as practical function, when left exposed to view.
Stone
lintels have been used to support roofs since
prehistoric times, but cannot bridge large distances. The stone arch came into extensive use in the
ancient Roman period and in variant forms could be used to span spaces up to across. The stone arch or
vault
Vault may refer to:
* Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards
Architecture
* Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space
* Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored
* Burial vault (enclosure ...
, with or without ribs, dominated the roof structures of major architectural works for about 2,000 years, only giving way to iron beams with the
Industrial Revolution and the designing of such buildings as
Paxton's
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
, completed 1851.
With continual improvements in
steel girders, these became the major structural support for large roofs, and eventually for ordinary houses as well. Another form of
girder is the
reinforced concrete beam, in which metal rods are encased in concrete, giving it greater strength under
tension
Tension may refer to:
Science
* Psychological stress
* Tension (physics), a force related to the stretching of an object (the opposite of compression)
* Tension (geology), a stress which stretches rocks in two opposite directions
* Voltage or el ...
.
Roof support can also serve as living spaces as can be seen i
roof decking Roof decking are spaces within the roof structure that is converted into a room of some sort.
Outer layer
This part of the roof shows great variation dependent upon availability of material. In
vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. This category encompasses a wide range and variety of building types, with differing methods of construction, from around the world, bo ...
, roofing material is often vegetation, such as
thatches, the most durable being
sea grass with a life of perhaps 40 years. In many Asian countries bamboo is used both for the supporting structure and the outer layer where split bamboo stems are laid turned alternately and overlapped. In areas with an abundance of timber, wooden
shingles, shakes and
boards
Board or Boards may refer to:
Flat surface
* Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat
** Plank (wood)
** Cutting board
** Sounding board, of a musical instrument
* Cardboard (paper product)
* Paperboard
* Fiberboard
** Hardboard, a t ...
are used, while in some countries the
bark of certain trees can be peeled off in thick, heavy sheets and used for roofing.
The 20th century saw the manufacture of composition
asphalt shingles which can last from a thin 20-year shingle to the thickest which are limited lifetime shingles, the cost depending on the thickness and durability of the shingle. When a layer of shingles wears out, they are usually stripped, along with the underlay and roofing nails, allowing a new layer to be installed. An alternative method is to install another layer directly over the worn layer. While this method is faster, it does not allow the roof sheathing to be inspected and water damage, often associated with worn shingles, to be repaired. Having multiple layers of old shingles under a new layer causes roofing nails to be located further from the sheathing, weakening their hold. The greatest concern with this method is that the weight of the extra material could exceed the dead load capacity of the roof structure and cause collapse. Because of this, jurisdictions which use the
International Building Code prohibit the installation of new roofing on top of an existing roof that has two or more applications of any type of roof covering; the existing roofing material must be removed before installing a new roof.
Slate is an ideal, and durable material, while in the
Swiss Alps roofs are made from huge slabs of stone, several inches thick. The slate roof is often considered the best type of roofing. A slate roof may last 75 to 150 years, and even longer. However, slate roofs are often expensive to install – in the US, for example, a slate roof may have the same cost as the rest of the house. Often, the first part of a slate roof to fail is the fixing nails; they corrode, allowing the slates to slip. In the UK, this condition is known as "nail sickness". Because of this problem, fixing nails made of
stainless steel or
copper are recommended, and even these must be protected from the weather.
Asbestos, usually in bonded corrugated panels, has been used widely in the 20th century as an inexpensive, non-flammable roofing material with excellent insulating properties.
Health and
legal issues
List of lists of issues and controversies with the law
* Legal issues in airsoft
* Legal issues with fan fiction
* Burger King legal issues
* Legal issues and controversies surrounding Netflix
* Legality of cannabis
* Legal issues surrounding ...
involved in the mining and handling of asbestos products means that it is no longer used as a new roofing material. However, many asbestos roofs continue to exist, particularly in South America and Asia.
Roofs made of cut turf (modern ones known as
green roofs, traditional ones as
sod roof
A sod roof, or turf roof, is a traditional Scandinavian type of green roof covered with sod on top of several layers of birch bark on gently sloping wooden roof boards. Until the late 19th century, it was the most common roof on rural log house ...
s) have good insulating properties and are increasingly encouraged as a way of "greening" the Earth. The soil and vegetation function as living insulation, moderating building temperatures.
Adobe roofs are roofs of clay, mixed with binding material such as straw or animal hair, and plastered on lathes to form a flat or gently sloped roof, usually in areas of low rainfall.
In areas where clay is plentiful, roofs of baked
tiles have been the major form of roofing. The casting and firing of roof tiles is an industry that is often associated with
brickworks. While the shape and colour of tiles was once regionally distinctive, now tiles of many shapes and colours are produced commercially, to suit the taste and pocketbook of the purchaser. Concrete roof tiles are also a common choice, being available in many different styles and shapes.
Sheet metal in the form of
copper and
lead has also been used for many hundreds of years. Both are expensive but durable, the vast copper roof of
Chartres Cathedral
Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), is a Roman Catholic church in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the Bishop of Chartres. Mostly con ...
, oxidised to a pale green colour, having been in place for hundreds of years. Lead, which is sometimes used for church roofs, was most commonly used as
flashing in valleys and around chimneys on domestic roofs, particularly those of slate. Copper was used for the same purpose.
In the 19th century, iron, electroplated with
zinc
Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...
to improve its resistance to rust, became a light-weight, easily transported, waterproofing material. Its low cost and easy application made it the most accessible commercial roofing, worldwide. Since then, many types of
metal roof A metal roof is a roofing system made from metal pieces or tiles characterized by its high resistance, impermeability and longevity. It is a component of the building envelope. Zinc, copper and steel alloys are commonly used.
History
Copper has pla ...
ing have been developed. Steel shingle or standing-seam roofs last about 50 years or more depending on both the method of installation and the moisture barrier (underlayment) used and are between the cost of shingle roofs and slate roofs.
In the 20th century, a large number of roofing materials were developed, including roofs based on bitumen (already used in previous centuries), on rubber and on a range of synthetics such as
thermoplastic and on
fibreglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...
.
File:The Elms Jersey.jpg, Slate, Jersey
File:Miskolc omassa peasant house.jpg, Terracotta tiles, Hungary
File:Niigata NCM Peasant Rice Farmers House.jpg, Thatch, using rice straw, Japan
File:Njem house in Cameroon.jpg, Banana leaves, Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
File:Neot smadar.jpg, Date palm branches, Neot Semadar, Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
File:Minenverwalter Kolmannskuppe.jpg, Metal sheeting, Namibia
File:Gassho-zukuri farmhouse-02.jpg, Repairing thatch, Gassho-zukuri farmhouse, Japan
File:Stone Roofing House - Palchan - Kullu 2014-05-10 2507.JPG, Stone used as roofing material in Himachal Pradesh, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
File:Green Roof in Norway.png, Turf roof in Norway
Functions
A roof assembly has more than one function. It may provide any or all of the following functions:
1. To shed water i.e., prevent water from standing on the roof surface. Water standing on the roof surface increases the live load on the roof structure, which is a safety issue. Standing water also contributes to premature deterioration of most roofing materials. Some roofing manufacturers' warranties are rendered void due to standing water.
2. To protect the building interior from the effects of weather elements such as rain, wind, sun, heat and snow.
3. To provide thermal insulation. Most modern commercial/industrial roof assemblies incorporate insulation boards or batt insulation. In most cases, the International Building Code and International Residential Code establish the minimum R-value required within the roof assembly.
4. To perform for the expected service life. All standard roofing materials have established histories of their respective longevity, based on anecdotal evidence. Most roof materials will last long after the manufacturer's warranty has expired, given adequate ongoing maintenance, and absent storm damage. Metal and tile roofs may last fifty years or more. Asphalt shingles may last 30–50 years. Coal tar built-up roofs may last forty or more years. Single-ply roofs may last twenty or more years.
5. Provide a desired, unblemished appearance. Some roofs are selected not only for the above functions, but also for aesthetics, similar to wall cladding. Premium prices are often paid for certain systems because of their attractive appearance and "curb appeal."
Insulation
Because the purpose of a roof is to secure people and their possessions from climatic elements, the insulating properties of a roof are a consideration in its structure and the choice of roofing material.
Some roofing materials, particularly those of natural fibrous material, such as thatch, have excellent insulating properties. For those that do not, extra
insulation is often installed under the outer layer. In developed countries, the majority of dwellings have a
ceiling installed under the structural members of the roof. The purpose of a ceiling is to insulate against heat and cold, noise, dirt and often from the droppings and lice of birds who frequently choose roofs as nesting places.
Concrete tiles can be used as insulation. When installed leaving a space between the tiles and the roof surface, it can reduce heating caused by the sun.
Forms of insulation are felt or plastic sheeting, sometimes with a reflective surface, installed directly below the tiles or other material; synthetic foam batting laid above the ceiling and recycled paper products and other such materials that can be inserted or sprayed into roof cavities.
Cool roof
Reflective surfaces or ground-based albedo modification (GBAM) is a solar radiation management method of enhancing the Earth's albedo (the ability to reflect the visible, infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths of the sun, reducing heat transfer to ...
s are becoming increasingly popular,
and in some cases are mandated by local codes. Cool roofs are defined as roofs with both high
reflectivity and high
thermal emittance Thermal emittance or thermal emissivity (\varepsilon) is the ratio of the radiant emittance of heat of a specific object or surface to that of a standard black body. Emissivity and emittivity are both dimensionless quantities given in the range of ...
.
Poorly insulated and ventilated roofing can suffer from problems such as the formation of
ice dams around the overhanging eaves in cold weather, causing water from melted snow on upper parts of the roof to penetrate the roofing material. Ice dams occur when heat escapes through the uppermost part of the roof, and the snow at those points melts, refreezing as it drips along the shingles, and collecting in the form of ice at the lower points. This can result in structural damage from stress, including the destruction of gutter and drainage systems.
Drainage
The primary job of most roofs is to keep out water. The large area of a roof repels a lot of water, which must be directed in some suitable way, so that it does not cause damage or inconvenience.
Flat roof of adobe dwellings generally have a very slight slope. In a Middle Eastern country, where the roof may be used for recreation, it is often walled, and drainage holes must be provided to stop water from pooling and seeping through the porous roofing material.
Similar problems, although on a very much larger scale, confront the builders of modern commercial properties which often have flat roofs. Because of the very large nature of such roofs, it is essential that the outer skin be of a highly impermeable material. Most industrial and commercial structures have conventional roofs of low pitch.
In general, the pitch of the roof is proportional to the amount of precipitation. Houses in areas of low rainfall frequently have roofs of low pitch while those in areas of high rainfall and snow, have steep roofs. The
longhouses of
Papua New Guinea, for example, being roof-dominated architecture, the high roofs sweeping almost to the ground. The high steeply-pitched roofs of Germany and Holland are typical in regions of snowfall. In parts of North America such as
Buffalo, New York, United States, or
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, there is a required minimum slope of 6 in 12 (1:2, a pitch of 30°).
There are regional building styles which contradict this trend, the stone roofs of the Alpine chalets being usually of gentler incline. These buildings tend to accumulate a large amount of snow on them, which is seen as a factor in their insulation. The pitch of the roof is in part determined by the roofing material available, a pitch of 3 in 12 (1:4) or greater slope generally being covered with asphalt shingles, wood shake, corrugated steel, slate or tile.
The water repelled by the roof during a rainstorm is potentially damaging to the building that the roof protects. If it runs down the walls, it may seep into the mortar or through panels. If it lies around the foundations it may cause seepage to the interior,
rising damp
Structural dampness is the presence of unwanted moisture in the structure of a building, either the result of intrusion from outside or condensation from within the structure.
A high proportion of damp problems in buildings are caused by ambient ...
or
dry rot
Dry rot is wood decay caused by one of several species of fungi that digest parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness. It was previously used to describe any decay of cured wood in ships and buildings by a fungus which resul ...
. For this reason most buildings have a system in place to protect the walls of a building from most of the roof water. Overhanging
eaves are commonly employed for this purpose. Most modern roofs and many old ones have systems of valleys, gutters, waterspouts, waterheads and
drainpipes to remove the water from the vicinity of the building. In many parts of the world, roofwater is collected and stored for domestic use.
Areas prone to heavy snow benefit from a metal roof because their smooth surfaces shed the weight of snow more easily and resist the force of wind better than a wood shingle or a concrete tile roof.
File:Snow on the roof.jpg, Snow on the roofs of houses in Poland
File:Ashdod 2005, rooftop view p2.JPG, The flat roofs of the Middle East, Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
File:Jakriborg, juni 2005 x.jpg, Steeply pitched, gabled roofs in Northern Europe
File:雪中紫禁城 7.jpg, The overhanging eaves of China
File:PA120016.JPG, Green roof with solar panels, Findhorn
Findhorn ( gd, Inbhir Èir or ''Inbhir Èireann'') is a village in Moray, Scotland. It is located on the eastern shore of Findhorn Bay and immediately south of the Moray Firth. Findhorn is 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Kinloss, and about 5 ...
, Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
Solar roofs
Newer systems include
solar shingle
Solar shingles, also called photovoltaic shingles, are solar panels designed to look like and function as conventional roofing materials, such as asphalt shingle or slate, while also producing electricity. Solar shingles are a type of solar energ ...
s which generate
electricity as well as cover the roof. There are also solar systems available that generate hot water or hot air and which can also act as a roof covering. More complex systems may carry out all of these functions: generate electricity, recover thermal energy, and also act as a roof covering.
Solar systems can be integrated with roofs by:
: integration in the covering of pitched roofs, e.g.
solar shingle
Solar shingles, also called photovoltaic shingles, are solar panels designed to look like and function as conventional roofing materials, such as asphalt shingle or slate, while also producing electricity. Solar shingles are a type of solar energ ...
s,
: mounting on an existing roof, e.g.
solar panel on a
tile roof,
: integration in a flat roof membrane using heat welding (e.g. PVC) or
: mounting on a flat roof with a construction and additional weight to prevent uplift from wind.
Gallery of roof shapes
File:Five roofs of Toji-ji, Kyoto.jpg, Five roofs of Toji-ji, Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...
File:Thai-roof.jpg, Pitched roof with decorated gable, Chang Mai, Thailand
File:Valsta säteri.jpg, Sateri roof (with vertical break in pitch), Sweden
File:mount-gilead-ohio-jail.jpg, Mansard roof, county jail, Mount Gilead, Ohio
Mount Gilead is a village and the county seat of Morrow County, Ohio, United States.
It is located 41 miles (66 km) northeast of Columbus. The population was 3,660 at the 2010 census. It is the center of population of Ohio. The village was esta ...
File:National_Taiwan_Science_Education_Center_Chinese_Roof.jpg, Conical roof
A conical roof or cone roof is a cone-shaped roof that is circular at its base and terminates in a point.
Distribution
Conical roofs are frequently found on top of towers in medieval town fortifications and castles, where they may either si ...
, Nanhai Academy in Taipei
File:Concrete roof insulation in Haikou, Hainan, China - 04.JPG, Flat roofs, Haikou
Haikou (; ), also spelled as Hoikow is the capital and most populous city of the Chinese province of Hainan. Haikou city is situated on the northern coast of Hainan, by the mouth of the Nandu River. The northern part of the city is on the ...
City, Hainan, China
File:Mandurah house.jpg, Sloped flat roof, house, Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
File:William Krisel butterfly roof home in Paradise Palms.jpg, Butterfly roof in Paradise Palms in the southwestern United States
File:Buildings_from_Peace_Avenue.jpg, Triangular roof of the brown building in Ho Man Tin
Gallery of significant roofs
File:Hospices de beaune toit.jpg, The polychrome tiles of the Hospices de Beaune
The Hospices de Beaune or Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune is a former charitable almshouse in Beaune, France. It was founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, as a hospital for the poor. The original hospital building, the Hôtel-Dieu, one o ...
, France.
File:SydneyOperaHouse6 gobeirne.jpg, The glazed ceramic tiles of the Sydney Opera House.
File:Coupole du mihrab, Grande Mosquée de Kairouan.jpg, Ashlar masonry dome of the Great Mosque of Kairoun, Tunisia
File:Cupola santamariadelfiore.jpg, Imbrex and tegula
The imbrex and tegula (plural imbrices and tegulae) were overlapping roof tiles used in ancient Greek and Roman architecture as a waterproof and durable roof covering. They were made predominantly of fired clay, but also sometimes of marble, br ...
tiles on the dome of Florence Cathedral.
File:Taj gumbad.jpg, The marble dome of the Taj Mahal.
File:Speyerer Dom Dach.jpg, The copper roof of Speyer Cathedral
, native_name_lang = German
, image = Speyer_dom_11.jpg
, imagesize = 280px
, imagelink =
, imagealt =
, landscape =
, caption =
, pushpin ma ...
, Germany.
File:Kings chapel roof.jpg, The lead roof of King's College Chapel, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
File:Grand Palaais 501590 fh000033.jpg, The glass roof of the Grand Palais, Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
.
See also
*
List of roof shapes
*
Domestic roof construction
Domestic roof construction is the framing and roof covering which is found on most detached houses in cold and temperate climates. Such roofs are built with mostly timber, take a number of different shapes, and are covered with a variety of mat ...
*
Roof cleaning
*
Tensile architecture
A tensile structure is a construction of elements carrying only tension and no compression or bending. The term ''tensile'' should not be confused with tensegrity, which is a structural form with both tension and compression elements. Tensile ...
*
Thin-shell structure
*
List of Greco-Roman roofs
The list of ancient roofs comprises roof constructions from Greek and Roman architecture ordered by clear span. Roof constructions increased in clear span as Greek and Roman engineering improved. Most buildings in classical Greece were cover ...
References
{{Authority control
Structural engineering
Structural system