roofing 51
A lofty solution to make the most of space, easily
By Martin Shave, Domestic Business Development Manager for Protan, a leading manufacturer of roofing and construction membranes.
O
ne sure thing in the housebuilding industry is that land is a finite resource. Thus, we are now seeing a prevalence in
building downwards to gain space in basements. But why make life harder than it needs to be? Going underground is full of pitfalls, and adds
significantly to the cost. Yet every dwelling – from individual homes through to apartment blocks – has an overlooked and undervalued resource – the roof. There is also more building on brownfield
sites, and infilling, where the surroundings impact to a higher than usual degree on building design. Homes have to be designed that are as unobtrusive as possible – and that often means going flat. In the UK, we have what verges on an
obsession with building homes with triangular pitched roofs, and then not using that space effi- ciently – only as storage. We will design and build apartment blocks with flat roofs, but even then
the roof is not perceived as part of the accommo- dation but a means of hiding the building services from obvious view.
“In the UK, we have what verges on an obsession with building homes with triangular pitched roofs, and then not using that space efficiently, only as storage”
It is rare we optimise this space, yet with
land increasingly at a premium, it is the most cost-effective solution to gaining square metreage. And it can add architectural interest. Maybe surprisingly, 23 per cent of Britain’s
existing dwellings already have at least some part of the roof that is flat/low pitched. Current consumer demand is for maximum natural light and open plan living. So why, for example, do
developers and designers not combine this with cost-effective construction?
More mansard or gambrel roofs?
By definition, the steep roof with windows creates an additional floor of habitable space and reduces the overall height of the roof for a given number of habitable storeys. Mansard in Europe also means the attic (garret) space itself, not just the roof shape. The mansard and gambrel styles make
maximum use of the interior space of the attic and offer a simple way to add one or more storeys to an existing (or new) building without major cost or disruption. They still have a degree of pitch to the vertical facade, to satisfy the traditionalists and ‘soften’ the line. In their heyday, in the 19th century, mansards
and gambrels used convex or concave curvature with elaborate dormer window surrounds.
respond online at
www.hbdonline.co.uk
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