Roof design in modern architecture. Design of house roofs: structural forms and choice

The most popular and durable roof shapes for a private home. Today we will look in more detail at what kind of upper protective structures of a house are used in modern architecture.

After all, the design of the house directly depends on the shape of the roof and roofing you choose. Let's dwell on unusual and complex shapes, since gable, hip and other popular types of roofs were discussed in the previous material, and there is plenty of information on them on other sites.

When designing and building a house, the choice of roof should be taken very seriously. Otherwise, changing the roof design or repairs will require a lot of effort and money.

First rule: choosing a roof design once and for all forever. Of course, nothing lasts forever, but with modern construction capabilities, you can forget about problems with the upper structure of your house for a long time.

And the last one, perhaps the most important point, — selection of qualified roofing companies or private installation teams. Whenever possible, don't skimp on construction work. Be sure to check whether the work and maintenance of the roof is guaranteed for at least 3 years. If your friends have positive experiences working with roofers, use their recommendations. Word of mouth has never been superfluous.

Modern roof design

In this part of the article we will look at what roofs are used by architects and builders during construction modern house. Detailed information in the article “roof shapes” on Krovportal.

Many people know the main two terms: flat and pitched roofs. But the more attention you pay to the issue of choosing the design of this house structure, the more options you will learn for choosing the shape of the roof.

Flat or pitched roofs very popular in modern architecture. Previously, such forms were used exclusively in the construction of multi-story buildings, shopping and entertainment complexes and garages. Nowadays, the shed roof form is actively used by architects in many projects of private houses. The only negative: pitched roofs are not used for the construction of an attic floor.

Examples of pitched roofs:















Mansard roofs(broken), unlike pitched ones, are excellent for constructing an attic floor. Interior designers now very often use attics for bedrooms, children's rooms and even bathrooms.

There are many options for this type of roof design. We invite you to view the photo:


A type of gable roof known as Saltbox, very popular in Europe. Such a roof has one steep short slope and one flatter long one (the main one).


pyramid roof- a combination of hip and hip roofs. This design is great for houses with complex shapes. Pyramid roofs are very popular in America.


The roof shape is known in Europe as Bonnet. Distinctive feature This roof is that, unlike broken types, where the second slope is steeper, in bonnet-type roofs the lower slope is flat. The photo shows an example with a hip roof shape.


Arched roof. The name speaks for itself. This unusual shape gives a home a more sophisticated and sophisticated look, especially when combined with a standard roof design.





At the end of the article, we will consider another solution for roof design - green roofing. Scandinavian technology is widespread throughout the world. And this is not surprising; green roofing adds naturalness to your roof and the house as a whole.


In this article, we looked at the basic techniques for designing the roof of a modern house. Share your opinions and suggestions on this topic.

The desire of every owner to see his home as good-quality, cozy, beautiful and original. Therefore, already at the design stage, the design of the roofs of the houses is determined. Any house is assessed by the volumetric design of the frame and the external covering of the walls and roof. And if the outer covering can be redone, then it is almost impossible to change the design of the frame.

Modern technologies and building materials allow you to create an unusual and original design for the roof of your house.

Designers offer different solutions for constructing roofs: from the simplest single-pitched roof to extremely complex ones with attics, with different parameters, slopes and slopes, as well as placing gardens, walking areas and other social infrastructure facilities on them.

Shapes of existing roofs


Roof shapes

  1. The simplest roof is a pitched roof. It is located in production and warehouse premises. With proper design, such a roof will protect from snow, rain, wind and other external influences.
  2. The gable roof is most often used in private construction and is characterized by an original appearance.
  3. A tent-shaped roof is used quite rarely and only when the building has a polygonal or square plan. The oldest type of roof is the hip roof. It consists of 4 slopes (two triangles and two trapezoids). The roof design is characterized by the mandatory presence of windows. Such roofs look quite simple, but at the same time, they have a more complex rafter system.

Gives the house a certain grace, lightness and airiness. Attic windows decorate the building and thanks to them, additional lighting appears in the room.

This is very important for work and various events where increased requirements for lighting standards are imposed. The attic can be used for living and storing various things.

Choosing a roof is a serious matter


Pitched roofs

Among customers and builders, the question constantly arises which roofs are better: pitched or attic.

There are several types of pitched roofs: multi-pitched, simple pitched, gable, single-pitched.

Pitched roofs have many technical advantages:

  • accelerated water flow prevents destruction and rotting of the structure;
  • lowest snow and wind load;
  • protecting the house and giving it an original appearance;
  • the possibility of placing comfortable living quarters under pitched roofs.

An attic is a residential floor in the attic space. Its roof design is broken or in the form of a sloping roof. With proper design, the attic can be used to create office space, cozy and comfortable housing.

Based on the owner’s material capabilities, there will be an office, a beautiful library permeated with rays of light, a bowling alley, a billiard room or just a convenient dressing room. Another fact in favor of attics is their low cost compared to new construction.

Advice! The great advantage of the attic is the possibility of increasing the usable area of ​​the house with minimum costs and the possibility of installing it without evicting the residents of the house.


Foreign experience: principles of constructing green roofs in Germany

Operable flat roofs are becoming increasingly popular. Modern technological developments allow you to make the design of the roof of houses extraordinary, aesthetically attractive, with high consumer characteristics of the object.

Lack of available land plots in large cities, its high cost, as well as high building density - all this leads to large traffic jams, lack of parking spaces, increased gas pollution and deterioration of the environmental situation.

For your attention! Using a used roof as a walking area can be a wise and prudent decision.

For a used roof, the design is created by professionals, taking into account existing traditions and the lifestyle of the surrounding people. Gardens, as a rule, are installed on the roofs of prestigious residential buildings and office buildings of significant companies.

Tip! On the additional area you can place a winter garden, an observation area and a relaxation area for employees, or even a tennis court.

The presence of large areas of existing roofs and low installation costs ensure the high popularity of their use.

The device has a number of advantages:

  • improves the habitat and surrounding ecology;
  • increases the thermal insulation of the building;
  • increases the period of operation of the roof without performing repair work.

For your attention! Roof landscaping has become a very fashionable trend lately, especially in Europe.

The amazing design of the roofs instantly attracts attention and delights others. Such an island of nature in the center of the metropolis will not leave anyone indifferent. But a green roof is not only beautifully impressive, but also very beneficial for health and general condition people.

Roof landscaping device performs several functions at once:

  • improves the indoor microclimate. Even on the hottest day, on a green roof the high air temperature will be felt much easier, and the green lawn will delight employees;
  • creates incomparable aesthetics with the help of unusual flowers, climbing plants, exotic shrubs and dwarf trees;
  • Also, a correctly completed project will help hide various defects in facades. Original design Roof houses, created by professionals, gives a special flavor to old houses and picturesque areas of big cities.


If you want to give your beloved home a beautiful and original look that will be the envy of all your neighbors, approach the choice of its roof design with all responsibility.

Hello, regular readers and casual blog visitors! Today's topic about roofs, more precisely about roof design which are most often used in construction country house. The shape of the roof determines its functionality and style. Depending on the region, a roof can protect a home from the elements, rain, snow, hurricanes and strong winds. Initially, the shape of the roof was chosen depending on the needs. But now the roof is designed so that it gives the house a certain character and style.

Gable roof

One of the most common types of roofs is the gable roof, which resembles an inverted “V” in profile. Gutters run along the edge of both roof slopes. A type of gable roof can be called an “A” shaped roof, when it descends almost to the ground and serves as both a roof and walls. A steep gable roof is preferred in regions with heavy snowfall, wooded areas where there is a lot of leaf fall, and rainy climates.

Shed roof


Shed roofs do not require complex rafter structures. They are inexpensive to make. With such a roof, the internal space of the building is used to the maximum. Shed roofs are most often used in the construction of outbuildings.

Hip roof


A hip or otherwise hip roof has slopes on all sides of the building. If gutters or eaves run around the entire perimeter of the building, it is a hip roof. This type of roof design is best suited for regions that experience high winds and hurricanes because the wind hits and bounces off the roof surface from either side and is less likely to be blown off the building by the force of the wind. But the attic space on a hip roof is smaller.

Flat roof


Of all roofing styles, flat roofing is the easiest and cheapest to construct. This type of roof is covered with different materials and is easier to repair than others. For better water drainage, a flat roof is often given a slight slope. Typically, such a roof is surrounded by a parapet - a low wall to protect all the elements that are on top of the roof. But a flat roof requires constant maintenance and should be checked regularly to ensure water does not accumulate on it. The roof covering will also have to be replaced more often than on other roof designs.

broken roof


A sloping roof is a combination of a gable roof and a hip roof. Most often, this design is used when a roof window is installed in the roof. On the slope of a gable roof there is a bay window, which has its own roof, or the roof slope “breaks”, and then it lowers at a large angle. This style is often associated with Dutch colonial architecture.

Mansard roof


The French Renaissance style of architecture introduced the mansard roof into use. This design features a tetrahedral roof with inset sloping roof elements. Upper part The roof is pitched, and, falling lower, it passes into the second part, with an even steeper slope. This second part has bay windows. The attic roof increases the interior space of the house, making it possible to use the attic space for living.

Two-story and one-story


This roof design is used in cases where the house has two floors on one side and only one on the opposite side. In this case, the gable roof is lower on one side than on the other. Such houses are often built in coastal regions where strong winds glide along the long roof slope over the top of the house. Two-story houses, which later have a one-story extension, can also have a roof of this design.


Everyone knows that the basis of any house is the foundation and walls, but the roof crowns any building. AND different forms roofs have a wide variety. Although you shouldn’t think that this is just for beauty. Any roof protects our home from rain, snow, winds, and different shapes give not only beautiful view, but also have their own characteristics. To understand the types of roofs, let’s consider what kind there is roof design of a private house photo. With our tips, choosing a roof for your home will be easier than ever.

Roof design for a private house photo

You will immediately understand the distinctive features of the types of roofs; there is nothing complicated about it, besides, the roof of each house is individual, and can undergo a number of changes that distinguish it from the standards.

Flat roof


Pitched roof

Since these roofs are the most common, and various options There are many of them, so let’s look at their variations in more detail.

Pitched roofs are largely determined by the angle of inclination and the location of the slopes to each other and to the base.

Various relating to pitched roofs will be described below.

Shed roof

As the name suggests, these roofs have one slope. They are cost-effective, easy to build even for beginners, convenient and easy to operate. These roofs have a lightweight structure and look “easy”.


This roof can be classified as a minimalist design. Often such canopy roofs could be seen near hospital buildings, government and municipal institutions. But Australians, trendsetters in this area, successfully use such roofs in residential construction.

A monoslope canopy has significant wind resistance since the slope is small. The slope is quite well cleared of wastewater, snow, and leaves in a natural way.

Gable roof

The familiar, classic roof shape is a gable roof. This is what all the kids draw in their first drawings. It will be more expensive in terms of the amount of materials and a little more difficult to construct compared to the lean-to option, but you can make an attic in it.

The design of domestic houses usually assumed external access to the attic using a ladder. Western builders are creating internal access to the attic.

There are some varieties and modifications of gable roofs that have stood out in individual species, a little more complex roof design of a private house photo has, for example, a hip one - it already has 4 slopes.


Hip/half hip roof

This is a roof with 4 slopes, of which 2 end slopes are in the shape of a triangle, starting from the ridge and all the way to the eaves.


If these end slopes do not reach the eaves, then such a roof is called half-hip.


There is also a similar Dutch gable roof, which has small gables.

All these different design features make it possible not only to create a varied design, but also to increase the space under the roof.


Mansard roof

These roofs are similar to gable roofs, they have a sloping appearance, due to the fact that the slopes are not a flat plane, but a broken one. Such roofs have a solid, large appearance, emphasizing large sizes Houses. Under it there is usually a whole additional floor, and the windows for the rooms located there are located directly in the roof/on the slopes or on its lower part, or, if there are not snowy areas on the upper part, they then “look” directly into the sky.


Such roofs are more expensive than gable roofs, not only due to the materials, but also the design, and also require higher quality materials for the walls of the building, increased insulation, and insulation of the attic floor. Nevertheless, this type of roofing is popular and liked by many.

Roof BONNET (Bonnet)


A bonnet roof is a type of attic roof in which the lower “broken” part of the slope does not go down almost at a right angle, but is made flatter and closer to parallel ground, and thereby serves as a roof for the veranda.

Multi-gable roof


A very characteristic and complex type of roof. They are rarely used and only by connoisseurs of unusualness solely because of the design. In addition, this is an expensive pleasure; you won’t be able to do it yourself without the skills. But thanks to it you can organize several attics very beautifully. Most often, such roofs crown hotel buildings.

Hip roof


In another way, we can say that this is a pyramid roof. This roof has 4 slopes, each of which is a triangle. Most often, such roofs have square structures, and it is they who require such a roof shape. The construction of such a roof requires knowledge and skills. Despite the simplicity of the form, building such a roof is not an easy task.

Combined roof


Combination various types roofs in one building can be dictated by 2 cases: either this is done for the sake of economy and practicality, or for the sake of unusualness and beauty roof design of a private house photo. It should be borne in mind that the combination of different types is not a simple process, requiring in-depth knowledge, subtleties, and nuances of combining roofs.

Non-standard roofs


M-shaped roof


One of the rare types of roof, since it is used in cases of a specific house project. It looks like 2 combined houses, each with its own roof, but connected by one valley to each other.

Butterfly roof


An unusual and very beautiful roof in the shape of a butterfly. But, like many things that are beautiful, they are not practical. Complex design, expensive design, lack of an attic; in our climate, an additional disadvantage is the accumulation of snow. In general, we advise you to admire the pictures.

Saltbox roof


This type of roof received its name due to its resemblance to cutlery. This type of roof is gable and not symmetrical. One of the slopes is longer and larger than the second. This architecture was given to us by the USA. And they got such a roof due to the fact that over time the house was completed, and the roof was adjusted/added to it.