I guess that I just can’t help myself. It comes from growing up in the roofing business and running a roofing company for over 30 years. Everywhere I go , I look at roofs. Even watching the Tour de France on television over the weekend. Of course I love the bicycle racing, the spectacular mountains (I think they call them Col’s or something), and the beautiful French country side.
One of the things that I especially took notice of was the shape of the buildings when they showed the shots from the helicopter. Some of these buildings have been around for centuries. These beautiful estates, churches, chateaus, keeps, and palaces all have very steeply sloped roofs. This is a large part of what has allowed them to exist for generations. The quicker the roof can shed the water, the better it is for the building. I’m sure that these steep sloped roofs cost more to install originally, but their life cycle cost would be dramatically less when the roof can last 100+ years. They are also much more visually appealing. In combination with the designed slope of the roof, these forward thinking architects also used materials that were designed to last a lifetime and more. It is very common to see materials like slate, tile or copper used. With these materials and slopes there is very little maintenance required. They are designed to shed water quickly and they do it very well.
If you are designing a roof, think about making sure that it has a steep slope. Use good lifetime plus materials. Design something to make a lasting impression and be visually enjoyable. Try to ensure that your work will be around for generations to come. But if you are just out for a bike ride, make sure that you always wear your helmet!
