French Architecture Mansard Roof

The concept of this roof is said to be originated in the 16th century.

French architecture mansard roof.

The steeper angle can be found on one side and the window creates an extra floor of space in a home called a garret. It forms a low pitch and mostly known as a curb roof. Mansard roof is also known as a french roof or curb roof is a four sided gambrel style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its side. Another revival of the mansard roof occurred in the 1850s when paris was rebuilt by napoleon iii.

Mansart is remembered by architectural historians as the father of french classical architecture but he clearly had a practical nature as well. However they gained popularity in the 17th century by francois mansart. During the baroque period 1600 1750 he used this technique of roofing extensively to create chateaus and grand townhouses which caught the eyes of the people. Simply put the mansard roof also known as the french roof or curb roof is a hybrid between a gambrel roof and a hip roof.

You can consider gambrel roof to be a modified version of a gable roof. An enormous sloping roof crowned the original louvre palace in paris constructed in 1546. A century later the french architect françois mansart 1598 1666 used double sloped roofs so extensively that they were coined mansard a derivation of mansart s name. Mansard roof are otherwise known as french roof designs.

A four sided or french roof with double slopes on each side is called a mansard roof. A mansard roof has no gables. In cross section the straight sided mansard can appear like a gambrel roof but it differs from the gambrel by displaying the same profile on all sides. If you are not familiar with a gambrel roof then let us first explain its architecture in brief.

Mansart revived interest in this roofing style which had been characteristic of french renaissance architecture and was used for portions of the louvre museum in france. The steep roof with windows creates an additional floor of habitable space a garret and reduces the overall height of the roof for a given number of habitable stories. The term mansard comes from the french architect françois mansart 1598 1666 of the beaux arts school of architecture in paris france. Mansard roof type of roof having two slopes on every side the lower slope being considerably steeper than the upper.

This style of roof or curb roof includes a four sided hip roof style with two distinct slopes. A mansard or mansard roof also called a french roof or curb roof is a four sided gambrel style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope punctured by dormer windows at a steeper angle than the upper.