Mansard Roof Architecture

For this reason older buildings were often remodeled with mansard roofs.

Mansard roof architecture.

Well the roof particularly defines the form of art rather than just making an architectural design for functionality. Interestingly in europe mansard can also refer to the attic space and not just the roof structure. In the united states second empire or mansard was a victorian style popular from the 1860s through the 1880s. The popularity of the mansard roof kept on growing in france and became even more fashionable during the reign of napoleon the 3rd 1852 1870.

Thus this roof architecture was christened as the mansard roof in his honor. The mansard roof is a combination of gambrel and hip roof. It was widely used in renaissance and baroque french architecture. Second empire architecture spread to england during the paris exhibitions of 1852 and 1867.

Before long french fever spread to the united states. Mansard roofs were considered especially practical because they allowed usable living quarters to be placed in the attic. 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. Installing a mansard roof became a practical way to provide additional living space in the attic level.

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. But the imposing nearly perpendicular roofs were not merely decorative.