Mansard Roof Architecture

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.

Mansard roof architecture.

It depends upon what type of design customer wants to implement. Thus this roof architecture was christened as the mansard roof in his honor. Although the style was used as early as the mid 16th century in england and italy and was employed by pierre lescot at the louvre it was named for the 17th century architect françois mansart who used it on paris hôtel s. 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.

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. There is a sort of visible distinction between flat roofs and mansard roofs. Mansard roof type of roof having two slopes on every side the lower slope being considerably steeper than the upper. 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.

But you cannot misunderstand them as straight panel roofs. You can consider gambrel roof to be a modified version of a gable roof. Mansard is a four sided roof with double slopes on each side so its sides can either be curved or flat. 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.

If you are not familiar with a gambrel roof then let us first explain its architecture in brief.