Extend the Roof for Color and Shelter
We’ve noticed how pitched roofs with gable ends can look contemporary, even though they are suspended from vernacular buildings and structure. A departure from that traditional type are”brows” — roofs that extend well beyond the exterior wall.
These magnificent extensions color the interior, define exterior spaces, offer exterior lighting, and offer other uses. The following examples show this technique for a fairly contemporary expression that is nevertheless rooted in the modern design of Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, and others.
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Feldman Architecture, Inc..
Feldman Architecture’s Caterpillar House is sited on the rolling hills north of San Francisco. The plan opens itself up to the south with expansive glass walls shaded by the heavy overhang of the curving roof.
Feldman Architecture, Inc..
This roof, supported by slender columns in the exterior porch, gives the Caterpillar House a strong expression, swooping like the mild pitch of the hills.
Feldman Architecture, Inc..
From inside we can see the way the roof’s expansion shades the interior once the sun is large, letting it in through the winter, once the sunlight is low. The pitched roof also serves to catch rainwater that is utilized for irrigation.
CG&S Design-Build
The photo of this energy-efficient house in Austin, Texas, reveals not only the expansion of the roof but also the way that it aligns with the patio below. The roof colors but in addition, it can help define a large outdoor area that wraps around to a seating area adjacent to an outdoor fireplace.
Sutton Suzuki Architects
Roof”brows” can also work to frame and direct opinions, like this large residence that overlooks the San Francisco bay.
Gardner Architects LLC
This”Sixties Solarium” at Washington, DC was renovated to improve the thermal performance of a 1969-era accession to a 1929 house. Translucent panels comprise the second floor wall above glass doors, all capped by a projecting roof that offers some shade but also features down lighting to the patio below.
Gardner Architects LLC
Inside, the Sixties Solarium is punctuated by skylights along the translucent-panel wall.
Lane Williams Architects
The dusk shot of this house in Seattle illustrates another aspect of”brows”: the ceiling and eave frequently appear constant, linking outside and indoors together. That effect is very evident here provided the full-height glass exterior walls, which probably necessitate the massive overhang.
Warmington & North
This house, also in Seattle, includes a dramatic overhang on the next floor that extends over a patio adjacent to the spacious living room below. Notice the way the lighting is placed on the exterior wall, highlighting the roof’s wood structure.
Coates Design Architects Seattle
Another Seattle residence illustrates how roof overhangs are usually linked to abundant glass in the exterior wall and outdoor area below. This instance is pint-size when compared with the preceding two Pacific Northwest ones, so it is very good to find that these roofs can happen at different scales.
The construction zone, ltd..
The desert of the American Southwest is a circumstance that is perfect for deep overhangs, especially when the client and architect opt for large glass walls to catch desert views.
Andre laurent
This photograph angle gives the impression that the roof overhang is more striking as it is, but it is apparent that it is thicker than the roofs to either side. This centre roof defines an outdoor seating area connected to the interior via a wide opening with folding doors.
Andre laurent
Under the eyebrow, we can feel the enclosure created by the deep overhang.
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