lburns651's Ideas
Let it floatThis project takes this “assembly of planes” idea even further. Where the height is available, one solution that can really create the illusion of the roof as a “floating plane” is to have a strip of high-level clerestory windows beneath the roof plane, as here. Again, deep overhangs and slender detailing enhance the effect.
Be savvy about slopesThe other myth about flat roofs is that they are flat. All flat roofs have a slight slope on them, so rain can drain away easily. Usually, this is about 1:50 or 1.5º, but the general convention is that any roof with a slope of less than 15º is technically a “flat” roof. This extension to a Victorian house has a zinc-clad flat roof with a pitch of approximately 10º, but, unusually, the slope is upwards to the garden, opening up the view and creating an uplifting sense of space inside.
Roof shape
Window
Floor polished concrete
Pantry idea
Pantry idea
Make good use of itUnlike pitched roofs, which cannot really be used for much more than perhaps housing solar panels, flat roofs can be used in a range of different ways. They can become balconies or roof terraces; as already seen, they can incorporate glazing in the form of roof lanterns or flush-glaze roof windows, and they can be planted. A common choice for planted roofs is sedum, which is part of the cactus family. It’s tremendously practical and needs much less soil and irrigation that most other options.Read a beginner’s guide to green roofs
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