A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather and the invasion of animals. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous.
In most countries a roof protects primarily against rain. In Persia the citizens used their roofs for milling wheat,farming,gardens and extra space. Depending upon the nature of the building, the roof may also protect against heat, sunlight, cold, snow and wind. Other types of structure, for example, a garden conservatory, might use roofing that protects against cold, wind and rain but admits light. A verandah may be roofed with material that protects against sunlight but admits the other elements.
The characteristics of a roof are dependent upon the purpose of the building that it covers, the available roofing materials and the local traditions of construction and wider concepts of architectural design and practice and may also be governed by local or national legislation.
Read more about Roof: Design Elements, Form of A Roof, Parts of A Roof, Gallery of Significant Roofs
Other articles related to "roof, roofs":
... of the Hospices de Beaune, France The glazed ceramic tiles of the Sydney Opera House The copper roof of Speyer Cathedral, Germany The lead roof of King's College Chapel, England The ...
... are used to provide the fixing point for roofing sheet or roof tiles ... The orientation and spacing of the battens depend on the type of roof ... at right angles to the trusses or rafters of a roof like purlins ...
... First floor lobby Main lobby from balcony level Balcony level North side Green roof Roof spire Busts of Church Presidents Garden roof mural Painting in second floor The Organ in the ...
... is a fixed or operable (venting or sliding) opening in an automobile roof which allows light and/or fresh air to enter the passenger compartment ... Electric roof systems are usually cable driven by a motor and feature some form of sliding opening ... Roof systems may be original equipment, factory options (provided by the car company), or installed aftermarket by a roof installation professional for the car dealer or retail ...
... In building construction, roof pitch is a numerical measure of the steepness of a roof ... Roofs may be functionally flat or "pitched" ...
Famous quotes containing the word roof:
“The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail—its roof may shake—the wind may blow through it—the storm may enter—the rain may enter—but the King of England cannot enter!—all his forces dare not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement!”
—William Pitt, The Elder, Lord Chatham (1708–1778)
“The current flows fast and furious. It issues in a spate of words from the loudspeakers and the politicians. Every day they tell us that we are a free people fighting to defend freedom. That is the current that has whirled the young airman up into the sky and keeps him circulating there among the clouds. Down here, with a roof to cover us and a gasmask handy, it is our business to puncture gasbags and discover the seeds of truth.”
—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)
“Nothing aids which may not also injure us.
Fire serves us well, but he who plots to burn
His neighbor’s roof arms his hands with fire.”
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso)