Gable roof

Käsbissendach on the tower of the church in Hopfen am See , Bavaria

The gable roof , also known as the gable roof , is the classic, most common roof shape in cold and temperate zones. It consists of two oppositely inclined roof surfaces that meet at the highest, horizontal edge, the roof ridge . The construction of this roof shape is designed as a rafter or purlin roof , which allows a variety of different roof pitches and eaves heights .

distribution

The reason for the frequent occurrence of the gable roof is the simple structure of the roof structure and the straight, rectangular shape of the roof surfaces. This eliminates details that require a lot of work and are prone to damage. If the angles and / or the rafter lengths of the two roof surfaces are different, one speaks of an asymmetrical gable roof . For saddle roofs on church towers ( gable tower ) the term Käsbissendach is also used in Switzerland and the name Scheitweck is used in Alsace .

Due to the versatility of the gable roof, it is used in different regions. In areas with strong winds and rain, gable roofs with a steep incline are erected, for example to prevent water from entering. In comparison, in mountain and alpine regions there are gable roofs with a lower degree of inclination, as these can better absorb snow masses and thus reduce the risk of uncontrolled sliding or dropping. A blanket of snow on a roof also serves as a very good insulation layer against heat loss, which is retained longer on a flat roof than on a roof with a steeper angle.

Advantages and disadvantages

Gable roofs have several advantages:

They are inexpensive.
They can be designed in many ways.
They are subject to a simple construction principle.
They are very weather resistant.
Environmentally friendly roofing is possible with natural materials.

In addition, gable roofs also have disadvantages:

Only skylights and gable windows can be used as lighting options.
With flat pitched roofs, there is a loss of living space. This can be partially compensated for by installing dormers , for example .

Types and names

The flat gable roof or flat gable roof has a roof pitch of 30 ° or less
In a roof inclination of 45 ° it is considered neudeutsches roof or angle roof designated
When the roof slope reaches 62 degrees, it is called Gothic or old German roof called
In the form of an equilateral triangle and a roof pitch of 60 °, one speaks of an old Franconian (found mainly in the Franconian area ) or an old French roof

Web links

Commons : Gable Roof - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Wiktionary: gable roof - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

^ Synonymy based on Fritz Baumgart: DuMont's small subject dictionary of architecture. Cologne, 1977.
↑ Information about the gable roof. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
↑ Gable roof: The simple construction has proven itself. Retrieved June 20, 2012 ( Memento January 30, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
^ Willibald Mannes , Franz-Josef Lips-Ambs: Roof constructions in wood , Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt 1981, ISBN 3-421-03283-1 .

[1] Synonymy based on Fritz Baumgart: DuMont's small subject dictionary of architecture. Cologne, 1977.

[2] Information about the gable roof. Retrieved June 20, 2012.

[3] Gable roof: The simple construction has proven itself. Retrieved June 20, 2012 ( Memento January 30, 2014 in the Internet Archive )

[4] Willibald Mannes , Franz-Josef Lips-Ambs: Roof constructions in wood , Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt 1981, ISBN 3-421-03283-1 .