Roof construction from form to covering: projects and technical articles, grouped by roof shape and roofing material.
Housing for the homeless often consists of stacked contain ers. While the overnight shelter designed by Hild und K utilises prefabrication, thoughtful details adorn the robust building through which the Munich-based office conveys impres sions of warmth and home.
Timber room modules supported by a timber frame plinth construction constitute a pilot project for future-proof building designed by Riehle Koeth. They developed an ice storage system for use as a thermal battery.
With its industrial facade and concrete room module loadbearing structure, the highrise building in Poblenou refers to the history of the former factory district. The high degree of prefabrication shortened construction time to only three weeks.
Dorte Mandrup is known for her idealism and an unmistakable sense of humour. Her ambitious building for the Crafts College in Herning, Denmark, promotes education and craftsmanship. The Copenhagen studio received an award at the 2025 Holcim Foundation Awards. Following the award ceremony in Venice, we spoke about concrete spaces, the freedom of hand-drawn sketches - and why sailing and architecture speak the same language.
Ludwig Zitzelsberger studied architecture in Munich and Zurich. In 2018, he founded his own office in Munich. An interview:
An interview with Federico Zarattini and Edoardo Giancola:
Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring at Expo 2025 in Osaka aims to revitalise timber construction in Japan. After the event, the structure will be repurposed for residential buildings and schools.
"The flat roof has been an architect's dream for four centuries. In the mid-nineteenth century, this dream was fulfilled. But once they had the flat roof, most architects didn't know what to do with it." These were the words of Adolf Loos, who in 1923 resignedly referred to an issue central to 1920s architectural discourse. Indeed, the introduction of manufactured roof sealants opened up new possibilities, while architects practicing in the Renaissance such as Leon Battista Alberti and Andrea Palladio had to make do with implying a flat roof - and the freedoms that go hand in hand with it - behind balustrades and cornices. Notwithstanding, a bitter disagreement on roof forms was ignited which developed into a deep chasm between traditionalists and modernists, not only among architects, but it subsequently also drew in the entire society. This is exemplified particularly clearly by the Weißenhofsiedlung in Stuttgart.
In the 1950s and 60s, spanning great distances was central to many architectural visions. Today, although pragmatic, economic considerations are likely to prevail, large-span structures still exercise a fascination for architects and engineers. In recent years, a great number of halls have been realized, the roofs of which are remarkable for their broad spans. At 240 m, the Georgia Dome in Atlanta (ill. 9) has the largest span in the world. The Seibu Dome, erected in 1999 in Tokorozawa, Japan, has a clear span of 220 m; and the Sapporo Dome, at present under construction, will enclose a football stadium and span a distance of 218 m.
The glazed atrium of the Guggach primary school can be completely opened by use of building-height sliding gates. Weyell Zipse created a flexibly usable interstitial space that changes throughout the seasons.
The large hall for water sports is located across from the Stade de France. It is the most prominent newly created sports facility of the 2024 Olympics and is among the largest global sports venues built in timber. The material efficient load bearing structure of the suspended roof consisting of glued laminated timber beams allows reducing the building's carbon footprint to a minimum.
With a sweeping, folded roof, Studio Gang connects the existing cubic volumes of the art museum in Little Rock while opening them up to the surrounding park landscape.
Peter Haimerl's new entrance building for the New Cathedral in Linz opens the church to the city, drawing on historical architectural forms through its vaulted design.
The new trademark of the United Arab Emirates is dedicated to the country’s founder. It unites the nation’s history and future. Five wings up to 123 m tall, shape national identity and provide interiors with natural daylight and ventilation.
The architecture office Patterns converted a warehouse from the 1940s into a health centre with generous open spaces. The floor plan structure resembles a cluster, providing opportunities for changing services and flexible occupancy.
In fall 2025, the Danish capital inaugurated the first Copenhagen Architecture Biennial with an ethos that places slowness above spectacle and ecology above efficiency. Slow Down - the motto suits the city perfectly.
The Khudi Bari is a bamboo structure designed for the river landscapes of Bangladesh. A small house of this innovative typology was recently erected on the Vitra Campus, heralding a new era in architecture.
The Swiss Alpine lodge lies 2,336 m above sea level and enjoys views over the Bernese Oberland. Special details and logistics as well as the use of weather-resistant materials were required for the construction of the present extension.
An interview with Lukas Burkhart and Ognjen Krašna:
Delugan Meissl transforms a former steel factory into an oasis for people and nature, a symbol of the shift towards renewable energy.
Located in the Rijnhaven district, the Santos coffee warehouse is a remarkable example of early 20th century industrial architecture. Built in 1901 by J.P. Stok and J.J. Kanters, it remains a defining landmark in a former harbour area now largely redeveloped for housing and offices. As its unadorned side facades suggest, the building was originally planned as part of a row of ware houses - a plan that was never realised. To this day, the building stands alone.
In the centre of Takarazuka near Osaka, Japan, more and more high-rise blocks are taking the place of the traditional timber structures that have been destroyed in earthquakes. Forming the end of a row of otherwise dilapidated houses that depend on each other for mutual support, the present building has been converted into a studio.
Bricks as a constructional material have been an essential part of our building culture for thousands of years, but their nature has undergone change. In recent decades, political intervention, seeking a drastic reduction of energy consumption, has led to a radical shift. The small solid brick of former times has developed into a much larger, high-tech product with strong thermal-insulation properties. Only in this way was it possible to continue using monolithic forms of construction - single-skin brick outer walls without additional thermal insulation - and still comply with the new energy standards.
Constructing vaults in brick was mastered by the Romans, but it evolved as time passed. The Catalan vaulting technique in particular made it possible to build spectacular structures, with designs by, for example, Antoni Gaudí or Rafael Guastavino, and was employed in a wide range of applications during the first half of the twentieth century, at which time it was replaced by new methods of construction and modern building materials such as concrete and steel. Now there are signs that interest in this technique for contemporary architecture is growing, and through new applications it is making a comeback in practice and research. The technique is structurally highly efficient, based on materials from natural sources, and does not require elaborate falsework. These characteristics, in combination with the geometric flexibility of the construction system, have great potential for shell structures, which typically have been realised in concrete and steel. In many respects, Catalan vaulting is in the lineage of the common brick vault of Roman times (ill. 1a), but the bricks are not laid, as they had typically been, in an upright position, but employed flat, usually in three layers. Through this successive assembly of lightweight layers of bricks, and by using fast-setting gypsum mortar, the first layer can be erected without a falsework structure. This first layer of bricks serves as the lost falsework for the second, which has the bricks rotated 45 degrees, on top of which, most of the time, a third layer is laid. Larger arches or vault forms were defined spatially simply by introducing lightweight wooden or string guides, providing important points of reference while the bricks were being laid. Simple, extruded and rotationally symmetrical vault forms could usually be erected without these auxiliary structures. The fact that false- and guidework were not necessary constituted a decisive advantage in comparison to most vaulting techniques - the only other vault type with this advantage is the Nubian vault, and its modern version, the Mexican vault, which has oblique courses and a severely limited palette with respect to the vault form (ill. 1b). When the Catalan technique is employed, in addition to reducing material use, the vault remains accessible from below and allows for precise pointing of the bricks, whose dimensions are normally 12 ≈ 24 ≈ 2 cm (ill. 1c, 5). Because no falsework is employed, the brickwork must thus be structurally stable during every stage of construction. A barrel vault, for example, can be constructed one arch at a time. The brickwork of a dome is also easily laid in stable steps: each ring is completed (and stable because of its geometry) before work on the next ring begins. Finding a structural form that is only subject to compression forces has always been a prerequisite for the construction of the Catalan vault. This requirement was met by seeking out a form through experimental and graphical form finding methods. In this manner, and taking into consideration the thickness and weight of the layers of bricks, bending moments induced by asymmetrical loads could be kept to a minimum.
With the new Fish Market, 3XN/GXN have created a landmark for Sydney. The elegantly curved timber roof spans the largest trading hub for fish and seafood in Australia.
With a width ranging from only 72 to 132 cm, this inhabitable artwork is an homage to the Israeli novelist Etgar Keret.
The mathematics faculty building has formed an important point of reference at the entrance to the university campus of Karlsruhe ever since it was built in the mid-1960s. After nearly 50 years in operation, a major overhaul became necessary as the building materials were contaminated with PCB and asbestos, and the primary energy consumption amounted to a staggering 600 kWh/m²a.
A interview with Elena Masla and Pauline Mayer:
Almost any surface of a building envelope can be used to generate energy. Building- integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) provide solutions that are appealing in terms of their design.
The Detail Readers' Award 2022 went to The Plus in Norway by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). The factory is certified with the highest possible Breeam label: Outstanding. Project manager Viktoria Millentrup explains the concept of the timber structure.
Resembling a lightweight sail, the perforated roof surface curves above the spaces of the women’s mosque and the community centre. The loadbearing steel roof structure is veiled from plain sight.
A medieval tithe barn was the inspiration for the Faith Museum, designed by Níall McLaughlin Architects and built on the grounds of Auckland Castle in Bishop Auckland in Northern England. With the exception of a gable window that affords views of the castle garden, the new edifice is practically windowless. Cop Crag sandstone from neighbouring Northumberland envelops the museum for ecclesiastical arts from plinth to roof ridge.
In the small town of Saint-Méen-le-Grand in Brittany, a swimming pool had opened in the 1990s. Despite its public purpose, the building complex with its yellow rendered facades and multiple slate-covered, pitched roofs hardly differed from the residential houses of the town. And while it had been renovated and expanded multiple times in the last 30 years, the facility no longer met current standards. The building services were outdated and the render began to crumble off the walls. Atelier Raum demonstrated sensitivity in renovating the swimming pool, transforming it into a water park with three different basins and water features. The planners preserved the majority of the old structure and perpetuated the small-scale character of the ensemble. This demonstrates an approach that is both resources-saving and respectful in terms of the scale of the complex in relation to the neighbouring 12th century abbey church and the settlement patterns of the village.
Two new buildings by the University of Stuttgart at the State Garden Show 2024 in Wangen im Allgäu demonstrate the performance of natural materials and biologically inspired load-bearing structures.
In his conversation with Detail, Director Jonathan Tuckey explains why he chose rammed earth for the residential house in Wiltshire and which challenges needed to be overcome.