261of a simple shelter or rain covering. In contrast, the flat roof,
an inconspicuous horizontal panel that is simultaneously vis-
ible within as a > ceiling, displays its protective function with
a more muted expressive force. At the same time, this form
assigns the roof with an additional function, that of a leisure
or lounge area. Beginning with Modernism, roofs – now fit-
ted out with terraces and gardens – became components of
outdoor living, and at the same time came to represent an ad-
ditional > facade. By means of the roof terrace, Le Corbusier
strove to compensate for the land that was used up by the
house, creating highly prized outdoor leisure spaces on his flat
roofs, not only using the roof surface as a floor area, but also
marking out its boundaries by means of individual walls and
framing constructions. The experiential intensity that is char-
acteristic of the roof, however, is offered in particular through
its traditional form, with a clear distinction between external
and internal. To the inside, it gives the ceiling its form, while
towards the outside, it is visible in the characteristic forms of
slanted surfaces, folds, vaulting and overhangs. In this way, it
also transports meanings. Even after the introduction of the
flat roof, the saddle roof continued to embody a familiar im-
age of the house, as seen in typical children’s drawings, and
remains for most people a symbol of home and dwelling.
Through its form, the roof is also capable of establishing
connections to neighbouring houses or buildings, of linking
up with them through the continuity of the roof line, fusing
their respective volumes together, or generating a common
rhythm through repetition of form. Through the forms of
the roofs of buildings, the topography of a landscape may
be distinguished as a ‘roofscape’. In many instances, it is the
form, position and arrangement of roofs that endow a town
or region with its unmistakable character. Through the idi-
osyncratic design of special forms, however, a building may
detach itself from the local > context. In general, roofs make
important contributions in shaping urban spaces. The forms
and positions of roofs play an important role in shaping the