Design Elements

Roof/Meeting Sky

The roof has particular power in architecture: the most basic function of architecture is shelter, and the most basic form of shelter is the roof.  Roofs can make a building comforting and introspective, or soaring and extroverted.  The roof is where the building meets the sky, and it is one of the first things that is noticed about any building. (Griffin Residence)

Rolling

The sawtooth roof form, which enables control of natural light, seems to be rolling like waves on the ocean.  Lighthouse Sound Residence.

Sheltering

Large, inhabited roofs make for a comforting form.  Moore Warfield & Glick Office Building.

Reaching

The simple shed roof can be enlivened with minimal folds.  Chincoteague Residence.

Walls as Roofs, Roofs as Walls

Using the same material for roofing and vertical surfaces can add weight and volume to a roof, giving a sculptural feeling.  Levy Residence.