Interesting Roofs Around the World

The Southwest has some interesting roofing challenges, thanks to our wild summer weather. Still, more often than not, we deal with the same materials over and over again — asphalt shingle, tile and Built Up Roofing. So from time to time we enjoy a stroll on the wild side to look at some of the challenges roofers in other parts of the world have to deal with.

These Torajan style houses in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, are known as Tongkonan, which means “to sit.” These beautiful soaring structures are at the heart of the social and spiritual life of these mountain people. The roof material is made from split bamboo.

And we thought the shake roofs still left in Arizona were bad. This charming cottage in Oak Park, Illinois, has a wooden roof. Yep, it’s wood! Even though this looks like metal, the roof is actually made of overlapping long segments of wood, bent to form the curvy shapes.

We know that the recycling, reusing and reducing movement is becoming stronger every day, but using old LPs to shingle a roof — well, we aren’t too sure about that. A local musician in Nashville, Tennessee, used old records to shingle his pergola-style front porch to suit his unique signature style.

And talk about labor-intensive! We have no idea how long it took these roofers in France to create these feng-shui shingle pattern, but it sure is pretty.

Last but not least, the roof of the Vancouver Convention Center is stunning. Green roofing is becoming more and more popular. The plants help mitigate the heat island effect in big cities. They absorb water, rather than shedding it into the drainage system. They are great insulators. And finally, when properly supported, provide gorgeous outdoor space for gatherings, gardens and nature.