If one of the sloping sides ends in a wall that s shorter than the wall on the other side it s a saltbox there are also terms to distinguish gabled roofs that show their slanting side on the front side gabled from those where the pointed wall is prominent front gabled.
Roof flat one side.
A gable roof with one side longer than the other and thus closer to the ground unless the pitch on one side is altered.
Flat roofs create long horizontal planes reminiscent of the broad horizon line seen often in nature.
From a structural aspect building columns act as beams to resist wind loads.
Their attractiveness traces to the desire to make a two story building function as a one story building to reduce the tax bill.
Using the most common roof slope 4 12 a 24 foot wide building will be eight feet taller on one side than the other.
The formula for a simple span beam includes the square of the span think of a 16 foot height having to carry four times the load of eight foot.
They re simple in form and function and are a good example of the modernist principle of clean lines.
The sections of roof either side of the vertical wall are typically sloping allowing a large amount of natural light into the windows.