The Fifth Façade: 10 Projects Crafted With Faceted Roof Forms

Too often, roofs are the last piece of the puzzle. Typically, architects begin their designs with powerful spatial sequences and material assemblies to define architectural experience. While a roof can be easily overlooked, it is one of the most important elements in shaping our perception of volume, light and boundary. Normally designed within a range of standard types, from mansard and hip roofs to butterfly and gabled roofs, typical roof forms are widespread, especially in housing. Taking a closer look at contemporary roofs across diverse typologies, we’ve gathered a collection that showcases novel and iconic designs.

Located across eight countries and four continents, the projects feature roofs as a fifth façade and dramatic interior surface. Exploring how faceted ceilings and forms shape spatial experience, the projects are built with wood or natural materials. Echoing the surroundings or creating their own indoor topography, the projects are landmarks within their context. As one of the most definitive elements in each design, the roofs reveal unique stories of people, program and place.

South entrance by Tengbom, Helsingborg, Sweden

Södra Entrén (South entrance) was designed as a landmark for Helsingborg’s Central Station, Knutpunkten. As a new exit and approach at the root of the track’s southern extension, the project features a sculptural timber roof recalling movement and flows.

Auckland Art Galleryby Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (FJMT), Auckland, New Zealand

Named the World Building of the Year in 2013, the Auckland Art Gallery was designed as an adaptive restoration of existing buildings and a new public project. Programmatically, the gallery includes storage and support spaces, a redesign of Albert Park and exhibition areas. The building was created around ‘tree-like’ canopies that cover and define entry to the atrium, forecourt and galleries.

National City Aquatic Center by Safdie Rabines Architects, National City, Calif., United States

Sited fifteen miles north of the U.S./Mexico border, the National City Aquatic Center is positioned on the southern edge of a public park along the coastline. As a civic amenity and contemporary landmark, the project includes a faceted, flying wooden roof perched atop a base of glass walls.

Rore Kahu by Cheshire Architects, Oihi Road, Te Tii, New Zealand

Commemorating the bicentenary of the first arrival of Christian missionaries to Aotearoa-New Zealand, the Rore Kahu includes both an interpretive structure and path linking the hilltop to the beach below. Native plants, including groves of manuka and kanuka bushes, welcome visitors as they enter the site from the hilltop road. The building itself is made of two tapered, enfolding walls of rammed earth and a triangulated roof structure.

Bengt Sjostrom Starlight Theatre by Studio Gang Architects, Rockford, Ill., United States

Maintaining the tradition of open-air performances at Rock Valley College, this theater design allows the theater company to extend its season and guarantee shows even when it rains. The triangulated roof form opens like petals of a flower above the audience below.

House in the tree crown by Nanavízió, Budapest, Hungary

As a minimalistic home among ancient trees, this residence is located on a steeply sloping site between tall oaks, chestnut and pine trees. Formally, the house was made as a volume with two blocks fitted together around a faceted plywood roof.

Alfriston School by Duggan Morris Architects, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom

Located in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, in the South of England, this pool structure at Alfriston School includes a refurbished gymnasium, new enlarged changing facilities, staff offices and a fitness suite. As a contemporary expression of the local pitched roof vernacular, the design was made as a raised timber structure with three repeated folded roof segments.

Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne by John Wardle Architects and NADAAA, Inc., Melbourne, Australia

NADAAA’s Melbourne School of Design emerged from conversations with reference groups, faculty user groups and university committees. The building’s iconic coffered timber roof was designed to assist with natural ventilation and mediate natural daylight.

China Academy of Art’s Folk Art Museum by Kengo Kuma and Associates, Hangzhou, China

Formed at the China Academy of Arts in Hangzhou, the Folk Art Museum recalls the shifting ground plane of the site by following the sloping topography of the hillside. As each unit of the museum has a small individual roof, the design appears like a village of extending tiled roofs.

Miyahata Jomon Museum by Furuichi and Associates, Fukushima, Japan

As a museum that features the life and history of the Jomon Period in Japan, this structure accommodates space for research, investigation and exhibition. Formed in an idyllic natural landscape near the Jomon ruins, the project was made with an impressive roof structure with concrete walls and timber roof construction.