mansard roof

Four-sided steep cap

A mansard roof has two slopes on each of its four sides—the lower slope nearly vertical, the upper slope nearly flat.

This design creates usable attic space, essentially adding a floor without technically building another story.

Named for French architect François Mansart, though he didn't invent it.

The style became fashionable in Second Empire architecture: The old Victorian had a distinctive mansard roof with dormer windows.

style

Second Empire

Napoleon III's French regime

Haussmann · Baroque · Beaux-Arts · chateau · townhouse · brownstone · boulevard · Napoleon III · nineteenth-century · ornate

architecture

dormer

Projecting rooftop window structure

eaves · cornice · gambrel · hipped · truss · gable · ridge · cupola · fenestration · pediment

Opposites
roof shape/profile

mansard roofflat roof

Horizontal building covering

gable roof · shed roof · A-frame roof

Family

roof, roofing, roofs, roofed, roofer, roofers, mansard, mansards, mansarded

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G