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{{Short description|Four-sided gambrel-style hip roof}}
{{Redirect|Mansard Roof|the Vampire Weekend song|Mansard Roof (song)}}
[[File:Dampierre en Yvelines Chateau 02.jpg|thumb|right|350px|A mansard roof on the [[Château de Dampierre]], by [[Jules Hardouin-Mansart]], great-nephew of [[François Mansart]]]]
A '''mansard''' or '''mansard roof''' (also called '''French roof''' or '''curb roof''') is a multi-sided [[gambrel]]-style [[hip roof]] characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by [[dormer window]]s.<ref>[[AMHER]], 4th edition, 2000: mansard.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=mansard | publisher = Princeton University | work = WordNet 3.0 | title = mansard}}</ref><ref>{{citation | url = http://www.rockvillemd.gov/documentcenter/view/1485 | publisher = City of Rockville, Maryland | title = Architecture Glossary | quote = mansard – two slopes on each of its four sides; one part very steep and curved, often with dormers}}</ref> The steep roofline and windows allow for additional [[Storey|floors]] of habitable space<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.michael-roberts.co.uk/glossary.htm | publisher = Michael Roberts & Associates | title = Building Terms | quote = Mansard: A roof made with slopes of different pitches, usually providing an upper floor of usable space within a roof structure.}}</ref> (a [[garret]]), and reduce the overall height of the roof for a given number of habitable storeys. The upper slope of the roof may not be visible from street level when viewed from close proximity to the building.

The earliest known example of a mansard roof is credited to [[Pierre Lescot]] on part of the [[Louvre]] built around 1550. This roof design was popularised in the early 17th century by [[François Mansart]] (1598–1666),<ref>[https://www.simplyloft.co.uk/mansard-loft-conversions/ What is a Mansard Loft?]</ref> an accomplished [[French Baroque architecture|architect of the French Baroque]] period.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica | url = https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/32952/Western-architecture/47365/France | title = Western architecture | first = William | last = Fleming}}</ref> It became especially fashionable during the [[Second French Empire]] (1852–1870) of [[Napoléon III]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.housepride.ca/glossary.jsp | first = Francis | last = Alexander | work = House Proud | title = Glossary – House Style Definitions | quote = Mansard: A hipped roof with two pitches; the lower is the steeper, while the pitch approaching the ridge is much gentler, sometimes almost flat. Associated with Second Empire architecture. | access-date = 2010-03-30 | archive-date = 2009-10-24 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091024180819/http://www.housepride.ca/glossary.jsp | url-status = dead }}</ref> ''Mansard'' in Europe (France, Germany and elsewhere) also means the attic or garret space itself, not just the roof shape<ref>{{cite book | title = Oxford English Dictionary | edition = 2nd | chapter = Mansard | year = 1997}}</ref> and is often used in Europe to mean a gambrel roof.

== Identification ==
[[Image:Blv-haussmann-lafayette.jpg|thumb|Mansard rooftops along [[Boulevard Haussmann]] in Paris constructed during the [[Second French Empire]].]]
Two distinct traits of the mansard roof – steep sides and a double pitch – sometimes lead to it being confused with other roof types. Since the upper slope of a mansard roof is rarely visible from the ground, a conventional [[Mono-pitched roof|single-plane roof]] with steep sides may be misidentified as a mansard roof. The [[gambrel]] roof style, commonly seen in [[barn]]s in [[North America]], is a close cousin of the mansard. Both mansard and gambrel roofs fall under the general classification of "curb roofs" (a pitched roof that slopes away from the ridge in two successive planes).<ref>{{cite book | title = Dictionary of Architecture & Construction | first = Cyril M. | last = Harris | date = January 1993 | publisher = McGraw-Hill | isbn = 978-0070268883 | edition = 2nd | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofarch0000unse_f1v9 }}</ref>

The mansard is a curb [[hip roof]], with slopes on all sides of the building, and the gambrel is a curb [[gable]] roof, with slopes on only two sides. The ''curb'' is a horizontal, heavy timber directly under the intersection of the two roof surfaces. A significant difference between the two, for snow loading and water drainage, is that, when seen from above, gambrel roofs culminate in a long crease at the main ridge beam, whereas mansard roofs form a rectangular shaped crease, outlined by the curb beams, with a low-pitched roof inside this rectangle.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

''French roof'' is often used as a synonym for a mansard but is also defined as an American variation<ref>"French". (1998). In ''The Chambers Dictionary'' (1998 ed.). Edinburgh: Chambers. 638.</ref> of a mansard with the lower pitches nearly vertical and larger in proportion to the upper pitches.<ref>Sturgis, R. (1902). French roof. In ''A dictionary of architecture and building, biographical, historical and descriptive: Vol. 3'' (Vol. 3, p. 358). New York: Macmillan.
</ref><ref>Whitney, W. D., & Smith, B. E. (1906). Roof. def. 6. In ''The Century dictionary and cyclopedia: A work of universal reference in all departments of knowledge, with a new atlas of the world'' (Vol. 6, p. 5221). New York: Century.</ref>

In France and Germany, no distinction is made between gambrels and mansards – they are both called "mansards". In the French language, ''mansarde'' can be a term for the style of roof, or for the [[garret]] living space, or [[attic]], directly within it.<ref>{{cite book | author = Le Robert & Collins | year = 2002 | title = Dictionnaire français-anglais |trans-title=French-English Dictionary | location = Paris | publisher = Dictionnaires Le Robert-VUEF}}</ref>
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[[File:Mansard-section.gif|thumb|upright|A cross-sectional diagram of a timber-framed Mansard roof; each of its four faces has the same profile.]]

== Advantages ==
The mansard style makes maximum use of the interior space of the [[attic]] and offers a simple way to add one or more storeys to an existing (or new) building without necessarily requiring any [[masonry]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seamlessroofing.co.uk/mansard.html |work=Permadeck |title=Modern 'Mansard' – a flat roof on top of a slated or tiled pitch |publisher=Seamless Roofing Ltd. |access-date=2011-03-14 |archive-date=2011-07-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110701104035/http://www.seamlessroofing.co.uk/mansard.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jWYrAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA545 |location = Boston, Massachusetts | title = Report of the Commissioners to Investigate the Cause and Management of the Great Fire in Boston | year = 1873 | volume = 1 | publisher = Rockwell & Churchill |access-date=2011-03-14 | page = 545}}</ref> Often the decorative potential of the mansard is exploited through the use of convex or concave curvature and with elaborate [[dormer]] window surrounds.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

One frequently seen explanation for the popularity of the mansard style is that it served as a method of [[tax avoidance]]. One such example of this claim, from the 1914 book ''How to Make a Country Place'', reads, "Monsieur Mansard is said to have circumvented that senseless window tax of France by adapting the windowed roof that bears his name." This is improbable in many respects: Mansart was a profligate spender of his clients' money, and while a French [[window tax]] did exist, it was enacted in 1798, 132 years after Mansart's death, and did not exempt mansard windows.<ref name="britannica_francois_mansart" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Eisenman |first=Peter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=95cYe1q8xrQC&pg=PT33 |title=Written Into The Void: Selected Writings, 1990–2004 |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0300111118 |location=New Haven, Connecticut |access-date=2011-03-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Department of State, United States of America |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WlNJAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA355 |title=Reports from the Consuls of the United States |date=1888 |publisher=Government Printing Office |volume=XXVIII (28) |location=Washington, D.C. |page=355 |access-date=2011-03-14 |issue=98–100}}</ref>

Later examples suggest that either French or American buildings were taxed by their height (or number of storeys) to the base of the roof, or that mansards were used to bypass [[zoning]] restrictions.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=54xzPtnLrrYC&pg=PA46 |title=Sufficient Reason: Volitional Pragmatism and the Meaning of Economic Institutions | first = Daniel W. | last = Bromley |publisher= Princeton University Press | location = Princeton, New Jersey |date= 2006 | isbn = 978-0-691-12419-3 | page = 46 |access-date=2011-03-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ecvZAAAAMAAJ&q=tax+ |title=Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania: An Image Preserved | first = Donna J. | last = Carney |publisher= Harmony Press |date=1980 | page = 17 |access-date=2011-03-14}}</ref> This last explanation is the nearest to the truth: a [[Paris]]ian law had been in place since 1783, restricting the heights of buildings to 20 metres (65 feet).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vct8g3U855cC&pg=PA213 |title=European Cities & Technology Reader: Industrial to Post-Industrial City | first1 = David C. | last1 = Goodman | first2 = Colin | last2 = Chant | publisher= Taylor & Francis Group | date= 1999 |isbn=9780415200790 |access-date=2011-03-14}}</ref> The height was only measured up to the [[cornice]] line, making any living space contained in a mansard roof exempt.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_CpcAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA218 |title=Reports from Committees: Six Volumes | volume = Fifth Volume | page = 218 |publisher= The House of Commons |date=1874 |access-date=2011-03-14}}</ref> A 1902 revision of the law permitted building three or even four storeys within such a roof.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yM2xAAAAIAAJ&q=1902+storeys+paris+mansard |title= The Autumn of Central Paris: the Defeat of Town Planning, 1850–1970 | first = Anthony | last = Sutcliffe | publisher = Edward Arnold | year = 1970 |isbn= 9780713155495 |access-date=2011-03-14}}</ref>

In London in the 1930s, building regulations decreed that "a building (not being a church or a chapel) shall not be erected of, or be subsequently increased to, a greater height than 80 ft., exclusive of two stories in the roof, and of ornamental towers". This was to stop buildings blocking the light, and effectively mandated mansard roofs for tall buildings.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=The Architect's Journal|date=30 July 1930|first=Maxwell|last=Fry|authorlink=Maxwell Fry|pages=157–160|title=The Mansard Roof}}</ref>

In the [[Soviet Union]], the mansard roof served as a useful way of expanding a [[dacha]]; until 1981, Soviet building codes required that a dacha must have only a single story of a limited size, but the space inside of a mansard roof was ignored as it was considered an attic, thus enabling dacha owners to nearly double the available space and enjoy the advantages of a two-storey home. As a result, dachas built during the Soviet era typically have mansard roofs.

== History and use ==
[[Image:Wik 22 Szczecin Pałac Sejmu Stanów Pomorskich.jpg|thumb|The Landed Gentry House in [[Szczecin]], [[Poland]]]]

=== Early use ===
The style was popularised in France by architect [[François Mansart]] (1598–1666). Although he was not the inventor of the style, his extensive and prominent use of it in his designs gave rise to the term "mansard roof", an adulteration of his name.<ref name="britannica_francois_mansart">{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica | url = https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/362747/Francois-Mansart |title=François Mansart | author = ((The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica)) |access-date=2011-03-14}}</ref> The design tradition was continued by numerous architects, including [[Jules Hardouin-Mansart]] (1646–1708), his great-nephew, who is responsible for [[Château de Dampierre]] in [[Dampierre-en-Yvelines]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

=== Second Empire ===
[[File:Hôtel de Besenval garden façade III.jpg|thumb|The [[Hôtel de Besenval]] in Paris. The mansard roof was added in 1866.<ref name="Besenval Ambassade26">Jean-Jacques Fiechter / Benno Schubiger: ''L’Ambassade de Suisse à Paris,'' Ambassade de Suisse, 2ème édition, août 1994, p. 26.</ref>]]
The mansard roof became popular once again during [[Haussmann's renovation of Paris]] beginning in the 1850s, in an architectural movement known as [[Second Empire (architecture)|Second Empire style]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

Second Empire influence spread throughout the world, frequently adopted for large civic structures such as government administration buildings and [[city hall]]s, as well as [[hotel]]s and [[railway station]]s. In the United States and Canada, and especially in [[New England]], the Second Empire influence spread to family residences and mansions, often incorporated with [[Italianate]] and [[Gothic Revival]] elements. A mansard-topped tower became a popular element incorporated into many designs, such as [[Main Building (Vassar College)]], Poughkeepsie, New York, which shows a large mansard-roofed structure with two towers.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yvypNeXHcnwC&pg=PA148 |title=American Homes: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Domestic Architecture | first = Les | last = Walker | publisher = Black Dog & Leventhal | year = 1981 |isbn=9781579122522 |access-date=2011-03-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/americanhousesfi00fost |url-access=registration |title=American Houses: A Field Guide to the Architecture of the Home | first = Gerald L. | last = Foster | page = [https://archive.org/details/americanhousesfi00fost/page/262 262] | publisher= Houghton Mifflin Company |date= 2004 |isbn=978-0-618-38799-1 |access-date=2011-03-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gWBFKqixckAC&pg=PR9 |title=Victorian Houses of Mississippi | first1 = Richard J. | last1 = Cawthon | first2 = Sherry | last2 = Pace |publisher= University Press of Mississippi |date= 2005 |isbn=9781617035333 | edition = 1st |access-date=2011-03-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.vassar.edu/archives/2011/08/12 |title=Vassar College Archives |access-date=2015-03-10 |archive-date=2018-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629224046/https://www.vassar.edu/archives/2011/08/12 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== 20th century ===
{{globalize|section|USA|date=September 2020}}
[[Image:Germania Life Insurance Company Building.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Germania Life Insurance Company Building]] in [[New York City]], built in 1911, with a four-story mansard roof<ref>{{citation | url = http://home.nyc.gov/html/records/pdf/govpub/4550guardian_life_desig_rep.pdf | author = Landmarks Preservation Commission | date = November 18, 2008 | title = GUARDIAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA ANNEX}}</ref>]]
The [[1916 Zoning Resolution]] adopted by [[New York City]] promoted the use of mansard roofs; rules requiring the use of [[setback (architecture)|setbacks]] on tall buildings were conducive to the mansard design.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hMhIAAAAMAAJ&q=mansard+cornice+%22new+york%22 |title=Report of the Heights of Buildings Commission to the Committee on the Height, Size and Arrangement of Buildings of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment of the City of New York |date=1913 |publisher=M.B. Brown Printing and Binding Company |access-date=2011-03-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ox8oAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA259 |title= Commission on Buildings Districts and Restrictions: Final Report | publisher = City of New York, Board of Estimate and Apportionment, Committee on the City Plan | date= June 2, 1916 | page = 259 |access-date=2011-03-14}}</ref>

In the 1960s and 1970s, a modernised form of mansard roof, sometimes with deep, narrow windows, became popular for both residential and commercial architecture in many areas of the United States. In many cases, these are not true mansard roofs but flat on top, the sloped façade providing a way to conceal heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment from view. The style grew out of interest in [[Postmodern architecture|postmodern]] stylistic elements and the "French eclectic" house style popular in the 1930s and 1940s, and in housing also offered a way to provide an upper storey despite height restrictions. Houses with mansard roofs were sometimes described as [[French Provincial architecture|French Provincial]]; architect [[John Elgin Woolf]] popularised it in the Los Angeles area, calling his houses Hollywood Regency.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dahp.wa.gov/historic-preservation/historic-buildings/architectural-style-guide/mansard |title=Mansard: 1960–1985 |date=27 May 2011 |publisher=Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, State of Washington |access-date=2020-05-19 }}</ref>

== Transportation ==
The roof of two [[Victorian Railways hopper wagons#Cement|Victorian Railways hopper wagons]] resembled a mansard roof. The [[Commonwealth Railways CL class|Australian Commonwealth Railways CL class locomotive]] also has a mansard roof.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

== See also ==
*[[List of roof shapes]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|Mansard_roof.ogg|date=2018-11-15}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20121017003751/http://www.builderbill-diy-help.com/roof-glossary.html An Illustrated Roof Glossary]
*[https://www.architecturelab.net/mansard-roof/ What is the Mansard Roof, Advantages and Disadvantages Sheltered], [https://www.uauim.ro/galerie/proiecte/971/ Architect Anton Giuroiu]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918084151/https://www.uauim.ro/galerie/proiecte/971/ |date=2020-09-18 }}, [[Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism]], Bucharest, Romania

{{Roofs}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Roofs]]
[[Category:Structural system]]
[[Category:Architectural elements]]

Mansard roof - Revision history

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