Advantages of Saw-tooth Roofs:
– Iconographic appearance in factories and manufacturing settings
– Provides uniform, natural light coverage over a large area
– Efficient utilization of headroom and floor space
– Easy installation of beams, columns, and aesthetically pleasing elevations
– Maximizes headroom compared to flat roofs
History of Saw-tooth Roofs:
– Shed principle design credited to Fairbairn in the 19th century
– Rapid adoption during the industrial revolution
– Decline in use due to the prevalence of artificial lighting
– Re-emergence in late 20th and early 21st centuries for natural light benefits
– Praised for its potential for renewable energy and energy savings
Examples of Saw-tooth Roofs:
– Central Telephone Exchange in Melbourne
– Sawtooth Building in Berkeley, California
– Early 20th-century industrial buildings in Japan
– Sketch available from the Ministry of the Environment in New Zealand
Additional Resources and References:
– Wikimedia Commons for media related to Sawtooth roofs
– Guide to roof design and architecture by Dezeen
– Information on sawtooth roof construction by Khatri
– Treatise on Mills and Millwork by Fairbairn
– Daylighting performance of sawtooth roofs in industrial buildings by Asdrubali
Related Content:
– List of roof shapes
A saw-tooth roof is a roof comprising a series of ridges with dual pitches either side. The steeper surfaces are glazed to admit daylight and face away from the equator to shield workers and machinery from direct sunlight. This kind of roof admits natural light into a deep plan building or factory. It was therefore most commonly built during the Machine Age from the mid-nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth, when electrification of factories was not yet common.
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Many factories of the era had little or no electrical wiring; their main power sources for the machinery were often steam engines driving line shafting, and the lighting was chiefly via daylighting through the windows. Work done at night, when necessary, was typically lit by oil lamps and candles, but many factories closed for the night. Their norm of an early working day (for example, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.) was not merely a tradition but a functional decision based on this reliance on daylighting. The same was true of the farmer's workday, for the same reason.
Definition from ChatGPT:
Saw-tooth roof:
A saw-tooth roof is a type of roof design that consists of a series of ridges with dual pitches, creating a saw-tooth profile when viewed from the side. This design provides natural light and ventilation to the interior space, often used in industrial buildings, factories, and warehouses. The alternating high and low sections of the roof allow for windows or skylights to be placed on the higher sections, maximizing natural light while minimizing direct sunlight and heat gain.