The Legacy of the Sawtooth Roof, an Icon of Industrial Architecture

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A historic symbol of the industrial age, the sawtooth roof is a lasting legacy of architectural history. Although a functional invention born from necessity nearly 200 years ago, the iconic shape is enjoying a renaissance in many contemporary projects.

Made up of many long, thin roofs with irregular pitches laid alongside each other, a sawtooth roof positions its steeper edges – filled with glass panels – away from the equator. This allows large buildings to control their solar gain by omitting direct sunlight, while still allowing uniform indirect natural light to fill an entire interior area.

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Cite: James Wormald. "The Legacy of the Sawtooth Roof, an Icon of Industrial Architecture" 17 Jan 2024. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1012186/the-legacy-of-the-sawtooth-roof-an-icon-of-industrial-architecture> ISSN 0719-8884

Vizafogo Pavilion and Ecopark / Archikon Architects. Image © Balázs Danyi

工业建筑的标志,锯齿形屋顶遗产

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