Design fundamentals - The Hempcrete Topic: Designing and Building with Hemp-lime - page 526

Sensible detailing on a hempcrete building in an exposed
location: a moderate pitch of roof with a large overhang at
the eaves. Oak shingles on the roof make an attractive
counterpoint to the lime render.
It is well recognized that the suitability of roof pitch and type of roof covering varies ac-
cording to the prevailing weather in a given region. Take, for example, the very gentle
pitch (well below 45 degrees) of the pan-tiled roof of a vernacular farmhouse in Tuscany,
where there is little annual rainfall, compared to the very steep pitch (much greater than
45 degrees) of the slated roof of a Swiss farmhouse high in the Alps, where there is heavy
annual snowfall and the priority is for all this extra weight to slide off the roof before it
causes damage.
Traditional buildings in regions with a temperate maritime climate, as in the UK, exposed
as they are to moderate levels of sun and rainfall and infrequent snow, tend to have roofs
with a pitch much closer to 45 degrees. Don't forget, however, that variation in the suitab-
ility of roofs can also apply, to a lesser degree, at a much more local level. A house sited