If one of the sloping sides ends in a wall that s shorter than the wall on the other side it s a saltbox there are also terms to distinguish gabled roofs that show their slanting side on the front side gabled from those where the pointed wall is prominent front gabled.
Roof flat one side.
The formula for a simple span beam includes the square of the span think of a 16 foot height having to carry four times the load of eight foot.
Flat roofs create long horizontal planes reminiscent of the broad horizon line seen often in nature.
The workhorse of colonial america the familiar saltbox is a building that features a long pitched roof on one side similar to the lid on a salt storage box.
A gable roof with one side longer than the other and thus closer to the ground unless the pitch on one side is altered.
A pitched extension of a main roof similar to a lean to but an extension of the upper roof.
Flat roofs can cantilever into daring overhangs for shade protection and solar gain control.
Their attractiveness traces to the desire to make a two story building function as a one story building to reduce the tax bill.
From a structural aspect building columns act as beams to resist wind loads.