Turf Roofs Scotland

Inspired by the natural curved beauty of a seashell the architect designed cottage is set on the wild west coast of scotland overlooking the shimmering loch sunart.

Turf roofs scotland.

Hidden on the side of a hill and boasting a gently sloping turf roof that blends seamlessly into the wilderness you ll feel blissfully set apart from the rest of the world as you step inside the eco friendly haven. Sod or turf for roofing was cut from good pasture land preferably with sandy soil. As we move into the 21st century it remains an ideal modern roofing material for the orkney climate. Whilst these should certainly be celebrated there is so much more that could be achieved for wildlife at roof level in scotland.

The use of turf as a building and roofing material is well documented in historic texts from most areas of northern europe and probably has an origin in prehistory. In the highlands and islands of scotland grass roofed houses often related to crofts were common. A naturally grown grass with a deep root system was desirable the turf was cut into portable pieces each about one foot 30 cm square and about 3 inches 7 5 cm thick half the thickness of the finished covering. Updating an ancient tradition icelandic turf architecture has its roots in building techniques dating back to the iron age indeed the romans used turf bricks to build fortresses and defensive.

Its use declined in many areas in the 18th 19thcenturies but did survive into the 20thcentury in a very few areas particularly in north atlantic europe. Living roofs on houses fall into two basic categories. Modern green roofs are a relatively new sector in the construction industry but have become a widespread feature across europe. Of soil and sedum roofs with about 4 cm.

Turf and sedum roofs are what most people imagine when they hear the term green roof and there are indeed a few sedum roofs on commercial buildings in glasgow edinburgh and other cities in scotland.