6 Crazy Roofs That Will Blow Your Mind

Be forewarned... You're about to have some serious roof envy.

The roof of a building is much more than a covering to keep out the elements. Combined with the siding and external features, it creates the overall aesthetic of a building, and leaves an impression. From the cozy wood-shake roof of a cottage to the grandiose domes and minarets of temples, a roof can do a lot to the overall look of a building. Here are 6 iconic roofs that will blow your mind and ticlke your imagination.

Casa Batllo

Designed by Antoni Gaudí, the Casa Batllo, has an iconic roof in that every architecture student would recognize. The beautiful roof has iridescent colors that resemble the scales on the back of a dragon. A spine that resembles the backbone of a dragon runs across the rooftop. Multiple chimneys stand out above the rooftop. While the chimneys are structured in the Byzantine style of mosaic tile, the Casa Batllo is a Modernist piece of architecture that should be on every architecture student’s must see list. For more information and pictures of Casa Bastllo, visit: http://www.casabatllo.es/en.

Kresge Auditorium

Designed by Eero Saarinen the Kresge Auditorium, located at MIT, has a domed roof made out of thin shell concrete and covered in copper. Considered to be an architectural landmark, the Kresge Auditorium is an astounding site with its expansive roof, covering a structure consisting of glass windows. Check out some more shots of the auditorium at: http://www.mimoa.eu/projects/United%20States/Cambridge/Kresge%20Auditorium

Ysios Bodegas

Designed by Santiago Calatrava, the Ysios Bodegas have stepped aluminum roofs that are as rolling and rugged as the wine barrels that they symbolize. According to buildipedia.com, the Ysios Bodegas are located in the middle of a vineyard and “the roof is made of laminated beams that reflect the Spanish sun, creating a snow-covered mirage and again paying homage to the natural backdrop.”

Red Roofs of Dubrovnik

Built in the Baroque period, the rooftops of Dubrovnik were designed to impress the viewer as a sea of red, cohesive roofs. The original roofs were made by Italian architects out of terracotta and clay which were formed using the builder’s thigh. But after the war of 1991, when the Serbs bombed Dubrovnik, UNESCO provided the city with modern made red tiles, which are different colors and shades of red. For a better look at the famous rooftops of Dubrovnik, visit: http://www.architectureweek.com/2001/0718/building_1-2.html

Denver International Airport

Designed to mirror the Rocky Mountains of the Denver, the roof is made of a double layer lightweight Teflon PTFE coated fiberglass membrane fabric. The roof pitches from 106 feet to 126 feet tall at its highest point. The roof reflects seventy-six percent of the daytime heat but allows for much more natural light than traditional roofing materials. Do you think it looks like the mountains it mimics? www.rci-online.org/interface/2006-cts-barden.pdf.

Waldspirale

Waldspirale or the "wooden spiral", and sometimes known as the "forest spiral", was designed as a residential building by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Known as the father of the green roof, Friedensreich, an Austrian architect, built Waldspirale in Germany in 1990. The design includes shrubs and trees on a curving rooftop. To get a better look, visit: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/waldspirale.

If any of these left you inspired to change your own roof someday, you might want to make a couple million before you call a professional roofer like www.ExpertRoofingKansasCity.com. They probably appreciate those roofs as much as you do, but for different reasons.