Traditional Austrian architecture also features reed roofs, and the newly constructed ones were incredibly beautiful!!
Traditional Austrian architecture also features reed roofs, and the newly constructed ones were incredibly beautiful!!
In the eastern part of Austria, there are many roofs that are covered with reeds (called ashi in the Kanto region and yoshi in the Kansai region) like in Japan.
I learned that houses are built traditionally. I felt that trying to protect my house from the elements with local materials was a step away from Japan.
I was deeply impressed to find that the construction methods used were similar.
When I was little, when I went to the countryside, there were still a number of houses with straw and thatched roofs.
However, they have now been almost completely wiped out, and even if they do remain, they have turned gray over the years.
I had only ever seen what was there.
What we inspected this time was a brand new reed roof.
First, I'll show you two distant views.
Next is an enlarged version. There is a so-called "dormer" window on the side of the roof.
The design of this part is so beautiful it takes your breath away!!
I think you can get a sense of it from the photos, but of course the real thing was even more beautiful.
The photo below shows a further enlargement of the area.
Apparently, this roof was laid by two craftsmen in just eight days.
The roof of the family home of one of our clients, who we are currently designing in Kyoto, was replaced with straw or thatch about 10 years ago.
Apparently, the total cost for this project was 12 million yen!!
I have heard that the average price of a detached house in Osaka Prefecture (roof only) is 12 million yen.
This means that the only thing you can do is to have a roof. Moreover, it requires regular maintenance, and even then, it is quite difficult.
It was costly... No matter how good the tradition was and how natural the materials were, it was bound to die out.
That's all I can say.
However, I think it was a really good treat for the eyes.
