"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
....
That is a Mansard roof, named for a French Renaissance architect (whose
name
was actually Mansart). I would not consider it unusual, although it is
probably more widely used in continental Europe.


I thiught it was a Dutch Gable actually.

A Dutch gable is a flat wall with curved sides that forms the end of a piece
of roof.

To be pedantic, a Mansard roof should have four sides, but the term has been
adopted for any double pitched roof. It is also known as a Second Empire
roof, from its wide use in France during that period.

Colin Bignell