Roofing in Andorra

Andorra is a small, mountainous principality in the eastern Pyrenees between France and Spain. Its traditional rural buildings, including the mountain barns called bordes, are roofed with natural stone slate (llosa), which the government now makes compulsory on rural buildings.

Climate and hazards

Andorra's high valleys have cold, snowy winters, and roofs must carry snow and shed meltwater.

Roofing history

Andorra has many churches from the Romanesque period, many dating from the 12th century, and the Romanesque style lasted longer there than elsewhere in Europe because of the country's isolation in the Pyrenees. Sant Joan de Caselles at Canillo, built in the 11th-12th centuries with a Lombard-style square bell tower, has a wooden roof structure; its apse roof was affected by restoration work in 1934-1935. Santa Coloma, near Andorra la Vella, is often described as the oldest church in the country. Secular buildings survive from the 15th and 16th centuries, including the Casa de la Vall, the former parliament house, built in the late 16th century. The sanctuary of Meritxell was partly destroyed by fire in 1972.

Traditional and vernacular roofs

• Stone-slate roofs of natural llosa on rural houses and farm buildings.
• Bordes, traditional mountain buildings used to store grain and house livestock; some have been converted into restaurants.
• Vaulted stone huts in the high pastures. In the Madriu-Perafita-Claror valley, a UNESCO-listed cultural landscape covering 4,247 ha (about 10,500 acres), a little over 9% of the country, small shepherds' huts have vaulted stone roofs, alongside ruined summer dwellings, stables and cheese dairies.

Roofing today

Contemporary architectural styles have been used in more recent buildings. On rural land, however, regulation keeps the traditional roofscape: natural slate remains the required covering.

Codes, standards and regulation

Construction criteria issued by the Govern d'Andorra for rural buildings (an annex to a regulation, dated 2013) set strict roof rules. Buildings rehabilitated under criteria of the cultural heritage ministry are excluded. The rules include:

• natural stone slate (llosa natural) is mandatory as the external roof covering, with traditional vegetation accepted only as an exception;
• new buildings must have a roof with two slopes, while rehabilitations may keep their existing form;
• shiny, exposed metals are prohibited on roofs, and gutters must be of brass, zinc or copper and integrated into the facade;
• chimneys and flues must be clad in the same stone as the facades, and grouping them is recommended;
• roof windows may not project above the roof plane, and technical equipment must stay within the roof volume;
• new buildings must collect rainwater.

Notable roofs

• Sant Joan de Caselles, Canillo (11th-12th century).
• Santa Coloma, often described as the oldest church in Andorra.
• Casa de la Vall, Andorra la Vella (late 16th century).
• Madriu-Perafita-Claror valley, with vaulted stone huts.

Local roofing terms

• Llosa: stone slate (Catalan).
• Borda: mountain barn or farm building.
• Coberta: roof.

Sources and gaps

Roof-load guidance, statistics on roof materials, details of traditional slating technique, the source of slate used today and information on domestic roofing manufacturers for Andorra were not found in published sources.