Roofing in Portugal

Portugal's towns are overwhelmingly roofed in fired clay tile, giving them a characteristic terracotta colour. The climate is wetter and more Atlantic in the north and Mediterranean in the south, which shapes roof pitch, eaves and the balance between pitched and flat roofs.

Climate and hazards

Roofs in the north must shed frequent Atlantic rain, while the Algarve is dry enough for flat roof terraces. Portugal is also seismic: Portuguese rehabilitation guidance recalls the 1969 earthquake when discussing the exposure of chimneys and parapets on old roofs, both of which are vulnerable to shaking. As an EU member, Portugal applies the Eurocodes, including the parts for actions on structures and earthquake resistance.

Roofing history

Before Roman rule, the castro hillforts of the north-west had round houses with thatched roofs carried on a central wooden post. The Portuguese word palhoça, a small wooden cabin with a thatched roof, preserves this tradition in vocabulary. The Romans introduced fired clay tile to the Iberian Peninsula. Medieval churches commonly had timber roofs over their naves, while some Gothic towers were rib-vaulted.

Curved pan-and-cover tiles stayed dominant for centuries. From the late 19th century flatter interlocking tiles, including the Marseille pattern, became common. Portuguese research on old roofs now identifies the telha Lusa and telha Marselha, together with the curved telha canudo, as the main tiles found on traditional Portuguese roofs. Portuguese tile roofing also travelled to Brazil, where the curved telha colonial is still common.

Traditional and vernacular roofs

• Telha canudo: the curved channel-and-cover tile, typically 40-45 cm (16-18 in) long, 12-16 cm (4.7-6.3 in) wide and 1.8-2.0 kg, laid at about 27-35 tiles per m².
• Telha Lusa: a larger tile, 40-48 cm (16-19 in) long and 23-30 cm (9-12 in) wide, laid at 10-15 per m²; described in Portuguese research as the most common traditional tile.
• Telha Marselha: the flat interlocking Marseille tile, 40-45 cm (16-18 in) long and about 26 cm (10 in) wide, 11-12 per m².
• Beiral and beirado: the eaves and the roof edge. A distinctive Portuguese detail uses several projecting rows of tiles at the eaves to throw rain clear of the walls; sometimes the eaves have a change of slope.
• Timber structures: roofs are carried on asnas (trusses) and madres (purlins). A truss has a linha (tie beam), pernas (rafters), a pendural (king post) and escoras (struts); battens are ripas and the wall plate is the frechal. Most old buildings have two-slope roofs, with four slopes on large buildings.
• Schist villages: in mountainous inland areas such as the Serra da Lousã, houses are built of schist and roofed with schist slabs; slate is traditional in parts of the north.
• Espigueiros: raised granaries of northern Portugal, as at Soajo, comparable with Galician hórreos.
• Algarve: whitewashed houses with flat terraces and ornamental chimneys reflect North African influence.

Roofing today

New houses typically use ceramic interlocking or curved tiles on timber or concrete structures with underlays and battens, while apartment blocks use waterproofed flat roofs. Rehabilitation of old roofs, especially in historic centres such as Coimbra's Baixa, is a major part of current work.

Codes, standards and regulation

Structural design follows the Eurocodes, which are adopted across the EU and EFTA.

Notable roofs

• Algarve chimneys and terraces, a distinctive regional roofscape.
• Schist villages of the central interior.
• Espigueiros of Soajo, granaries raised on stone legs with stone or tile roofs.

Local roofing terms

• telhado - roof; telha - tile
• telha canudo - curved channel/cover tile
• beiral / beirado - eaves / roof edge
• asna - roof truss; madre - purlin; ripa - batten
• caleira - gutter
• espigueiro - raised granary

Sources and gaps

Specific Portuguese regulations on roofs, roof-type census data and manufacturer information: published information is limited.