Roofing in Romania

Romania's roofs range from the needle-like shingled spires of the Maramureș wooden churches to thick reed thatch in the Danube Delta and the steep tiled roofs of the Transylvanian towns. The country is seismically active and has heavy snowfall in the Carpathians, both reflected in its national design codes.

Climate and hazards

The climate is temperate continental, with cold, snowy winters in the mountains and hot summers in the lowlands. Earthquakes are a major structural concern. Snow loads are assessed under code CR 1-1-3/2012, and seismic design under P100-1/2013.

Roofing history

Wooden roofing was dominant for centuries in the forested Carpathians. Builders made roof shingles of fir and fixed them to the laths with wooden pegs of yew. Regional traditions differ in detail: in Maramureș, Moldavia and Wallachia, shingle ends are rounded, while in Transylvania they are cut straight.

In Moldavia, the painted monasteries built from the second half of the 15th century into the 16th, now on the UNESCO World Heritage List, rely on broad wooden roofs. Voroneț Monastery, built in 1488, has wooden eaves about 2.7 m (9 ft) deep that have sheltered its exterior frescoes for centuries, and its shingles have gently rounded, fan-shaped edges.

In Maramureș, wooden churches were built from the 17th to the 19th century with massive roofs and tall, slim bell towers at the western end. Almost 100 still stand, about a third of the number two centuries ago. In Sibiu, small eyebrow dormers known as the "eyes of Sibiu" ventilate the attics; the earliest date from as early as the 15th century, most were built in the 19th century and a few in the 20th.

Traditional and vernacular roofs

• Șindrilă (wooden shingles): fir shingles pegged with yew, used on churches, houses and farm buildings in the Carpathians. See Maramureș church roofs.
• Thatch: straw and reed were traditional in Maramureș and the Danube Delta, laid 12-16 in (30-40 cm) thick for weatherproofing and insulation, as on houses in Jurilovca in Dobruja.
• Eyebrow dormers: the trapezoid, rounded or elongated attic vents of Sibiu, an element of Baroque architecture.

Codes, standards and regulation

Romania's design codes include CR 1-1-3/2012, Cod de proiectare. Evaluarea acțiunii zăpezii asupra construcțiilor (snow actions on buildings), and P100-1/2013, the code for earthquake-resistant design of buildings issued by the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration. As an EU member, Romania also applies the Eurocodes and European product standards.

Notable roofs

• Wooden Churches of Maramureș (UNESCO, 1999): Bârsana, Budești, Desești, Ieud Hill, Plopiș, Poienile Izei, Rogoz and Șurdești. The church at Șurdești is reported to be about 72 m (236 ft) high, and a modern wooden church at Săpânța-Peri about 75 m (246 ft).
• Voroneț Monastery (1488), with its deep wooden eaves.
• Sibiu, with its eyebrow-dormer "eyes".

Local roofing terms

• șindrilă - wooden shingle
• acoperiș - roof

Sources and gaps

Market data on roofing materials and information on domestic roofing manufacturers: published information is limited. The heights given for the Șurdești and Săpânța-Peri churches come from a trade magazine and are approximate.