mansard roof
mansard roof, type of roof having two slopes on every side, the lower slope being considerably steeper than the upper. In cross section the straight-sided mansard can appear like a gambrel roof, but it differs from the gambrel by displaying the same profile on all sides. Although the style was used as early as the mid-16th century in England and Italy and was employed by Pierre Lescot at the Louvre, it was named for the 17th-century architect François Mansart, who used it on Paris hôtels (town houses) and the châteaus of Balleroy, Blois, and Maisons.
The mansard may have been first used because its predominantly horizontal profile was more in harmony with the Classical orders than were roofs with a higher pitch. When pierced with dormers, the mansard provides a spacious and economical attic story. During the mid-19th century it was particularly popular, especially in France and in the United States.