Everything about Gable totally explained
A
gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it's detailed depends on the structural system being used (which is often related to climate and availability of materials) and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of
roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable.
In Classic
Greek and
Roman architecture, the analogous feature is called the
tympanum. Strictly speaking, the tympanum is the infill area, often triangular, of the
pediment, which also consists of the
raking cornice or ends of the sloped roofs (which may appear to bear, but don't actually bear on the tympanum - the fact that many tympanum bear intricate and expensive carvings declaring the building's purpose is evidence of its non-structural role), and the
cornice proper, which bears on the architrave, which in turn is supported at points by
columns of a
colonnade.
A variation of the gable is a
crow-stepped gable, which has a stair step design to accomplish the sloping portion. Crow stepped gables were used in
Scotland and
England as early as the seventeenth century. Examples of the crow stepped gable can be seen at
Muchalls Castle and
Monboddo House, both 17th century Scottish buildings. Other early examples are found in parts of Denmark and Sweden.
A Gothic ornamental gable of the
Cathedral architecture over the windows and portal are called in the German and Dutch language
Wimperg too.
Gable ends of more recent buildings are often treated in the same way as the Classic pediment form. But unlike Classical structures, which operate through
trabeation, the gable ends of many buildings are actually bearing-wall structures. Thus, the detailing tends to be ambiguous, misleading, and to some architects "deceitful". See:
John Ruskin and The Seven Lamps of Architecture.
Gable roofs are also just about the worst type of roof to have in hurricane regions, as not only do gable roofs easily peel off in hurricane winds, but according to one Hurricane Survival Guide book, a gable end "catches wind like a
sail."
Further Information
Get more info on 'Gable'.
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