Sunrise or sunset, clouds, rain, or snow, you can see all type of weather from the roofs in Toulouse. This morning, it is foggy. However, we are still able to see a beautiful landscape. Many roofs with pink terracotta tiles, you know right away where you are: in Toulouse ‘’la ville rose’’.
Rooftops are places from where you can see the whole city, no need to go on the outskirts. They are peaceful places where you can enjoy the view. For some people, they represent freedom. When you work all day long in an office, escape on the roofs make you feel free.
On the roof, with high buildings, you can see a large part of the city. Enjoying the view, has even become a fashion phenomena. There are more and more roof tops in France. Most of the time, they are used as entertainment places. Even architects are now looking for flat roof tops in the city. In fact, people are more and more looking for a peaceful place, from where they can admire the sky and even the stars during night time. Some people put plants on their rooftop to have a green city. Also, cities are more beautiful and it also improves the air quality. On your roof top, you can feel as if you are in the countryside, even if you’re in the middle of a big city.
Where do rooftops come from?
The Toulouse rooftops were first developed by Le Corbusier. His first drawings were made in 1920. He drew his first apartment building in Marseille, with services, milkman, hotel, grocery and swimming pool on the rooftop. This building was called ‘’La Cité radieuse’’. Then, he developed his technic, it has been use to build a lot of famous buildings especially in the USA like the 230 Fifth, or the Sky Room in New York. His rooftops are now considered as one of the five points in modern architecture. Rooftops are also amazing solutions for isolation and tightness.
It all started with New York City’s building. At first, it was only for aristocrats, then to the middle class at the end of the XXth century. Since then, everyone can see the view and admire the Big Apple. Also, European and specially french people, want to do the same and create their own rooftop buildings. Today, more buildings are built to host people on their roof. Today, more and more public places open their own roof top, museums, shopping centres, restaurants…
