An attic (sometimes referred to as a loft ) is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building. It is also known as a sky parlor or a garret . Because they fill the space between the ceiling of a building's top floor and its slanted roof, attics are known for being awkwardly-shaped spaces with difficult-to-reach corners and often exposed rafters .
19-404: A garret is a habitable attic , a living space at the top of a house or larger residential building, traditionally small with sloping ceilings. In the days before elevators this was the least prestigious position in a building, at the very top of the stairs. The word entered Middle English through Old French with a military connotation of watchtower, garrison or billet –
38-443: A Bushfire Attack Level category greater than BAL-Low. Often used interchangeably by mistake, the key difference between louvers and jalousies is that louvers are fixed position. Jalousies are installed within a movable adjustable mechanism which positions all jalousies into any parallel position with respect to each other. Louvers are rarely seen as primary design elements in the language of modern architecture , but rather simply
57-441: A habitable room without an attic may use an insulated roof so that moist air from the habitable area cannot condense on the roofing materials. Also, a building with a complex roof or many piercings between the conditioned area and the attic might control condensation better or more cheaply with an insulated roof and a vapor barrier. One common code requirement is that the total area of attic vents be equal to or greater than 1/150 of
76-440: A house by providing a large mass of slowly moving air, and are often used for storage. The hot air rising from the lower floors of a building is often retained in attics, further compounding their reputation as inhospitable environments. However, in recent years, they have been insulated to help decrease heating costs, since, on average, uninsulated attics account for 15% of the energy loss in average houses. A loft or mezzanine
95-479: A place for guards or soldiers to be quartered in a house. Like garrison, it comes from an Old French word garir of ultimately Germanic origin meaning "to provide" or "defend". In the later 19th century, garrets became one of the defining features of Second Empire architecture in Paris , France , where large buildings were stratified socially between different floors. As the number of stairs to climb increased,
114-505: A staple in the design of homes and perfect to withstand the pressures of future cyclonic conditions. Cyclone homes have always been synonymous with louver windows, louver blades have been tested for ‘debris type B’ for cyclonic regions. Rear window louvers are also available as an accessory for some automobiles. They have also been used over the years in hoods, trunk lids, and other various body panels; typically hot rods , but by no means exclusive to that period. Their purpose in this regard
133-674: A technical device. Louvers are part of the design of Demerara windows to help keep 18th and 19th century buildings cool in hot climates and block direct sunlight. Some modern louver systems serve to improve indoor daylighting . Fixed mirrored louver systems can limit glare and of redirect diffuse light. Such louvers may be integrated in between two panes of double glazing . In industrial facilities such as steel foundries and power plants , louvers are very common. They are utilized for natural ventilation and temperature control. Louvers are frequently found in bell towers , where they are utilised to let out as much sound as possible, while having
152-624: Is also the uppermost space in a building, but is distinguished from an attic in that an attic typically constitutes an entire floor of the building, while a loft or mezzanine covers only a few rooms, leaving one or more sides open to the lower floor. Attics are found in many different shapes and sizes. They also have many uses: In residential buildings, they are either small unusable spaces filled with insulation, or spaces with storage or HVAC equipment. Some commercial buildings also have attics under pitched roofs that are usually used for storage, mechanical equipment, or for roof access. The word "attic"
171-551: Is derived from the Attica region of Greece and comes from Attic style architecture. The term referred to "a low decorative façade above the main story of a building" and, as used in the phrase "attic order", had originally indicated a small decorative column above a building's main façade. Modern building codes permit both vented and unvented attics in all climates, if a building is otherwise correctly constructed. However, unoccupied attics should usually be ventilated to reduce
190-476: Is now believed to be the last bow garret in existence (in Denton, Greater Manchester ) is now a listed building in order to preserve this historical relic. Attic While some attics are converted into bedrooms, home offices, or attic apartments complete with windows and staircases, most remain difficult to access, and are usually entered using a loft hatch and ladder. Attics help control temperatures in
209-593: The accumulation of heat and moisture that contribute to mold growth and decay of wood rafters and ceiling joists. In cold climates ventilation also helps to prevent ice-dams on the roof and leaks that they cause. In hot climates, ventilation reduces cooling loads. Sometimes an insulated roof with an internal vapor barrier is preferable to a ventilated attic. In areas with wildfire hazards, sparks can enter attic vents, so houses are safer without vents. Areas with wind-driven rain, fog or sea-spray might also prefer houses with insulated roofs instead of vents. A habitable attic, or
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#1732771783634228-417: The bells remain unexposed to the weather. There are examples of architects who use louvers as part of the overall aesthetic effect of their buildings. The most well-known example is Finnish modernist architect Alvar Aalto who would create aesthetic effects in the facades of his buildings through the combination of different types and sizes of louvers, some fixed some moveable, and made mostly from wood (e.g.,
247-446: The construction of buildings using louver in bushfire -prone areas in order to improve their resistance to bushfire attack from burning embers, radiant heat, flame contact and combinations of the three attack forms. The revised building standard details various construction methods and materials that must be used depending on the homes level of bushfire risk. This includes changes to the window and glazing requirements for homes located in
266-446: The entire ridge line of the roof. Various types of turbine ventilators and exhaust fans can assist with attic ventilation and decrease the required area of passive ventilators. Louver A louver ( American English ) or louvre ( British English ; see spelling differences ) is a window blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain and direct sunshine. The angle of
285-424: The floor area of the attic, with 50 percent or more of the vent area located in the upper portion of the attic. Vents and louvers should face away from prevailing winds to keep out driven rain. Soffit vents under the eaves normally provide the low vents. Louvered vents in gables can provide the high vents in small houses or short gables. If a ridge is open, some metal roofing systems can install ridge vents along
304-440: The shape of faces where the smoke and steam from cooking would pour out through the eyes and mouth, or into constructions that were more like modern louvers, with slats that could be opened or closed by pulling on a string. Modern louvers are often made of aluminum , metal, wood, or glass. They may be opened and closed with a metal lever, pulleys, or through motorized operators. The Australian Standard specifies requirements for
323-473: The slats may be adjustable, usually in blinds and windows, or fixed. Louvers originated in the Middle Ages as lantern-like constructions in wood that were fitted on top of roof holes in large kitchens to allow ventilation while keeping out rain and snow. They were originally rather crude constructions consisting merely of a barrel. Later, they evolved into more elaborate designs made of pottery, taking
342-497: The social status decreased. Garrets were often internal elements of the mansard roof , with skylights or dormer windows. A "bow garret" is a two-story "outhouse" situated at the back of a typical terraced house often used in Lancashire for the hat industry in pre-mechanised days. "Bowing" was the name given to the technique of cleaning up animal (e.g. rabbit) fur in the early stages of preparation for turning it into hats. What
361-532: The various buildings of the Helsinki University of Technology ). A second example, taking influence from Aalto, is the second-generation modernist architect Juha Leiviskä . Louvers may be used as a type of flood opening , usually covered by one or more moving flaps. They are designed to allow floodwaters to enter and leave the building, equalizing hydrostatic pressure on the walls and mitigating structural damage due to flooding. Louver windows are
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