Grass Roofs Faroe Islands

The faroe islands are famous for their traditional grass roofs.

Grass roofs faroe islands.

Driving around the faroe islands is a thrilling experience. The faroe islands is not a member of the european union despite the fact that it is a self governing region. It also has one on the modern annexe. Susanna from visit faroe islands arranges for us to stay under a couple of grass roofs.

The longhouses of the norse settlers were low houses built of turf stone and driftwood under heavy grass roofs. They actually date back to the age of the vikings which as related to the faroes means. Driving around the islands you will come across many sod roofs. Sheep not mowing machines are used for mowing the grass.

Many houses in the faroe islands have grass roofs. The forgotten faroes are just a. A sod roof or turf roof is a traditional scandinavian type of green roof covered with sod on top of several layers of birch bark on gently sloping wooden roof boards. The prime minister s phone number is in the phone book.

Faroe islands travel beautiful land of grass roofs welcome to my channel and this week s video is about faroe islands travel beautiful land of grass roofs. There is no prison in the faroe islands. The tiny streets are a maze around it with characteristic grass roofed buildings. Smooth often narrow one lane roads wind through the middle earth like surroundings making for a perfectly picturesque road trip.

Turf roofs protect homes from this onslaught and provide good insulation. The homes would blend in among the environment as if they were meant to be there. Many homes have grass roofs. Its distribution roughly corresponds to the distribution of the log building technique in the vernacular architecture of finland and the scandinavian peninsula.

Back to the 9th century. Through the centuries the housing pattern changed. First the quaint gjaargarður guest house in gjógv and then the four star foroyar hotel overlooking the bay in the capital torshavn. While sod was the roofing material of choice for centuries today s new buildings are typically constructed with modern building materials.

The faroe islands receive about 300 days of rain annually. The load of approximately 250 kg. You can see only a number of grass roofs in iceland but in the faroe islands it is the norm and many of the wood homes are downright charming. Until the late 19th century it was the most common roof on rural log houses in norway and large parts of the rest of scandinavia.

In faroe island it rains 300 days during the year so the settlers introduced the grass roofs as it provided protection from the sobbing rain and thermal insulation 19 roofs in scandinavia have probably been covered with birch bark and sod since prehistory. Wonder why someone would want a golf course on their roof.