Roof and water
Gutter and downspout
housingschoolmarketindustrial building
The gutter is the channel that receives water at the edge of the roof, and the downspout is the pipe that carries it to the ground. In Costa Rica and Chile the roof gutter is called a canoa.
What it solves
It collects water from the roof and takes it to a controlled point, away from walls and foundations. In tropical downpours it prevents jets of water over sidewalks and entrances and makes it possible to store the water.
Today
Size gutters and downspouts for the local short-duration intense rainfall, not for averages. An access point for cleaning and a visible overflow outlet are advisable.
Common mistake
Installing a single downspout for a large roof or hiding the gutter inside the wall, where a blockage floods the interior.
Tomorrow
The downspout can take water to a tank, a rain garden or a gravel trench rather than straight to the street drain. That way each house helps keep the street from flooding.
Fact The gutter needs a slope of at least 1 in 360 toward the downspout.
Where it comes from
- 1Rome Roman Britain, Antiquity
The Romans brought rainwater collection systems to Britain, knowledge that was later lost. - 2Normans Tower of London, England, Middle Ages
The king ordered lead gutters to be extended so the rain would not damage the freshly whitewashed walls of the White Tower. - 3Rain chain (kusari-doi) Japan, of diffuse origin
A chain replaces the downspout and makes the falling water visible, also in temples. - 4Industrial England United Kingdom, 19th century
By around 1870 every house was built with cast iron gutters and downspouts.
Masters
- Glenn Murcutt Magney House, Bingie, Australia, 1984
He designs an oversized gutter along the corridor that drains into two large downspouts at the ends. He turns rainwater collection into a visible feature of the house.
Appears in the routes
See also
Also in Roof and water
Diagrams and texts by LDB Arquitectura. They are shared under the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows them to be used and adapted with credit to the source.