Roofing in Guyana

Guyana, on the north-east coast of South America, is a country of timber building. Most of its people live on a narrow coastal plain that lies below sea level and is protected by Dutch-era sea walls and drainage, so houses have long been raised on posts above flood level. Roofs were of palm thatch and wooden shingles, later largely replaced by corrugated metal.

Climate and hazards

• Flooding on the low coastal plain, protected by sea defences and drainage canals.
• Heavy tropical rain and high humidity, which favour raised floors and wide verandahs.
• Fire in dense timber towns.
• Low seismicity: a 2012 review of Latin American building codes excluded Guyana as a low-seismicity country.

Roofing history

The architect Rory Westmaas, in an essay first published in 1970 and reprinted by Stabroek News in 2010, traced Guyanese building from its plantation origins. Early dwellings of enslaved people had roofs of palm leaves or shingles on laths, and walls were lathed to take wallaba shingles. Timber was the main building material because it was abundant and enslaved craftsmen were skilled in working it. Early ranges had simple double-pitched roofs, with porch roofs projecting from the main roof.

The Dutch laid out drainage, sluices and dams and planned Georgetown on a grid. French influence brought early fire-safety and planning rules, and town regulations prohibited thatched roofs of troolie, ite palm or coconut leaves. Under British rule (1803 to 1966), Georgian and Victorian styles were reinterpreted in timber, with verandahs for shade and houses oriented to catch the north-east breeze. Kitchens were often detached because of the fire risk of dry timber. Floors were raised above flood level; the space underneath sheltered animals and was later extended for servants and family retainers.

Traditional and vernacular roofs

• Wallaba shingles: split shingles of wallaba wood, used on roofs and walls.
• Palm thatch of troolie, ite or coconut leaves.
• Raised timber house with double-pitched roof and verandahs.

Roofing today

Corrugated metal sheet is widely used on houses today, with concrete in some newer buildings.

Industry

Local hardwoods such as greenheart, mora and wallaba have long been used in building.

Notable roofs

• St George's Cathedral, Georgetown: an Anglican cathedral built from 1889 to 1894 in Gothic style, designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield, almost entirely of timber on low masonry foundations. It rises about 43.5 m (143 ft), and the Architects' Journal described it in 1985 as the largest wooden church building in the world. Guyana placed it on its UNESCO Tentative List in 1995.

Local roofing terms

• Wallaba: hardwood used for shingles.
• Troolie: palm leaf used for thatch.