Whilst there are many motivations for homeowners and building managers to install a flat roof to their establishment with the help of specialists, these reasons may not always be a matter of functionality.
Flat roofs are incredibly functional, providing a robust space above a building that can be used for a wide variety of purposes, and many business owners are increasingly using the space to install solar panels, in some cases the flat roof itself is a key characteristic feature.
In 2010, Glasgow public house The Laurieston Bar became a Category C listed building, with the main reason for this being its flat roof and how it captures a particular era in the regeneration of Great Britain in the early decades following the Second World War.
The Laurieston is an example of a flat-roof pub, a type of design that has become increasingly rare over the past few decades.
During an era of rapid rebuilding following the devastation of the Battle of Britain and the expansion of many towns and cities in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, planned communities complete with planned pubs were constructed.
Planners would base the number of pubs and their locations on how much they were needed, and each of these pubs was tied to a specific brewery in keeping with the tied-house system of the era.
More pubs were made between the 1950s and the 1980s than at any other point in the history of the United Kingdom, many of which had flat roofs and resembled the high-rise towers they were located close to.
However, because they were so tied to the brewery system, they became particularly vulnerable to the complex monopoly that had emerged, and by the time of the Beer Orders and the 1990s recession, many of the formerly successful pubs had begun to struggle.
By the time the architectural character of the buildings was appreciated, many had already been demolished, and Historic England has made calls to try and preserve the rest.