What to Know About the Butterfly Roofline

One of the most eye-catching and iconic rooflines of the Mid Century Modern era is the butterfly roofline. This roofline is named for its shape, which resembles the open wings of a butterfly. Butterfly rooflines are often associated with architect William Krisel, but they have been employed by many MCM architects.

Characteristics of the Butterfly Roofline

a mid century modern house with a butterfly roofline surrounded by palm trees — A Mid Century Modern home in the Twin Palms neighborhood of Palms springs sports the butterfly roof. Photo by Bret Gum.

A butterfly roof is the opposite of a traditional pitched roof. Most houses have pitched roofs, which are tallest in the center, and slope downward toward either side of the house. A butterfly roof, on the other hand, is lowest in the center. It slopes up on either side, creating a V-shape.

exterior of Krisel house in Paradise Palms, NV, featuring butterfly roof — This house designed by William Kirsel in Paradise Palms, Las Vegas, NV shows the characteristic sloping lines of the classic butterfly roof shape. Photo by Kimberly Harvey/CC-BY-SA-4.0.

A Brief History of the Butterfly Roofline

A lot of people believe that Palm Springs architects William Krisel and Dan Palmer invented the butterfly roofline in the 1950s. This is not the case. It actually was in use at least two decades prior. What Krisel and Palmer did was bring the butterfly roofline to much greater public attention and acclaim.

exterior of Atherwood house with butterfly roofline — The butterfly roofline is one of the most recognizable Mid Century Modern roofline styles. Photo by Forevaclevah//CC-BY-SA-4.0.

Le Corbusier designed a Chile vacation house called Maison Errazuriz with a butterfly roof clear back in 1930. Architect Antonin Raymond also used the butterfly roof shape on a home in Japan just three years later. Other architects who used the butterfly roof before Krisel and Palmer in Palm Springs in 1957 include Oscar Niemeyer and Marcel Breuer in the 1940s, and Joseph Eichler in 1950.

Pros and Cons of the Butterfly Roofline

Sert Studio by Josep Lluís Sert exterior — The Sert Studio by Josep Lluís Sert features a modified version of a butterfly roofline, with multiple smaller butterfly wing shapes between flat roof segments. Usually butterfly roof slopes are straight, but here, they are curved. Photo by AxelBoldt/CC-BY-CC0-1.0.

If you are in the market for a Mid Century Modern house, or you want to build an MCM-inspired house, it is important to be aware of the pros and cons of butterfly rooflines.

Pros of butterfly rooflines:

Butterfly rooflines have a cool visual effect. They immediately grab attention and convey a mid century flavor.
The V-shape of the roofline may allow for the walls of the home to be taller. This in turn could give you the chance to put in larger windows for more natural light and views.
You could create a rainwater collection system that utilizes the bottom of the V-shape.

Cons of butterfly rooflines:

Depending on the climate where you live, the V-shape can backfire on you, causing water or snow to pool or stack up. This puts extra weight and strain on the roof.
Drainage can be compromised by debris getting caught in the middle of the V.
You won’t be able to have one large attic if you want one. At best, you’ll have two smaller ones.

Whether it makes sense to build a home with a butterfly roofline depends a lot on where you live, and how you design the roof. If you think a lot of debris and snow are just going to pile up, you may want to avoid it. But if you can set up a rainwater collection system, and you are willing to maintain the roof by regularly cleaning out debris, it could be a great option.