Domestic Hats is an installation by Jennifer Bonner (Studio Bonner) that explores ordinary roof typologies and rethinks the role of the massing model in architectural representation.

A drive through neighborhoods across Americana demonstrate stylistic differences in the domestic architecture, but arguably the single most common element of the single family home is the roof. Whether located in Ann Arbor, Albuquerque, or Atlanta, shared rooflines crisscross national geographies and neighborhood boundaries. Ordinary and simplistic, yet highly repetitive, gable and hip roofs dominate the scene while butterfly and mansard roofs represent a rarer species. Dormers, A-frame, and shed roofs are combined to make a complex system of functional rooftops with countless variations.  By focusing on the intersection of non-similar roofs— rooflines that just don’t belong—foreign types are discovered. Originals are copied and hybrid forms are manipulated to create sixteen unique massing models. Domestic Hats calls for architects to consider misbehavior in the architecture, particularly at the roofline.