High on Hypars: The Joys of Polysyllabic Roofs by Paul Hanke A line between diagonal corners will curve—forming a parabola, as shown on the dotted line. Wood shakes accentuate the curves on this Californian roof, shown on the cover of the book, Handmade Houses. Ever since I first saw the funky but beautifully curved shingle roof that graces the music studio on the cover of Boericke and Shapiro's Houses, hyperbolic paraboloids ( for short) have been among my favorite roof forms. Every winter, as the sagging woodshed roof on my former home in Plainfield inches closer to collapse, I vow that when I rebuild it, it will be a hypar — in homage to its