This paper describes the problems related to snow for houses from the point of view of the building environmental engineering. So far, the researchers of building environmental engineering have been investigating the problems of low room temperature and vapor condensation for the residential buildings in Tohoku district. However, the problems related to snow should also be dealt with by the researchers in this field. In the areas of heavy snowfall, the snow accumulation on the roof and around the buildings causes many problems for indoor and outdoor environment. In many cases, these problems are linked with the treatment of the accumulated snow on the roof. There are many ways developed for disposition of accumulated snow on the roofs.
This paper, mainly dealing with the snow problems in Tohoku District, clarifies the impact of snowfall and its accumulation on the living environment. Secondly, various ways adopted for avoiding the snow related to problems are evaluated. Lastly, houses featured by the treatment of accumulated snow on the roof are assessed from the aspects of merits and demerits, and the conditions for their application are discussed.