I had a ceramic roof once. Walking on the roof would break the tiles. It made it hard to do maintenance on anything up there.
My preference these days would be for a metal roof.
My preference these days would be for a metal roof.
There is another good reason for our love affair with iron - we get a lot of earthquakes. An iron roof provides a lot of structural bracing, and it's negligible weight provides much less moment than slate or tile alternatives.
Wood shingles rot, are slippery when moldy, are an ideal habitat for wasps, burn, and generate a demand for old growth cedar (i.e. not sustainable).
My father's business is roofing. His client once ordered dog booth made from corrugated metal. Even dog hated it during the rain.
Metal roofs are light, long lasting, do not support insects, and don't burn.