GLASS & GLAZING
THE NATURAL ARCHITECTURAL TOOL Tracey Jackson, Business Development Manager for Howells Patent Glazing, looks at the importance of natural light in combatting the ill-effects of the pandemic and how rooflights will be an important architectural tool in designing happy, healthy buildings. HOWELLS PATENT GLAZING
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midst the uncertainty and chaos of the pandemic, natural light is playing an important role in maintaining our equilibrium, never more so than since British summertime ended in October. It is important for our immune systems; it boosts our vitamin D levels and maintains our circadian rhythm. It is hugely beneficial for our physical and psychological wellbeing, and it helps us to focus and generally lead a happier and healthier life. With a greater emphasis on occupant and user wellbeing, natural light is going to be a powerful architectural design tool in the future. FC&A – DECEMBER – 2020
There are many products and technologies available to ‘collect’ light and direct it to key areas of the room, including windows, glazed doors, light tubes, mirrors and other reflective surfaces. Popular amongst architects, rooflights – or skylights – are particularly useful for bringing light to the centre of a building and rooms, where natural light from windows cannot ordinarily reach. They also work as design features to help delineate and highlight certain areas – above a kitchen island, for example.
Why choose rooflights? Letting in around twice as much light than vertical glazing, and up to three times as much as dormer windows, rooflights offer flexibility. They are particularly beneficial when designing a new-build extension where the vertical windows have been removed. Rooflights allow daylight to penetrate further into the building, illuminating areas that would otherwise be gloomy. The National Association of Rooflight Manufacturers (NARM) states that: “…the glazing is pointing directly at the light source with very little diffused or reflected light. Consequently, rooflights 32
and roof windows can supply a great deal more daylight into the heart of the home, thereby illuminating areas that might otherwise be quite dark.” Making a room feel bright and airy; rooflights can help cut the cost of energy bills by reducing the demand for electric lighting. And, of course, the greater the rooflight area, the greater the potential savings. NARM reports that: “The amount of energy needed to light a building artificially is often much greater than the amount of energy used to heat it and is often the greatest single energy use in operating the building.” The impact is both financial and environmental with “…electricity used for lighting being more expensive in terms of CO2 than gas used for heating”.
Glazing options Rooflights are also a practical way of boosting light levels and occupant wellbeing without increasing solar gains – a challenge for those architects and designers wishing to increase the number and size of glazed areas. Many rooflight manufacturers combat the issue of solar gains through highperformance glazing. Specifiers can
