Skylights are a simple and cost-effective way to harness the benefi ts of natural light. They are easily confi gurable, with a multitude of options and styles available, and can dramatically alter a building’s interior. Unfortunately, skylights are often thought of as having just one purpose—to let natural light into a space. But there are numerous opportunities available for a unique and practical daylighting solution that will brighten a space and add to its usability, accessibility and visual appeal.
Benefi ts for Owners and Occupants With U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) data show- ing that lighting takes up more than 20 percent of the total electricity use in a typical commercial building, it’s clear to see the benefi ts of utilizing natural light as much as possible. But skylights should be carefully tailored to the space’s use, as uncontrolled glare and hot-spots from traditional transparent glass or acrylic skylights can cause annoying glare and hot-spots that make occupants uncomfortable and can increase cooling costs and overall energy use. Perhaps most important of all, bringing natural
light into a space offers numerous health and pro- ductivity benefi ts for occupants. Studies show that students perform better when they have access to natural light, employees are happier, and sales even increase in stores that are lit with daylight.
Mixing It Up Every glazing material has its own unique traits and performance characteristics, and as stated earlier, while glass allows for unfettered views of the sky, it can also allow for an increase in solar heat gain and cause uncomfortable glare. Translucent panel systems, however, offer a unique combination of solar control and thermal performance—they let light penetrate a space while eliminating glare and offering more isulative properties than traditional skylights. They are also lightweight, allowing for greater fl exibility in design as they lessen the need for additional support structure when compared to a similarly sized glass skylight. Because of the translucent nature of the material, however, it doesn’t offer views to the outdoors. If a space demands some light control plus views to the outside, why not get the best of both materials by utilizing a mixed glazed system? Mixed glazed systems allow for a benefi cial
combination of usable natural light and views to the outdoors plus built-in light control. Skylights can even take advantage of a building’s orientation by
Translucent ridge skylights can be designed with a strip of glass glazing down the center for a combination of light control and views to the sky.
allowing light from the North to penetrate through clear glass while harsher Southern light is fi ltered and diffused through the translucent panels. Anoth- er unique solution is to add a “strip” of glass down the center of a translucent skylight for a good mix of light control and glimpses of the sky.
Easy Access While visual appeal is important, skylights can also be multifunctional and serve as a useful tool when look- ing to illuminate a space that contains large machin- ery or medical equipment. Water treatment plants and medical centers often require large machinery and equipment that can be diffi cult to access for routine maintenance or repairs. In these instances, removable skylights are a great way to provide direct access to machinery with the added benefi t of bring- ing additional natural light into the space. While stainless steel lifting hooks are tradi-
tionally added to a skylight to simplify the removal process, custom skylights can also be designed in sections. A translucent pyramid skylight, for ex- ample, may be confi gured with a small top section that can easily be lifted off, allowing for the main section of the skylight to remain intact. No matter what problems your building pres-
ents, it’s important to consult with your daylighting system manufacturer to fi nd a solution that will best fi t your needs and budget.
Wise Investment Considering the benefi ts to both the bottom line and to occupant health and happiness, adding natural light to a space is a wise investment in the future, and one that will likely bring a quick return on the initial investment. But choosing a system that’s fl exible enough to meet your building’s spe- cifi c demands is worth even more in saved time and aggravation.
Mark Mitchell is the marketing manager at Major Industries Inc., Wausau, Wis. To learn more, visit www.majorskylights.com.
circle #14 on reader service card
This skylight takes advantage of the building’s orientation by allowing light from the north to penetrate through clear glass while harsher southern light is fi ltered and diffused through the translucent panels.
September 2012 METAL CONSTRUCTION NEWS 33
Skylights can be designed with removable sections for easier ac- cess to large machinery or medical equipment.
Translucent panel skylights, like this one Major Industries, provide built-in light control and enhanced thermal performance when compared to traditional glazing materials.
The comnbination of glass and translucent panel glazing materials makes for a practical and eye-catching daylighting solution.