The Rooflight Co explores the art of flat roof buildings and the key role rooflights can play in maximising environmental and aesthetic performance.

Throughout the evolution of architectural design, rooflights have shone brightly as a key feature, offering a clever solution to ensuring daylight permeates evenly through spaces. Delving into history, we find a remarkable period that illustrates the significance of rooflights in architectural design: the Victorian era.

During this period, architects and engineers constructed large, deep-plan buildings, such as the Bank of England. Designed by Sir John Soane, this building covered an area of 1.4 hectares and was surrounded by largely windowless walls. To address the challenge of lighting and ventilation in these expansive spaces, the architect turned to overhead glazing as the optimal solution. This strategic choice not only illuminated the interiors but also provided much needed ventilation.

Fast forward to the present day, we find the legacy of rooflights continuing to thrive. The Conservation Plateau Rooflight emerges as a popular choice to ensure natural light infiltrates those deep-plan buildings with flat/low-pitch roofs. Offering a seamless solution for public buildings, such as schools and colleges, as well as private residences, the strategic placement of rooflights on flat roofs allows architects to bathe interiors in natural light, creating warm and inviting spaces that resonate with their occupants.

A prime example of this can be seen at the Michael Baker Boathouse, an award-winning boathouse for King’s School in Worcester designed by Associated Architects. Situated in the heart of medieval Worcester with an academic history dating back to the seventh century, the boathouse is a striking, modern design that evokes a boat, and features a cantilevered prow that points towards the River Severn. The unusual sweeping curve of the building required a bespoke rooflight solution that fitted seamlessly into the unique structure, ensuring the interior was light and airy.

Constructed to near Passivhaus standards, the project involved complex constraints and technical requirements. The bespoke design solutions team from The Rooflight Co designed a run of linked Conservation Plateau rooflights that curve to the shape of the outer walls, while also meeting the crucial U-value and airtightness criteria stipulated.

The design of the Conservation Plateau Rooflight stems from The Rooflight Co’s extensive experience in delivering sympathetically-designed rooflight solutions. Taking design cues from The Original Conservation Rooflight, this ultra-low profile rooflight from the Flat Roof Collection is suitable for both traditional heritage and innovative contemporary architectural spaces.

Internally, the rooflights are installed seamlessly into the reveal delivering our renowned ‘frameless’ interior aesthetic, ensuring maximum light flows into the room, and offering an unobstructed, clear view of the sky.

The versatility of the Conservation Plateau Rooflight allows it to be used as a standalone unit or linked together in a straight line, or a curve, moulding to your creative design intent. By integrating flat rooflights into your architectural vision, you can enhance the aesthetics of the building and also ensure that natural light flows seamlessly throughout the space, creating a visually captivating environment.

The strategic use of rooflights within architectural designs directly contributes to the well-being and comfort of those who inhabit the spaces. Architects and designers continue to weave natural light into their creations, not just as a design element but as a vital component that elevates the occupant experience. The Conservation Plateau Rooflight, provides architects with the perfect solution to achieve precisely this aim. After all, the true essence of architecture lies in creating spaces that not only captivate the eye but also nurture the soul, crafting built environments that connect occupants with the natural world around them.

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