Bespoke rooflights from VELUX Commercial boost daylighting and wellbeing at Wixams Retirement Village

VELUX Commercial designed, manufactured and installed a series of specialist rooflighting systems for Wixams Retirement Village in Bedford. The purpose-built village provides 230, one- and two-bedroom apartments for its residents in its six-acre green field setting. Nicol Thomas Architects and Galliford Try were appointed by Extracare to deliver a modern facility for the over 55s, with healthy communal spaces that offer ample daylight and fresh air.

Various glazing solutions of different sizes, shapes and pitch were designed to achieve the building and project objectives. The two large lantern rooflights in the Winter Garden and the Village Centre are 40×5 metres and 45×12 metres in size and the entrance benefits from a self-supported trapezium style canopy.

Louvred ventilation was incorporated for smoke clearance and maximum airflow, and low ‘E’ rated glazing was specified in the main building with U- and G-values to fit the specific project requirements of a thermally efficient solution. To create a visually striking finish, the internal and external paint of the frames was also RAL colour matched.

“The rooflight creation at Wixams Retirement Village has elevated the living environment and happiness quotient of residents via shrewd design and craftsmanship implementation,” said John Petrie-Smythe, Chair of the UK Over 50s Housing Awards Secretariat.

To find out more about daylight design within commercial buildings using bespoke structural glazing solutions, download our whitepaper: ‘A guide to daylight design within commercial buildings using bespoke structural glazing solutions’.