Roof glazing
Roof Glazing
The primary benefit of incorporating roof glazing is to provide a bright, naturally lit interior and reduce the requirement for artificial lighting. A reduced requirement for artificial light makes a corresponding dramatic cut to energy use and CO2 emissions.
The widely considered view that the poor insulation value of roof glazing allowed more heat to escape than the rest of the roof structure, increasing the running costs of the building, is no longer accurate. Recent research has confirmed that the continual advances and breakthroughs in material and component technology are benefitting the design of modern roof glazing which has resulted in significant gains in insulation value in recent years.
There is also a growing body of evidence to suggest that buildings enjoying high levels of natural light are literally more successful than those more reliant on artificial light. In all environments the eye and brain functions respond better to natural light, so people perform better. Daylight improves concentration so that working environments, be they factories or offices with natural light, tend to achieve increased productivity.
Research into retail environments suggests that in many situations sales tend to be better in naturally lit locations; colours are more vivid and true, making goods appear attractive and encouraging customers to spend more time in these areas. A number of the UK’s leading retail organisations include large areas of roof glazing in specifications for all new build projects to ensure a high percentage of evenly distributed natural light within the interior.
PRODUCT FEATURES
- Harnesses Natural daylight
- Reduced energy requirements
- Low U-values
- Thermally Insulated
- Low Maintenance
- Watertightness
- Design Flexibility
- Multiple glazing options
Product Advantages
Creating a light well by using glass in the roof is a popular way of introducing light to central areas of a building. Prefabricated roof glazing systems open up a wealth of interesting architectural solutions for use in enclosed atriums and canopies, using high-performance specification systems.
Product Construction
The system is fabricated in “stick” form, is pressure equalised, and self-draining by means of overlapping the transoms onto the mullion members. Water is then channelled to the exterior of the building via the integral drainage chambers within the mullions. Where the transoms connect to the mullions, the joint is sealed by means of a purpose designed transom end seal. The transom members are square cut and fixed securely to the mullions by means of spring cleats design to fit into integral ports within the cavity of the transom wall.
The system is dry glazed using proprietary, high performance captive gaskets internally. All internal gaskets are bonded and sealed during construction, using waterproof adhesive to ensure that a watertight joint at all cruciform connections is maintained at all times.The system is thermally broken throughout by means of a continuous thermal isolator located between a choice of aluminium or thermally enhanced pressure plates and all structural members. The thermally enhanced pressure plate is held in place by aluminium stitch plates. The pressure plate is retained by using stainless steel self-tapping screws.
Carefully designed fixing brackets have been developed to allow a secure and simple fix so that all loads can be transferred back to the building’s main structural form with ease.
Materials
Aluminium profiles are extruded from aluminium alloy 6060T6, T5 or T4 complying with the recommendations of BS EN 12020-2 / BS EN 755 Parts 1 to 9.
The range of sections can be provided in either of the following ranges of finishes:
1. Anodised to BS1615 or BS3987 or BS EN 12373-1
2. Powder organic coated to BS6496 or BS EN 12206-1
Metal Technology’s powder coating is produced to Qualicoat standards.
The System 17 profiles can accommodate a different colour/finish internally to that used externally.
To learn more about this product and for detailed information browse through the datasheets below.