Capitalise on white paper insights
By Paul Smith, technical chair, The Rooflight Association.
The insights shared in a new white paper from The Rooflight Association, entitled The Benefits of Rooflights for the Daylighting of Buildings, provide fabricators and installers with a powerful tool to bolster their sales pitch: understanding what matters to architects, designers and specifiers can strengthen collaboration and help differentiate in a competitive market.
The study explores how well-designed rooflights can boost energy efficiency, occupant wellbeing, and compliance with building regulations – all key factors influencing product specification.
As demand for more energy efficient, healthier buildings grows, fabricators and installers are in a unique position to support stakeholders, providing the right products and knowledge to deliver these ambitions.
However, understanding what matters to designers is one thing – knowing how a product directly contributes to the outcome is even more persuasive. The white paper highlights five key benefits of rooflights in building design that fabricators and installers should be aware of.
Benefits of rooflights
Looking at industrial and commercial buildings with rooflights, specifically, occupants will be connected to the outside and natural dynamic changes of daylight inside the building.
This is essential to promote a healthy 24-hour circadian rhythm. Daylight has been shown to enhance alertness and the concentration of occupants. Well daylit spaces are associated with improved staff retention and reduced absenteeism. Exposure to sufficient levels of daylight is believed to support the long-term health and wellbeing of occupants.
There are commercial and environmental advantages too, such as the connection between daylight potential and energy saving. Good daylighting in buildings has also been shown to increase asset value and space utilisation and should be considered as one of the essential building components of sustainable building design.
Trusted technical partner
The white paper is aimed at architects and designers, it reinforces the importance of high-quality, well-engineered rooflighting systems. That’s where fabricators come in. The benefits of daylighting depend on the rooflights being fabricated to exacting standards and required levels of light transmittance and thermal performance.
While architects and designers will be looking for specification compliant products, they are also seeking suppliers who understand daylighting. Expert knowledge and technical expertise will help a fabricator stand out from the competition – advising on fit-for-purpose solutions to deliver the designer’s intent and a successful daylighting solution.
Quality execution
Installers are also an important part of the performance chain. The daylighting potential can only be realised through effective design decisions, compliant products and professional, quality installations.
While daylighting performance is largely determined by decisions made at the early design stage, there are practicalities also associated with installation, including layout.
The right layout is critical ‘…to maximise the daylight potential within the building.’ The most effective layout balances internal requirements, like boosting natural light levels in deep-plan spaces, with practical considerations, externally, such as other utilities and photovoltaic panels on the roof.
The white paper also gives guidance on the roof area apportioned for rooflights. An experienced and professional rooflight installer will coordinate early with designers, trade and other suppliers helping to ensure the rooflight layout is practical, effective and built to plan.
Added value
By understanding the benefits of rooflights for the daylighting of buildings, fabricators and installers can talk confidently about how their products and installation will support key project goals – whether that’s reducing dependency on electric lighting or contributing to a positive and productive working environment.
By leveraging the information in this white paper, fabricators and installers can position themselves as trusted rooflight experts.
To see how your work contributes to the bigger picture – and to stay aligned with what specifiers want – download the white paper at www.rooflightassociation.org/