Reflecting the continual developments in materials and the design and specification of glass rooflights, we have updated our guidance page on the specification of glass rooflights. Glass is used throughout buildings for its optical clarity, longevity and structural properties; it can offer unobstructed views out of a building, or if specified so, can provide natural…
The Building Research Establishment (BRE) released the results of analysing more than 70 research studies and documents in its paper, Health and Productivity Benefits of Sustainable Schools. Here are examples of just three conclusive research findings: In tests, cognitive function was 15% worse with CO2 at around 945ppm than it was in fresh outdoor-fed air,…
Read our Daylight Diary column on page 22. You’ll also find editorial contributions from many of our members – and you can keep up to date with the latest industry news. Read it on-line.
NARM, The National Association of Rooflight Manufacturers, has played an important role representing the UK’s rooflight industry in consultation with the Government and its subcontractors, CIBSE, AECOM and the BRE, on issues relating to Part L of The Building Regulations. The following article by NARM’s Technical Committee, explains how small differences in rooflight area can…
2016 HAS BEEN A BUSY YEAR AT NARM! We’ve been working hard to benefit our members, raise awareness of rooflighting best practice and generally present the case for daylighting in the built environment. Here’s a glimpse of what we’ve been up to in 2016: ON-LINE RIBA CPD SEMINAR This seminar, entitled ‘An Introduction to daylighting…
NARM will be making regular editorial contributions to the new DAYLIGHTING Magazine – a bi-monthly digital publication that’s focusing on daylighting – with a focus on sustainability. The magazine targets architects and specifiers in the private and public sectors and will provide a platform for promoting greater understanding of the benefits of natural daylight in…
In retail environments and offices, the concentration and performance of workers has been proven to be superior to those where only artificial light is present. There is compelling evidence that shoppers in retail environments generally stay longer and spend more where there are high levels of natural daylight – and the performance of retail workers…
GUEST BLOG by John Godley, Technical Manager for Hambleside Danelaw. Before the HSE introduced the CDM Regulations, they had already done some preliminary work on roof fragility. A simple ‘drop’ test onto a roof assembly was proposed, and if the impactor was retained, then the roof was deemed to be non-fragile. This testing, defined in…
It’s now widely accepted that natural daylight not only provides the best environment for people to work in: it saves energy and reduces CO2 emissions by reducing the need for electric lighting. However, the major concern with saving energy is not that the artificial lights get switched on; it is that they do not get…
This graph shows how roof light areas will affect illumination levels. In this example for a single storey building located in London, between the hours of 6am and 6pm daily, with roof lights providing 50% light transmission. You can see that as the roof light area along the bottom of the graph increases, the length…