What's New

View | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004

MARCH 05 - LIGHTING UP SALFORD REGENERATION

New light is being shed on special needs housing in Salford

Salford First Housing Association (part of the Manchester Methodist Housing Group) has tasked Nuttall Construction with the building of 12 new bungalows and two houses specifically to the requirements of special needs tenants in the Seedley area of Salford, Manchester. The design of the bungalows meant it was not possible to ensure natural light into the bathrooms via conventional methods, prompting the installation of Glidevale Sunscoop tubular rooflights, one in each bathroom.

The Sunscoop comprises a virtually unbreakable polycarbonate dome on the pitched roof, which throws natural daylight down a reflective tube through the roof void into the room below, giving ample daylight into the area throughout

Each Sunscoop includes an “LSD” (low sun deflector) that intercepts light even when the sun is low in the sky and would normally miss the Sunscoop’s mirror tube. The specular silvered aluminium tube allows 95% reflectivity into area below, whilst the external clear glazed dome provides up to three times the amount of natural daylight into the room than a comparative sized vertical window.

Jeff Gaskell, Nuttall Construction site manager, commented, “Because the bathrooms are internal, there was no way we could put in a window or other traditional natural light source. The Sunscoops ensure there is enough natural daylight into the bathroom during the day, so residents can see without having to turn the light on.”

David Sedman, Regeneration Project Manager at Salford First, added “A number of residents have begun to move into the bungalows and are very happy with the results of the Sunscoop rooflights.”

Sunscoop is the first tubular rooflight of its type to meet the new Building Regulations Part L for thermal performance. Manufactured in the UK, its wide range of roof interface flashings have been purpose-designed to fit properly into traditional British roof coverings. The system itself has been designed to enable simple passage through the roof space, and can accommodate up to two elbows to allow precise negotiation of roof void obstructions and location of the daylight where needed. Flashings have been driving rain tested and are manufactured from fire retardant ABS in a choice of five UV stable colours. Its double skin polycarbonate dome gives impact resistance up to 200 times that of glass, and is AA fire rated. Both dome and flashings have been impact tested to EN1873, classing them as non fragile.

Back >