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SEPTEMBER 05 - ADOPTING NATURAL APPROACH TO SCHOOL LIGHTING DESIGN

A new village school, which was commended by CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) for its "coherent and well considered design" is achieving its objective to provide a "well lit and comfortable" learning environment- in part with help from Glidevale Ltd.

Kidderminster based Howl Associates was commissioned by Cradley C of E Primary School in Worcestershire to design a new five classroom school to replace the old school buildings dating back to 1865. A specific element of the brief was to maximise natural daylight within, while Howl's own aim was to include features that would stimulate the education of the children and maximise the sustainability of the architecture. When the design was submitted to local planners, it was referred to CABE and the design was "commended for its coherent and well considered design".

The solution for meeting the natural daylight element was the inclusion of in-plane rooflights in the classrooms, and 16 x Glidevale Sunscoop tubular rooflights colour matched to the zinc roof above the long, curving corridor which runs the length of the building.

Philip Howl of Howl Associates elaborated, "We wanted to maximise natural daylight throughout the school, but had a service void above the corridor so couldn't use conventional in- plane rooflights. Sunscoop gave us a cost-effective solution, and its simple hemispherical form from the outside was aesthetically pleasing. We specified inclusion of a Fresnel lens in the ceiling diffuser to give us additional spread of light and provide an interesting appearance.

"The Sunscoops have been amazingly effective in lighting what would otherwise have been a very dark part of the school."

Glidevale's Sunscoop meets the new Building Regulations Part L for thermal performance. It features a double skin polycarbonate dome positioned on the roof and connected to a specular silver tube which reflects daylight down through the roof void into the room below via a circular diffuser. It 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. Sunscoop claims 95% reflectivity into the room below, with a softer, more natural light against the blues and greys produced by some aluminium tubes.

It is available in 250mm, 350mm and 530mm diameter,with a range of purpose designed roof flashings to ensure correct and weathertight fitting. Adjustable elbows further optimise system flexibility and adjustability. Glidevale has also developed the Fresnel lens "Skyview" diffuser for all sizes, to substantially improve the spread of light into the room, by means of fresnel lens technology.

Sunscoop requires no electrical connection utilising only natural sunshine to light the room and reduces the usage of artificial light and thus electricity consumption within the building.

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