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APRIL 07 - LIGHT ON LEARNING



Developments by Glidevale Ltd are enabling specifiers to ensure optimum natural daylight is incorporated into school buildings, and that artificial light and electricity consumption is reduced, by turning to the roof.

Glidevale’s Sunscoop tubular rooflights use a clear polycarbonate dome on the roof to catch daylight and reflect it down a specular tube through the roof void into the classroom or corridor below. The standard SR95 unit provides 95% reflectivity whilst the new SR98 provides up to 98% reflectivity, but even the even the smallest 250mm diameter Sunscoop SR95 gives up to four times more light than a single 60W bulb!

Daylight has long been the standard measure for lighting quality. Studies by Kuller and Lindsten (1992), and the Heschong Mahone Group (1999), demonstrate a positive correlation between day lighting and academic performance, and advice prevails that day lighting should be used wherever possible. Provision of natural daylight in every room is now also incorporated into DfEE guidelines.

Glidevale’s Sunscoop is already being used in schools throughout the country: Philip Howl of Howl Associates included 16 x Sunscoop SR95 in his design for the new Cradley C of E School in Worcestershire and commented, “The Sunscoops have been amazingly effective in lighting what would otherwise have been a very dark part of the school.” Added architect Rosemary Rennie who included four Sunscoops in Critch Fritchley Primary School in Derbyshire, “Artificial light is only required on really dull days because so much light comes through the Sunscoops.”

To enable tailoring of the Sunscoop to individual requirements, a range of options has been developed, including a secondary glazing skin for further thermal performance, and a light and sun deflector to maximise direct light transmission. Also available are light attenuating dampers to provide control over the light entering the room, integral light fittings that use a low energy lamp to provide night-time illumination if required, a fire protection collar and a Skyview diffuser which spreads the transmitted light over a greater area.

Glidevale’s Sunscoop can be fitted to pitched or flat roofs, and incorporates a range of roof flashings in a choice of colours to optimise ease of fitting and blending with the roof fabric. For pitched roofs there is also the option of an in-line or traditional skylight roof flashing. The Sunscoop glazing and flashings are all AA fire rated, enabling use without restriction in number, spacing, position or proximity to neighbouring buildings.

Editor’s note: the statistics quoted relate to tests undertaken by the Silsoe Research Institute, with a 250mm dia Sunscoop using 95% specular reflectance tubes with a 1m system length yielding internal light levels of 261lux on a clear summer day with direct sunlight ( with external light levels of 100klux), and 53lux on an overcast day without direct sunlight with external light levels of 20klux). A 60W light bulb yields a level of 50lux.

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