YMCA
Atlanta, Georgia
Skylight installer: W.S. Nielsen Company
Roofing consultant: Bill Rice – Williamson and Associates
Products: Curb system roof monitors with FCM curb mounted fixed skylights, Size 4646 with white laminated glass
skylight curbs: Curbs +, Inc.
The purpose of roof monitors is simple; to achieve a balanced natural lighting environment by bringing daylight through a glazing system and then diffusing the light as it bounces against the back of the roof monitor. By the time the light enters the space below, it is diffused and provides a visually comfortable environment.
The VELUX roof monitor concept:
Building owners are conscious of two main factors when considering natural lighting designs: energy efficiency and quality of light. In regards to energy efficiency, there are two elements that are especially important:
- How often electrical lights can be turned off.
- How heat gain from the skylights can be minimized, so that it doesn’t add to the cooling load of the building.
The YMCA design optimized both elements based on the following concept. A sloped roof monitor with insulated skylights directly facing the sun can garner greater amounts of sunlight in a smaller roof opening than a vertical roof monitor, which requires a larger glazing surface to achieve the same daylight levels.
For example, while most vertical roof monitors (where the glazing surface is vertical) normally require a glazing to floor ratio of between 9% and 15%, a sloped roof monitor with VELUX skylights can harvest as much daylight with a significantly smaller glazing to floor ratio – typically between 3% and 5%. VELUX skylights also meet ENERGY STAR® guidelines nationwide. This means that they provide the ultimate balance between light harvesting capability and solar heat gain protection.
The natural lighting challenge at the YMCA:
The YMCA had an existing natural lighting system, but it required ongoing maintenance and did not harvest daylight very well. The lighting consultant quickly realized that a different system would need to be installed in order to guarantee a leak-proof design and the ultimate daylight harvesting system.
This is where the W.S. Nielsen Company came into play. As the premier commercial skylight installer in the Atlanta area, they often act as consultants in selecting the most adequate daylighting systems in the projects they install. Mike Nielsen, President of the W.S. Nielsen Company, recommended the VELUX roof monitor design for three primary reasons:
- Having sold and installed VELUX skylights for over 20 years, he understood the quality and reliability of VELUX products
- In terms of light gathering capability, he knew this design would not only harvest a great amount of light but would also diffuse the light by passing the light through a white laminated glazing and having it bounce off the back of the roof monitors
- Aesthetically, this design had the potential to create a great architectural statement because of its saw tooth look and interior light reflecting into the sky at night.
The results:
As can be seen from the pictures, the new natural lighting design not only looks great from the exterior but also provides an incredible natural lighting environment inside the gym. Lights can be turned off during most of the day, resulting in a significant energy savings and a much better environment for exercising. The gym has been transformed!
For more information on this design, please call VELUX at 1-888-878-3589.
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