Diffused, balanced natural lighting providing a visually comfortable environment
The purpose of roof monitors is simple; bring daylight through a glazing system and then defuse the light as it bounces against the back of the roof monitor.
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
A south-facing sloped roof monitor 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. This provides a balance between light harvesting capability and solar heat gain protection.
By using FCM skylights as sloped roof monitors, the YMCA found the ultimate balance between energy efficiency and quality of light.