Best in Class: Skylights

Let the light come in

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In an industrial setting like this, there is plenty of room for smart kitchen cabinetry. Windows are in short supply but a deep aperture, set over the counters to illuminate the work stations, solves this problem. A suite of five rooflights set together shines light into the space whose only other source is a set of transom windows high above the dining area. The overhead lighting also draws attention to the Aga DC3, which costs €13,000. Pictured in white, it comes in 12 fashion colours and works as well in a contemporary kitchen as in traditional spaces. aga.ie

This Sydney residence with architecture by Andre Baroukh and interiors by Hare + Klein has windows on its external wall but the bank of roof lights, three being far more illuminating than one, that really let light pool in, cleverly resolving the problem of a dark thoroughfare. David Moses of Horizon Habitats, based in New South Wales, used Velux skylights and suggests installing a blind to shade sunlight; this is a consideration in south or west-facing aspects. Photograph: Karl Beath horizonhabitats.com.au; velux.ie

Michael Pike of GKMP Architects favours The Folding Door Company for its Skyframe roof lights because they “appear to sit flush with the ceiling when viewed from the inside”, he explains. In this house on Ormond Road in Dublin 6, the roof light has been installed where the original part of the property meets the new extension, to minimise the traditional problem of losing lot of light to the new-build part. Photograph: Alice Clancy gkmp.ie; foldingdoors.ie

In a terraced house you need to maximise every scrap of space, sometimes going in-between to gain otherwise dead space, says Stephen Palmer-Hogan of London-based Platform 5 Architects. “In some situations, a small lightwell in a terraced house that might be considered a ‘nothing space’ can instead be put to good use. By infilling the light well with glazing, you completely transform a very small area and have a major impact on the flow and light into your home.” This long, narrow breakfast area is a light, airy space you want to linger in. platformarchitects.com

This Shui Comfort collection by Italian firm Ceramica Cielo is housed in a vaulted space with an eaves rooflight to wash light in from both a traditional window source and from above. This type of design is available from a number of suppliers in Ireland, including Skylight. British designer bathroom showrooms CP Hart sells the sanitaryware range pictured including the basin, about €307, bidet and toilet from €356 each and bath from about €3,469, ex-delivery. skylight.ie: ceramicocielo.com; cphart.co.uk

Lightwell House by London-based practice Emergent Design Studios is a Victorian house in Fulham that once had narrow proportions and limited depth to the rear garden, says director Marco Ortiz. With lightwells and rooflighting, the body and rear wing of the building were extended to the side and into a basement. The lightwell over the extension streams into the kitchen, at garden level, and the lightwell above the glass-tread cantilevered stairs, and a kitchen floorlight, light the basement. Photograph: Naaro ed-studios.com

The work of London-based Red Squirrel Architects (RSA) on this house at Friern Road in East Dulwich remodelled the ground floor to create a free-flowing open-plan space set off by the wrapover glazed roof to the rear that floods the kitchen and dining space with natural light. RSA director Carl Johannsen-Ward worked on Dublin’s Bord Gais Energy Theatre, conceived by Studio Daniel Libeskind, during his time at his previous firm, Arts Team, which was appointed as executive design architects for the auditorium and BOH areas. redsquirrelarchitects.com

Sat Nov 19 2016 - 06:00

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