Articles - on work, thoughts and experiments


Let There Be Light!

Posted on - 15 June 2021

Skylights are an ingenious way of allowing more natural light into your home. A useful designing feature which adds an aesthetic value to your space,open skylights were widely used in ancient Roman architecture. The skylighting technology we are familiar with however, was possibly pioneered in France. The earliest instance of this form of technology, that is still used in modern home design was first observed at the Halle aux blés, Paris in 1763.

The incorporation of natural light is a great way to enhance positive energies in a place,and that’s the reason why we keep looking for innovative ways to include sky-lighting technology not only in residential buildings but in work places as well.

Apart from the obvious advantage of having better lighting, adding a skylight can provide emotional benefits, positive effects on one’s health, and also help one save precious natural resources because of its energy efficiency.

The central feature of the above house,located in the Textile capital of South India – Tirupur, is a double heighted, sky-lit water body tree court. There is an abundance of sunshine in this space all thanks to the internal sky-lit courts that allow a steady source of natural light which brightens up the interiors.

It’s fascinating when outdoor elements find a safe space inside one’s abode. The living and dining spaces of the above home stretch from the ground up to an interactive triple heighted landscape court. This area is blessed with a generous amount of natural light and cross ventilation because of cleverly crafted skylights and strategically positioned doorways.

Inclusion of a proper natural lighting system offers a complete transformation to any given space. The spatial quality of the above home for instance has been enhanced by amplifying the heights of the living areas and introducing internal sky-lit courts. The result is a spacious living area which is filled with an abundance of natural light and is also exhilaratingly connected to the landscaped outdoors which envelop it on two sides.

Though a powerful designing element, that lets you incorporate more natural light into a space, skylights have to be correctly installed, or there might be some serious moisture problems due to leakage. Also, when a skylight is installed on a roof it has an impact on the building and that’s why a thorough assessment of the structure must be done by a professional before going ahead. Overall an amazing architectural feature that illuminates dull corners, skylights when properly installed, can transform any given space. No wonder it has been an important element in architecture for centuries.