The advantages and disadvantages are set out in CIBSE LG10
indicating that the original shed roof, the cheapest solution, has serious
defects and is unlikely to be used today; whilst the many different forms
of monitor roof can be adapted to fit most roof situations to solve the
daylighting problems below.
New roof forms are still being developed for the admission of daylight
to large open areas not restricted to industrial buildings... from
supermarkets to universities and swimming pools. An excellent example
of an early solution to a factory in which the services are rationalized and
placed inside ducts which are a part of the overall roof structure and do
not obstruct the daylight is shown inLighting Modern Buildingspp. 138/9,
the York Shipley Factory; whilst the roof design for the Sainsbury
Supermarket in Greenwich (Case Study pp. 164/167) shows an elegant
solution to the roof form, providing a high level of daylight to the store.
ATRIA
Whilst the word atrium started as the central court of a Roman house,
admitting light and air to the surrounding dwelling space, the word has
taken on a wider meaning as described in the CIBSE LG10 daylight and
window design.
‘An interior light space enclosed on two or more sides by the walls
of a building, and daylit from a roof of transparent or translucent
material and, sometimes, from glazed ends or sides. It permits the
entry of light to the other interior spaces, linked to it by glazed or
unglazed openings.’The atrium is therefore a further development of the dome or vault
allowing daylight into the central areas of the great houses. The modern
atrium will be covered by a glazed skylight, which, whilst slightly
reducing the amount of daylight, monitors the external atmosphere
keeping out the rain, whilst contributing to ventilation, and reducing the
necessity for air-conditioning.
24 Daylighting: Natural Light in Architecture
The square atrium at Borax which may be
comparedwiththe‘street’attheBA
Headquarters at Waterside (see p. 17)DP Archive