Things homeowners need to keep in mind when designing skylights

Skylights are a popular architectural solution in today’s housing projects, aiming to exploit light and ventilation for townhouses that lack airy surfaces.

Skylights are a popular architectural solution in today’s housing projects, aiming to exploit light and ventilation for townhouses that lack airy surfaces. Being part of a technical element, but a skylight brings a certain aesthetic value and freshness, is a highlight for the interior space of the house.

The skylight next to the stairs, under the skylight is a distinctive staircase as a highlight.

In fact, the sky well has existed since ancient times. In the tube-shaped townhouses in the old quarter of Hanoi, Hoi An, Saigon Cholon area … the well has been applied in construction design to ensure natural lighting and ventilation. These townhouses have a narrow width and great length (depth) – up to tens of meters and also have only 1 or 2 modest open sides (front and back); Meanwhile, the space used by functional rooms stretches along the depth of the house. Skylights here may have roofs, they may not have roofs like an inner courtyard (mostly roofless), architectural form and materials different from current housing, but the nature of the well is still the same. : a clearing from… in the sky, to exploit light and ventilation.

You can watch the whole staircase system from the well.

Skylight is a technical architectural solution to get natural light and ventilation, the solution of microclimate environment; But in fact, the skylight becomes a special space, a highlight of the house. Normally, to exploit the maximum efficiency, the sky well is usually placed in the middle of the house. At that location, sky wells can be exploited to 3 sides (one side is usually adjacent to the boundary wall), for bedroom spaces, toilets, stairs, corridors … or other functional rooms. That central location makes the skylight absorb the vision, make visual impression and easy to invest and care for the beautiful sky, making even the adjacent large space such as the common living room, kitchen … also beautiful. than. Of course, there are also houses with more than one well, and not all houses with a sky well are in the middle of the house.

Skylights are a fairly familiar part of a townhouse today. Sky wells have become necessary, indispensable in the condition of “crowded land”, crowded together in urban areas, and clear conditions of land for house construction are very difficult. There are no similar skylights. Each house is different, each owner has a preference, each architect has an idea … However, there are still common common points to note in order for the “highlight” in the house to be useful in the function. and optimize, as well as overcome disadvantages:

– Sky well is a tube, so the sound transmitted in the well is very clear and resonant. People sitting downstairs talking, people upstairs can hear; lose privacy or annoy each other. So the wall areas in the skylight should not be all smooth and smooth. Need some rough, lumpy patches for sound absorption; such as using hemp paint, cladding natural stone, brick cards, building ceiling tiles …

– If the sky well has no roof, the well bottom must organize the drainage well, and the bottom of the well must be large enough as well as the surrounding area must have a barrier system (walls, walls, doors) for rainwater to fall. Sky well bottom floor does not shoot into the clean living spaces

– With roofed skylights, it is important to note the main wind direction of the area to have a reasonable roof solution, in case when it rains, there is strong wind, it will pour rain through the crevices and openings of the roof to the roof.

– Decorative lights, hanging plants (if any) on the walls of the skylight well must be within reach or have a safety solution to control, avoid difficulties in need of maintenance and repair of lamps – electricity. , take care of bonsai.

– If under the skylight is not a fixed area such as an aquarium, ornamental garden, but a place of passage, or living space; do not hang pots, lamps, or other large – heavy decorations above it can be dangerous.

– The windows, corridors and stairs adjacent to the skylight must have handrails, iron flowers, ensuring safety standards. (height, gap distance)

– In some areas, the summer sun is very hot, especially at noon, the sun shines directly into the wells, which can cause excess light, glare, damage – damage to wooden floors, furniture; It is possible to install a ceiling curtain system under the skylight roof to block the sun and regulate light.