Skylights - Industrial and warehouse

[scootermcrad]

Okay... Let's talk about skylights for a minute or three.

So, I've been thinking about skylights a lot lately. In particular, industrial skylights like you would see in a warehouse or factory. I have two applications for such a beast (shop and home), but I know these things can get spendy.

Yesterday I was at a loft in downtown LA and saw exactly what I was thinking of.

This one was above an elevator shaft:

This was from the inside looking up. More than double the size of the one above the elevator...

First off, is there an actual name for this TYPE of skylight? Pretty hard to find pictures of this type.

But the real topic of discussion I was hoping for is, anyone actually MADE something like this for their shop or home? The construction seems really simple. Seems like a person could weld up a frame pretty easy, taking in to consideration glass placement and sealing, but maybe even use a handful of existing flat paneled skylights and just mount them in a frame. Guess the real concern would be about the quality/type of glass itself as well as the strength in a storm situation.

I really like the industrial lofty feel of these and it really works with the concept of a shop I'm starting to plan out. It just so happens to work well with a HOUSE we are buying as well.

Any feedback and or thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks guys!

 

[Greatbear]

I would call that a pentroof skylight.

I am familiar with Velux skylights, and they make curbing and kits for gang mounting their residential and commercial units side by side. You basically have to make a frame to put them in a pent roof configuration of your choosing. It takes some fabrication, of course. You can choose to have some or all of the lights opening for ventilation.

 

[scootermcrad]

I would call that a pentroof skylight.

I am familiar with Velux skylights, and they make curbing and kits for gang mounting their residential and commercial units side by side. You basically have to make a frame to put them in a pent roof configuration of your choosing. It takes some fabrication, of course. You can choose to have some or all of the lights opening for ventilation.

Good to know! Thanks! Seems simple enough...

Pentroof. Okay! Going to look that up...

 

[kbs2244]

That style pre dates the current sealants.
They needed the slope to prevent leaking.

If the size is right I would use sliding patio doors now days.
The carpentry would be pretty easy.

 

[scootermcrad]

So... Anyone build their own? I would love to see!

 

[SUHRsc]

Took this for you over the weekend in Allentown, PA

 

[BWS]

Heres a few reasons for the angle on skylights.....

>Preventing leaks by not having pools of water.Yes,todays sealants do a great job......but pools should never be on the menu.And pooling isn't necessarily a static thing....In downpours,how the water behaves(pooling up) is controlled by angle or tilt of glass.

>Snow loads.....steeper angles=better.The steeper the angle the more the glass can withstand other forces as well.The flatter the glass,and this is a function of its size...the less its strength.As glass ages this strength also decreases.A pane of glass can last hundreds of years when oriented vertically....lay that chit down and see how long it lasts.

>One other reason you see older buldings with these sorts of angled skylights is......one size fits all on glass size.The craftsman simply changes pitch to fit stock size glass into differing sized openings.

>Theres some lite refraction things going on as well.....IOWs the way lite enters these styles of skylights vs flat.

>Theres some cases where accessablity is at issue.IOWs...its easier in some cases to make an angled skylight open/close for maintenance vs flat styled.

I'll just straight up say......make'm as steep as you can get.I gotta go up on a building in a day or two and fix some stupid high $$ Velux's that are leaking.As much as I respect the co....and ain't gonna trash on them.Given the "wrong" set of circumstances,those Mo-fo's leak as well.We're talking professionally designed(architects),professionally installed here......on some pretty expensive homes.Its a sucky job but will pay well,not because of fixin the engineering....its the scaffolding required to get to them.Its between 30-40 feet just to the gutter......then up another 20 or so feet on a 10/12 roof.This problem is caused by water coming off a big azz brick chimney(cricket)......architect was clueless."It looks good on paper".Velux wasn't a dang bit of help.....roofer isn't responsible for the skylight itself.And I don't blame him....its a dumbazz design and was doomed from the getgo.

So,try to consider water as a dynamic thing when studying/planning skylights.Imagine a firehose shooting water on roof....where is it going?How does your skylight placement figure into this scenerio?BW