The Victorians were the first to mass produce standardised rooflights, quickly grasping the advantages of casting in iron for mass production. From the 1840s the cast-iron rooflight was widespread in use in both residential and agricultural buildings up to the Second World War and beyond. Visually they were flush with the roof, had slim profiles and a glazing bar dividing the two glazing panels. Thereafter double-glazed rooflights started to appear and supplant the cast iron rooflight. Though cast-iron rooflights are still available, they are rarely used in habitable accommodation today on account of their poor thermal performance and susceptibility to leakage. From the 1960s until the 1990s modern rooflights were the only viable option for habitable accommodation and they were widely used in the conservation environment. The Conservation Rooflight® designed by architect Peter King RIBA in 1990 was the first modern rooflight specifically intended for use in the Conservation environment. It was designed to exactly replicate a cast-iron rooflight visually, but offer technical improvements such as energy efficient glazing and draughtproofing in addition to dealing with the watertightness susceptibility of the original cast-iron design. A thermally decoupled lining, the patented Thermoliner® was added to ensure that the condensation endemic to steel window products would not occur with this design. Since the early 1990s a number of competitive rooflights have appeared in the Conservation market. Of those that emanate from the largest rooflight companies there appear to be few concessions to the visual appearance of the original cast-iron design. Others, the products of steel manufacturers and fabricators are an adequate visual match for a cast-iron unit, but have failed to sufficiently grasp the problem of condensation. Only the Conservation Rooflight® from the Rooflight Company still combines faithfulness to the visual appearance of a cast-iron unit with the technical innovation necessary to make a steel rooflight viable in use today. To find out more on the history of roof lighting, go to www.therooflightcompany.co.uk or contact us on 01993 833108 Traditional cast-iron rooflight. Arrival of the Conservation Rooflight® The Innovators in Rooflighting Original Cast iron rooflights were always flush with the roof and had slim profiles Cast iron models readily available from the 1840s the Conservation Rooflight® developed by architect Peter King - the first to replicate the cast iron model The Thermoliner® ensures no condensation problems occur on Conservation Rooflights® from the Rooflight Company Rooflighting in the Conservation Environment the Conservation Rooflight® was the first modern rooflight designed to replicate the cast-iron model. The range includes 19 sizes and special sizes to prevent the need to cut rafters.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=