Building structures with a significant volume usually have a design that makes some of their performance more dependent on the equipment used in them than on the body of the building itself. In the design and subsequent operation, therefore, special attention must be paid to the elements of the individual systems envisaged in them, such as those forming the ventilation infrastructure or interior lighting system. In this context, of great importance is the type of applied roof continous rooflights. Let's find out what their importance is and see if you can increase their functionality by additionally installing ventilation smoke dampers in them.
What are continuous rooflights used for?
Buildings with a large area, especially those of steel construction, are necessarily equipped with a small number of glazings. This is because even with a very large area, they would not be able to properly illuminate the interior due to the vastness of the space, as well as the way it is arranged - the division into smaller rooms or the presence of machinery and equipment of considerable size, which block the propagation of sunlight. In facilities of this kind it is possible to ensure the necessary level of light intensity by installing an artificial lighting system. However, it is worth remembering that this means a considerable cost of use, and at the same time it does not provide the possibility of contact with natural light, which adversely affects the well-being of the occupants of the interior. A way to solve this problem is to install continuous rooflights of sufficiently large area in the roof slope, which, although they will not eliminate the need for artificial light, will significantly reduce its amount.
Smoke dampers vs continuous rooflights
As well as the lighting system in buildings of this type, adequate ventilation also appears. Here, too, however, its functioning can be assisted by installing smoke dampers in the roof. Opened in good weather, they help to effectively ventilate the building, as well as cool it. Nothing prevents them from being combined with a system of continuous rooflights.